♪ ♪ ♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY,
WELCOME BACK.
MY NEXT GUEST IS A THEORETICAL PHYSICIST AND "NEW YORK TIMES"
BESTSELLING AUTHOR.
HIS NEW BOOK IS "THE GOD EQUATION: THE QUEST FOR A
THEORY OF EVERYTHING."
PLEASE WELCOME MICHIO KAKU!
MICHIO KAKU, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO TALK FIZZIBS WITH YOU.
YOU ARE NOT ONLY A THEORETICAL PHYSICIST, BUT YOU ARE A
FUTURIST, WHICH I BELIEVE IS ANOTHER
ME FOR AN ENTHUSIASTABOUT THE FU SOME ENTHUSIASTIC THINGS GOING
ON RIGHT NOW.
LOOK AT THAT PHOTO.
THAT IS THE HELICOPTER DRONE THAT PERSEVERANCE HAS DROPPED ON
THE SURFACE OF MARS.
I GET INCREDIBLY EXCITED SEEING THAT THERE AND KNOWING THAT
WE'RE GOING TO SOON HAVE FLIGHT ON MARS.
DOES THAT EXCITE YOU?
>> YES.
WE'RE ENTERING A SECOND GOLDEN ERA IN SPACE EXPLORATION.
THE FIRST GOLDEN ERA, WE WENT TO THE MOON.
BUT THAT WAS THE VISION-- BEAT THE RUSSIANS.
BEAT THE RUSSIANS.
WELL, WE BEAT THE RUSSIANS AND THE VISION FELL APART.
NOW WE HAVE A NEW VISION.
SILICON VALLEY BILLIONAIRES ARE OPENING THEIR CHECKBOOKS.
NEW VISIONS, COSTS ARE DROPPING.
WE'RE WITNESSING THE SECOND GOLDEN ERA IN SPACE EXPLORATION.
THAT'S WHAT'S SO EXCITING.
>> Stephen: WHEN I WAS A YOUNG GUY READING A LOT OF GOLDEN AGE
SCIENCE FICTION IT WAS ALWAYS INDUSTRY THAT GOT US TO SPACE.
IF MY CHILDHOOD IT WAS THE GOVERNMENT.
NOW THE EARLY VISION HAS BECOME TRUE.
IT'S INDUSTRIALISTS GETTING US TO SPACE.
DO YOU THINK THAT'S THE BEST WAY TO GO, OR DO YOU THINK THE
GOVERNMENT SHOULD STAY INVOLVED?
>> I THINK A PARTNERSHIP, A PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP IS
THE WAY TO GO.
BECAUSE PRIVATE INDUSTRY BRINGS YOU NEW VISION.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BECOMING A MULTIPLANET SPECIES.
THEY'RE OPENING UP THEIR CHECKBOOKS, AND THEY'RE TAKING
RISKS TO CREATE THE REUSABLE ROCKET.
THAT HAS DROPPED THE COST OF SPACE TRAVEL.
THAT'S WHERE PRIVATE ENTERPRISE COMES IN.
THEY'RE GAMBLERS.
THEY'RE WILLING TO PAY FOR THEIR GAMBLES BECAUSE THEY WANT, OF
COURSE MAKE A PROFIT AT THE END.
>> Stephen: YOU HAVE SAID-- YOU PREDICTED WE WILL MAKE
CONTACT OF SOME KIND, OR HAVE AWARENESS OF SOME KIND THAT
THERE IS INTELLIGENT ALIEN LIFE OUT THERE IN THE NEXT CENTURY.
DO YOU STILL STAND BY THAT PREDICTION?
AND IF SO, HOW DO YOU THINK WE WILL STUMBLE ACROSS THEM?
>> YEAH, I THINK THAT IN THIS CENTURY, WE WILL MAKE CONTACT
WITH AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL CIVILIZATION.
TO BE HONEST I GET EMAILS FROM PEOPLE THAT SAY, "YOU'RE WRONG,
PROFESSOR.
THE ALIENS ARE ALREADY HERE.
THEY'RE HERE BECAUSE THEY KNOW-- THEY'VE BEEN IN THE FLYING
SAUCERS.
THEY HAVE BEEN KIDNAPPED.
I TELL THEM THE NEXT TIME YOU ARE KIDNAPPED BY AN ALIEN-FLYING
SAUCER, FOR GOD'S SAY, STEAL SOMETHING.
I DON'T CARE WHETHER IT'S A PEN, A CHIP-- STEAL SOMETHING.
BECAUSE THERE'S NO LAW AGAINST STEALING FROM AN
EXTRATERRESTRIAL CIVILIZATION.
YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GO TO JAIL.
>> Stephen: WELL, WHAT DO-- WHAT DO-- A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK
THAT THERE IS LIFE ALREADY IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.
DO YOU BELIEVE THAT WE'RE GOING TO FIND IT SOON ON MARS?
I THINK THEY ALREADY KNOW WHAT'S OUT THERE, AND THAT THE REST OF
US, US SCHLUBS IN THE PUBLIC AREN'T READY TO KNOW IT.
IT'S EITHER IN THE CLOUDS IN VENUS OR ON MARS OR UNDERNEATH
THE ICE ON EUROPA.
DO YOU THINK THERE IS ALREADY LIFE IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM GIWOULD
LOVE IT IF THERE IS LIFE FORM ON MARS, MAYBE EVEN MICROBIAL LIFE.
BUT THE BEST BETS ARE THE MOONS OF JUPITER AND SATURN.
THEY HAVE LIQUID WATER OCEANS.
OCEANS, BILLIONS OF MILES FROM THE SUN.
WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT, AND THE OCEANS, THE VOLUME OF THESE
OCEANS IS LARGER THAN THE OCEANS OF THE PLANET EARTH.
SO I THINK THAT EVEN IN OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM THERE'S A CHANCE
FOR AQUATIC LIFE TO DEVELOP IN THE MOONS OF JUPITER AND SATURN
UNDERNEATH THE ICE COVER.
THAT'S A GAME CHANGER.
>> Stephen: CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.
HAVE YOU SAID ASKING-- TRYING TO MAKE CONTACT WITH ALIEN
CIVILIZATIONS MAY NOT BE A GREAT IDEA?
>> IT'S A BAD IDEA TO ADVERTISE OUR EXISTENCE.
BECAUSE LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO CORTEZ AND MONTEZUMA.
MONTEZUMA IN MEXICO MADE THE BIGGEST MISTAKE IN HISTORY.
HE ASSUMED THAT CORTEZ WAS A GOD.
CORTEZ WAS A PIRATE, A BLOOD-THIRSTY PIRATE, CARRYING
SMALLPOX, ARMED WITH STEEL, THE HORSE, THE WRITTEN LANGUAGE,
GUNNED POWDER.
THE AZTECS WERE A BROWNS AGE CIVILIZATION WITH NO WRITTEN
LANGUAGE, NO STEEL, TOTALLY VULNERABLE TO SMALLPOX.
IT WAS NO CONTEST.
SO I THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO KEEP OUR PRESENCE A SECRET SO
THAT THE ALIENS DON'T PUT US IN THEIR SIGHTS.
WHO KNOWS WHAT THE ALIENS BELIEVE IN?
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK BUT WE'LL BE RIGHT
BACK WITH MORE MICHIO KAKU.