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NEIL: YOU KNOW SOMETIMES WE NEED
AN OUT OF THIS WORLD REMINDER
THAT THERE IS A WORLD BEYOND US,
MANY WORLDS BEYOND US, WHICH WE
LACK OBSESSION BUT MAYBE SHOULD
OBSESS.
THEY TAKE OUR MIND OFF
OURSELVES.
ONE INVOLVES THE PLANET MARS,
AND WHAT THIS CURIOSITY ROVER,
LIKE A LUNAR ROVER BUT ON MARS,
WHAT IT HAS BEEN DIG OUT LAST
SIX YEARS.
IT IS SLOWLY TRAVERSING THE
MARTIAN SURFACE HERE.
NASA RELEASED FASCINATING
FINDINGS FROM THE DATA THAT CAME
FROM THAT STEADY BUT RELIABLE
LITTLE GLORIFIED JEEP IF YOU
WILL.
QUOTING FROM THE NASA REPORT
CURIOSITY SHOW THAT THE GAIL
CRATER WAS HABITABLE AROUND
3 BILLION YEARS.
CLOSE TO CONDITIONS ON EARLY
EARTH WHERE LIFE EVOLVED.
THE QUESTION WHETHER LIFE
ORIGINATED OR EVEN EXISTED ON
MARS IS A LOT MORE ON PORT TUNE,
WE KNOW ORGANIC MOLECULES WERE
PRESENT ON ITS SURFACE AT THAT
TIME.
OTHER SCIENCES POUNCING ON THAT
SAID, MAYBE WE WERE NOT ALONE.
MAYBE WE ARE NOT ALONE.
TO ASTRONAUT AND BEST-SELLING
AUTHOR CLAYTON ANDERSON.
CLAYTON, THAT THAT IS A REMARKAL
CLAYTON, THAT THAT IS A REMARKAE
FINDING.
IT MIGHT EXPLAIN WHY WE KEEP
VISITING MARS, INCLUDING THIS
NEXT CAPSULE I GUESS WILL BURROW
INTO THE PLANET MARS.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT ALL OF
THIS?
>> WE AS HUMANS ARE OFTEN TIMES
HOPEFUL WE'LL FIND LIFE
ELSEWHERE IN OUR UNIVERSE.
THE FACT THAT WE DISCOVERED
THESE BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE
ARE 3 1/2 BILLION YEARS OLD
GIVES US HOPE.
ANYTIME A SPACE ADVOCATE LIKE ME
POINT TO THE POPULATION ON THE
PLANET AND GIVE HOPE FOR SPACE,
FURTHER SPACE EXPLORATION AND
I'M ALL FOR THAT.
NEIL: IN YOUR BOOK, TAKING THE
QUESTION ABOUT MAN'S INHERIT
NEED TO FIND MORE OR SEEKING
MORE.
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH A
LOT OF PEOPLE JOINING THE SAME
FASCINATING PARTY BUT WE'VE KIND
OF LIMITED OURSELVES, NOT WHAT
WE'RE DOING ON MARS AND UNMANNED
MISSIONS ARE NOT CHUMP CHANGE
BUT WE WERE NOT WHAT WE WERE AND
WE DON'T COMMIT WHAT WE DID.
WHAT HAPPENED?
>> I THINK WE HAVE A LOT OF
COMPETING PRIORITIES THESE DAYS.
IN THE APOLLO DAYS, TWO CENTS ON
THE TAX DOLLAR WENT TO THE SPACE
PROGRAM.
WE'RE LESS THAN HALF A PEN IF I
GOES TO THE SAME SPACE PROGRAM.
IF WE GET IT UP TO THE APOLLO
LEVELS THINK MORE WE COULD DO.
THAT IS FOR PEOPLE AT HIGHER PAY
GRADE THAN ME TO DECIDE.
NEIL: I DON'T AGREE WITH ANYONE
HIGHER THAN YOU.
MERCURY AND GEMINI APOLLO YEARS,
THE RUSSIANS WERE OUR GREAT
FOCAL POINT.
WE WERE DOING THIS TO BEAT THEM
OR NOT THEM TO HAVE THE
ADVANTAGE.
NOW WE LEARN CHINA, I GUESS OUR
MODERN-DAY FOE, I'M NOT
EUROPEANING TO TRIVIALIZE THIS
IS EXPLORING SPACE IN AGGRESSIVE
MANNER.
LAUNCHING A ROCKET THAT WOULD GO
TO THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON,
YOU WOULD THINK THAT WOULD BE
ENOUGH TO RETHINK OUR PASSIVE
APPROACH AND GET MOVING?
>> I AGREE AND I HOPE WE ARE.
COMPETITION IS A GREAT
MOTIVATOR.
THE FACT CHINESE HAVE GROWING
SPACE PROGRAM TODAY IS
COMPETITION.
I WOULD ACTUALLY LIKE TO REALLY
SEE US WORK TOGETHER WITH THEM
TO DO SOME GREAT THINGS.
I'M A FIRM BELIEVER IF WE WORK
TOGETHER IN SPACE WE DON'T FIGHT
EACH OTHER ON THE GROUND.
SO THAT'S A PREMISE WE OUGHT TO
CONSIDER.
NEIL: GENE CERNAN.
GREAT ASTRONAUT, APOLLO 17
COMMANDER, USED TO COME ON THIS
THOUGH FREQUENTLY, HE TALKED
ABOUT THE FACT THAT INCREDIBLE
UNMANNED MISSIONS WERE AND ARE
AND INFORMATION WE GET FROM THEM
INCLUDING THIS FROM THIS ROVER,
YOU NEED MEN AND WOMEN OUT
THERE, YOU NEED THEM TO PUSH
BOUNDARIES OUT THERE.
DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT?
>> ABSOLUTELY I AGREE.
THE ONLY WAY WE CAN REALLY TRULY
EXPLORE SPACE FURTHER WITH A
COMBINATION OF ROBOTIC
TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANS.
WHILE ROBOTS CAN BRING LOTS AND
LOTS OF GREAT THINGS TO THE
TABLE THEY CAN'T BRING THAT
ABILITY TO ASSESS REAL TIME AND
CHANGE PLANS ON THE FLY WHEN
SOMETHING HAPPENS OR YOU SEE
SOMETHING OR COME ACROSS
SOMETHING YOU'RE NOT AWARE OF.
SO, I THINK WE ALL HAVE TO COME
TO THE AGREEMENT THAT IT IS
GOING TO TAKE BOTH, ROBOTS AND
HUMANS.
NEIL: WE HINT AT TEASE A LOT
ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF LIFE OR
BUILDING BLOCKS ON MARS.
THAT IS RELATIVELY CLOSE IN OUR
NEIGHBORHOOD.
I KNOW IT GOES BACK TO THE CARL
SAYING AGAIN VIEW THAT PLAYING
OUT -- S AG EN, PLAYING OUT
POSSIBILITIES AND NUMBERS, LIVE
IS OUT THERE EVERYWHERE, IS IT
NOT?
>> AGREE.
I LIKE TO TELL PEOPLE THE
UNIVERSE IS HUGE PIZZA.
WE'RE ON ONE CRUST.
WE'VE GONE TO THE MOON, THAT'S
IT.
MAYBE ON THE OPPOSITE CRUST IS
ANOTHER SPECIES DOING EXACTLY
TYPE OF THINGS WE'RE DOING.
IN ORDER FOR US TO MEET AT THE
PEPPERONI IN THE MIDDLE, IT IS
GOING TO TAKE I AM TIE, IT IS
GOING TO TAKE MONEY, AND IT IS
GOING TO TAKE EXPERTISE.
WE'RE EARLY IN THE STAGE OF THAT
PROCESS.
NEIL: HERE IS WHAT MADE YOU A
GREAT ASTRONAUT, AND GREAT
AUTHOR, YOU'RE ANALOGIES, TAKING
QUEST FOR SPACE I COULD
UNDERSTAND, PIZZA.
I VIEW THAT AS AN HONOR.
CLAYTON ANDERSON, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH.
THAT IS A GOOD PERSPECTIVE.