We've been waiting... and waiting... and waiting for Boeing's Starliner to fly. First selected in 2010, along with SpaceX's Crew Dragon, Starliner has been behind schedule for years. SpaceX got $2.6 billion for its six dragon flights, and Boeing received more at $4.3 billion, so you'd expect Boeing to be first to fly, right? Well, as of today, SpaceX has delivered crews to the International Space Station eight times, to Boeing's... zero. Delayed development, turbulence problems with the capsule on the Atlas launcher, stuck valves, flammable materials, and faulty parachute lines have all contributed to the delays. Boeing has flown two uncrewed missions—the first one a partial failure, with the second, funded by Boeing itself, flown to NASA's satisfaction. Now it's time to put a crew aboard. Will Boeing overcome their issues and deliver the goods? Join us.

Headlines:

• Voyager's Return: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory confirms reestablishment of contact with Voyager 1 after five months of silence, overcoming communication challenges over vast interstellar distances.
• China's Shenzhou 18 and Tiangong Space Station: China successfully launches Shenzhou 18 to the Tiangong Space Station, which was recently hit by space debris, prompting China to revamp its space debris management strategies.
• International Partnerships for Lunar Research: China announces new international partnerships for its International Lunar Research Station, contrasting its progress with NASA's Artemis Accords.

Main Topic: Boeing Starliner's Upcoming Mission

• Starliner's Crewed Test Flight: A detailed discussion on Boeing's upcoming Starliner mission, highlighting the spacecraft's capabilities, the crew's preparations, and the significance of this test flight.
• Spacecraft and Mission Overview: Insights into the Starliner's design, the choice of Atlas V rockets for the launch, and the planned landing procedures in the southwestern United States.
• Crew Profiles: Focus on the astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, discussing their backgrounds, roles in the mission, and expectations for the test flight.
• Closing Thoughts: Rod and Tariq wrap up with final thoughts on the importance of the Starliner mission for Boeing and NASA, discussing potential outcomes and what they signify for the future of commercial spaceflight.

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Jason Howell is filling in for Mikah Sargent as Mikah is out! Emily Dreibelbis chatted with one of the moderators of r/ChatGPT on Reddit. The Rabbit R1 AI companion device recently had its launch party, and first impressions are coming out for the wearable device. Meta opens its Quest Horizon OS to developers. And AI finally arrives in the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

• Emily Dreibelbis of PCMag spoke with a moderator of one of the more popular subreddits on Reddit, r/ChatGPT, about their experience moderating a subreddit of that size and popularity.
• Jason Howell talks about the Rabbit R1 AI companion device and how more wearable devices are being developed with AI in them.
• Scott Stein of CNET joins the show to discuss Meta's opening its Quest Horizon OS to other developers and Meta's possible goals for allowing third-party developers access to this operating system.
• Finally, Victoria Song of The Verge stops by to talk with Jason about the Ray-Ban rolling out multimodal AI to its smart glasses.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Emily Dreibelbis

Guests: Scott Stein and Victoria Song

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Sponsors:

• IntouchCX.com/twit
• GO.ACILEARNING.COM/TWIT

Today's episode looks at a built-in app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It's Apple's Voice Memos! Mikah Sargent demonstrates how to get started with new vocal recordings on an iPhone, as well as relevant editing tools, sharing options, and important choices to make in Settings.

Make a recording in Voice Memos on iPhone - https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/make-a-recording-iph4d2a39a3b/ios

Host: Mikah Sargent

Want access to the video version and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.