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CARL AZUZ: Are steps being taken that could
lead to peace in Ukraine?
That is our first topic on today's show,
and we're glad to have you watching.
I'm Carl Azuz.
On Tuesday, after peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian
government officials, Russia said
it would move some of its troops and equipment
away from the Ukrainian capital and another area
of northern Ukraine and, quote, "drastically reduce hostilities
in these two areas."
American officials said this signaled a major change
in Russian strategy after it launched what
it called a special military operation
in Ukraine on February 24.
Russian officials indicated the decision was influenced
by promises from Ukraine that it would
remain a neutral country in the future
and not try to get or develop nuclear weapons.
There were other developments in the two nations' peace talks.
One concerned reports of a possible future meeting
between Russian President Vladimir Putin
and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
though that is not on the schedule right now.
Fighting between the two sides reportedly
continued last night in Ukraine, including
areas near the capital.
And American officials say Russia's planned pullback
in two northern parts of the country
doesn't mean it's ending its invasion.
It may just be moving these forces
to fight in other locations.
US officials say they're more focused on what
Russia does than what it says.
The Russian announcement initially triggered a drop
in oil prices on Tuesday.
Investors became less concerned that an ongoing war
would reduce oil supplies.
Another factor in lower oil prices
is recent events in Shanghai, China.
It's possible that new COVID-related lockdowns there
could reduce China's demand for oil energy.
Here's Kristie Lu Stout.
KRISTIE LU STOUT: It's day two of a sweeping lockdown
in Shanghai, China's financial capital and megacity that's
home to 25 million people.
Now this is a two-stage lockdown that
was launched so millions of residents
could undergo mandatory mass testing.
On Monday, half of the city went to lockdown for four days.
On Friday, the second half will undergo the same process.
And in this drone video, you will see the area
of Shanghai called Pudong.
That's the area that's currently under lockdown.
And you'll also see the bridge that
crosses the Huangpu River, which separates
these two lockdown zones.
During the testing period, some residents
who are awaiting testing will not be
allowed to leave their homes.
We also know that public transport is
suspended in locked down areas.
And work at factories and firms will also be suspended.
Now previously, authorities said that there was no need,
there wouldn't be a lockdown in Shanghai.
But the lockdown is underway, which is testing the patience
of the residents there.
It's also a test of China's zero COVID policy.
It is a policy that has stemmed outbreaks, that
has saved lives, but has come at a cost,
in particular, an economic cost.
I want you to read this.
This is from Larry Hu, Macquarie Bank.
He writes this, "China should be able to contain
the virus in the next few weeks as lockdown is effective.
But COVID does pose substantial growth
risk in the rest of this year as lockdown
is very costly," unquote.
I should point out that Shanghai is China's commercial center.
Many multinational companies have factories there.
In fact, it's home to more than 830 regional headquarters.
CARL AZUZ: 10-second trivia--
what planet is closest to Earth when it passes by,
Mercury Venus, Mars, or Jupiter?
[beeping]
It might not be the closest on average,
but Venus' orbit brings it closer
to Earth than any other planet.
Over the next decade, we may be able to send people to Mars.
But should we?
There are numerous downsides to the exploration
and possible colonization of the red planet.
Earth and Mars are only closely aligned once every two years.
Even then, it takes about nine months to get there.
Space travel is expensive and dangerous, especially
with people aboard.
Some researchers say it wouldn't be worth the money or risk.
But the possibility is closer than ever.
KRISTIE LU STOUT: SpaceX founder Elon
Musk is worried about the future of humanity on Earth.
His backup plan?
The Starship.
- Captain, you let them see our ship?
KRISTIE LU STOUT: No, not that Starship.
- Jump.
KRISTIE LU STOUT: Not that one either, this Starship.
He wants to use that to first send humans back to the moon
and then to settle a self-sustaining city on Mars.
SpaceX says it's the most powerful rocket ever created,
surpassing Saturn V, which landed
humans on the lunar surface.
Standing at 394 feet tall and 30 feet in diameter,
SpaceX says Starship will be able to carry over 100
metric tons into Earth orbit.
ELON MUSK: Pretty epic.
LUCY BERTHOUD: The Starship is formed of two parts.
KRISTIE LU STOUT: Professor Lucy Berthoud
teaches space engineering at the University of Bristol.
LUCY BERTHOUD: There's an bottom bit, which
is a super heavy booster, which is like a rocket,
and then the top bit, which is-- carries the cargo,
or the payload, or the people.
And those two, together, are also called the Starship.
KRISTIE LU STOUT: The Starship is powered
by over 30 Raptor engines.
Once in orbit, the super heavy booster
would separate from Starship and return
to Earth to be caught mid-air by a large pair of robotic arms.
ELON MUSK: The booster actually, even though it's gigantic,
will come back in about six minutes.
The propellant pumps are designed to fuel the rocket
in about half an hour.
KRISTIE LU STOUT: Starship would link
with a rocket in low-Earth orbit to supply
it with more propellant and then continue on its mission.
SpaceX says that could include sending
as many as 100 human passengers to Mars,
sending cargo to the red planet, or putting
satellites into orbit.
ELON MUSK: The ship is probably reusable about every six
to eight hours.
That's-- that's why we say it's sort of three
times a day for the ship.
[explosion]
KRISTIE LU STOUT: After a few high-altitude failures,
SpaceX was able to land Starship, you know,
the top part.
In May of 2021, it successfully touched
down from about six miles above Earth
without bursting into flames.
Despite arguing the industry is lagging behind and having
missed a few deadlines himself, Musk has said he thinks SpaceX
can get humans to Mars by 2026.
LUCY BERTHOUD: I do think 2026 is really ambitious.
He has said, worst case, 10 years.
I think that's much more doable.
But we do need to ensure the safety of the people who
are going to Mars.
ELON MUSK: You can only go to Mars every two years.
And I think maybe, roughly, you need
about a million tons on Mars to have
a-- a self-sustaining city.
The holy grail breakthrough that's needed
is a rapid and completely reusable rocket system.
LUCY BERTHOUD: This is absolutely
critical for going to Mars.
You're going to need to take lots of experimental materials.
You're going to need to take lots of food with you,
and also some water for all your inhabitants.
KRISTIE LU STOUT: So single-use rockets won't cut it.
BILL NYE: Elon Musk came to the planetary science
and engineering community.
He said, I want to go to Mars.
So what do I need to do?
KRISTIE LU STOUT: That's right, we talked to Bill Nye.
BILL NYE: And everybody told him,
you've got to lower the cost of getting to low-Earth orbit.
They have achieved it.
SpaceX is now absolutely the most reliable, lowest-cost
vehicle going right now.
KRISTIE LU STOUT: Nye is staunchly
in favor of exploration.
But he has concerns about settling humans
on Mars, at least right away.
BILL NYE: It's really amazing how hostile it is.
It looks like places on Earth, but it's not.
I mean, there's nothing to breathe,
and it's fantastically cold.
Well, you just live in this dome.
OK, now we're going to go outside.
What are you going to do?
You're going to put on a spacesuit to go outside,
which is just another dome.
KRISTIE LU STOUT: Nye doesn't want the push
to live on Mars to ruin our chance
to learn about life on Mars.
BILL NYE: It's very reasonable to me
that there's something alive on Mars right now.
And I'm talking about a microbe.
Talking about a thing that lives under thin layers of rock.
And we go there, and we'd set up a settlement and screw it up.
I would like us to investigate that thoroughly
before we go setting up camp and throwing Styrofoam
cups all over the ground.
If you found evidence of life, it would
change the course of history.
KRISTIE LU STOUT: The experts agree
that prudent settlement of Mars could contain lessons for life
back on Earth.
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CARL AZUZ: For 10 out of 10, if art is in the eye
of the beholder, behold this.
Might just look like a blue and gold circle of spots.
But one of the artists is Spot, the famous, or infamous, robot
dog, and the other, a human who prompted
Spot to create the unique work, is a Polish-American artist.
She titled it "Sunrise March."
And when the work was put up for auction,
it raised $40,000 that will be used
to benefit Ukrainian refugees.
Well, you don't need to brush up on color theory or canvas
a panel to see the pointillism.
You just clear the plain air, let down your avant garde,
see beyond the vanishing point, and understand
what's representational.
The abstract here is that a "con-art-seur" would say
it hits the spot on the dot.
I'm Carl Azuz.
Mountaineer High School in Morgantown, West Virginia
knows how to get a shout-out.
Thank you for subscribing and leaving a comment
on our YouTube channel.
That puts the finishing touches on today's CNN.
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