NEIL: ALRIGHT, I THOUGHT WE WERE
GOING TO LISTEN TO THE SOUND OF
THAT.
THIS IS VIRGIN BLACK DECK
LAUNCHING A TOURISM RACKET TO
THE EDGE OF SPACE.
THE TWO TOP SPACE EXPERTS SAY WE
SHOULD COLONIZE THE MOON.
JUST SAY YOU KNOW, RICHARD
BRANSON APPARENTLY BEATING OUT
THE LIKES OF JEFF DAVE DOES
ANYONE MUSK TO KEEP THIS GOING
FAST AND MAKE SURE HUMAN BEINGS
CAN GET OUT THERE.
PIONEER AERONAUTICS PRESIDENT
ROBERT GOODMAN JOINS US.
GREAT COLUMN THIS WEEK TALKING
ABOUT THE NEED TO DO MORE TO
COLONIZE.
I'M HONORED TO HAVE BOTH OF YOU
HERE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING US COME
AND KNEEL.
NEIL: IF I CAN BEGIN WITH YOU
AND GET YOUR SENSE FIRST OF ALL
ABOUT WHAT ALL OF THESE
BILLIONAIRES ARE DOING BECAUSE
OBVIOUSLY WE ARE NOT AS INVOLVED
AS WE USED TO BE DURING THE
HEYDAY OF THE SPACE PROGRAM AND
YOU GUYS DON'T GET INTO THAT BUT
THE FACT WE'RE HITCHING RIDES AT
THE RUSSIANS TO GET OUT OF
THERE.
THAT IS GOING TO CHANGE SOON.
BUT THESE ACTIONS BY THESE GUYS
ARE IMPORTANT, AREN'T THEY?
>> YEAH, MUSK IN PARTICULAR HAS
ACCOMPLISHED THE MOST AND WHAT
IT HAS SHOWN IT IS POSSIBLE FOR
AN ACTUARIAL ORGANIZATION TO DO
THINGS THAT PREVIOUSLY WAS ONLY
THE MAJOR POWERS COULD DO AND DO
THEM IN ONE THIRD THE TIME AT
ONE 10th THE COST AND EVEN DO
THINGS THEY HAVEN'T DONE SUCH AS
CREATING USABLE LAUNCH VEHICLES
AND AS A RESULT TO SET OFF A
PRIVATE SPACE RACE, WHICH IS
GOING TO MAKE IT MUCH CHEAPER
AND EASIER FOR US TO GO TO THE
MOON, TO MARTHA NOT JUST TO
VISIT, BUT TO STAY.
NEIL: WHY IS IT IMPORTANT AND I
RAISE THIS WITH YOU AS WELL, TO
DO THIS BACK AT THE MOON.
THAT IS SO 70s, ISN'T IT?
OR WOULD YOU SEE THAT MAYBE WE
ARE MISSING.
>> IN A WAY, IT'S KIND OF 50s
BECAUSE WE BUILT A STATION ON
THE SOUTH POLE IN THE 1950s
AND WE DID IT FOR A LOT OF
REASONS ARE THE SAME AS BUILDING
A BASE ON THE MOON.
IT'S AS EASY TO GET TO THEM
THERE NOW IF THAT WAS TO GET TO
THE SOUTH POLE BACK IN THE
1950s.
WHY DO WE WANT TO DO IT?
SCIENCE OBVIOUSLY, BUT
TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT AND
ALSO THERE ARE A LOT OF VALUE --
AS A MATTER OF FACT, I CAN GIVE
YOU A BUSINESS PLAN FOR BEING ON
THE MOON IN 10 SECONDS.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT?
>> SURE.
FINANCE A WEEK FROM CHRISTMAS
AND I STILL DON'T HAVE YOUR
PRESIDENT.
HERE'S A LITTLE PIECE OF THE
MOON.
DID YOU KNOW, NEIL, DIAMONDS ARE
AS COMMON IN MONTANA THAT
THEY'VE GOT VALUE.
I DON'T WANT TO TRIVIALIZE IT,
BUT THE THOUGHT THE MOON ITSELF
IS OF GREAT VALUE.
WE ARE GOING TO LOOK BACK AND
SEE THE ERRORS AND IT'S NOT
GOING TO BE THE SPACE STATION.
IT IS REALLY GOING TO CHANGE OUR
MIND THAT ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS.
YOU CAN DEFINITELY MAKE A
BUSINESS PLAN FOR BEING ON
.
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT AND
YOU KNOW, LET'S GO UP THERE, I'M
A SON OF A COAL MINER.
I WANT TO GO UP THERE AND MINE
THE THING, EVEN IF WE DON'T
UNDER EVERY CRATER IS AN
ASTEROID.
THERE ARE A LOT OF VERY
INTERESTING MATERIALS THERE,
TITANIUM, THERE IS EVEN GOLD ON
THE MOON.
WE NEED TO FIND OUT WHAT IS
THERE, NOT JUST THERE, TAKE THE
WHOLE WORLD.
SO WHEN ANYBODY, WHEN ANY CHILD
ON THE EARTH, NO MATTER WHERE
THEY'RE FROM, WHAT THEIR RACE
IS, WHAT THEIR RELIGION IS, THEY
LOOK UP AND GO, LOOK, HUMAN
BEINGS LIVING ON OUR MOON
COOPERATING IN PEACE.
YOU KNOW WE SHOULD DO THE SAME
THING HERE ON EARTH.
NEIL: THAT IS A, NOT A BAD IDEA,
IF I TRY THAT TRICK YOU DID I
DIDN'T GET YOU ANYTHING BUT WHAT
DO YOU THINK OF THIS IDEA I
THINK THAT WOULD BE A BAD
CHRISTMAS MORNING.
I WOULD LIKE YOUR THOUGHTS ON
THIS.
WE'RE STARTING ANOTHER, YOU
KNOW, ANOTHER UNMANNED CRAFT
LEFT THE BOUNDS OF OUR SOLAR
SYSTEM AND INFLUENCE OF THE SUN.
WE PAY MUCH MORE ATTENTION TO
COLONIZING LIKE A MOON OR
REVISITING THE MOON OR SENDING
MORE CRAFT TO MARS.
I THINK, WE'VE GOT FLIGHTS
PLANNED THERE BACKING UP LIKE
PLANES ON LAGUARDIA, WHAT IS
WRONG WITH UNMANNED MISSIONS AND
TYPE OF ACHIEVEMENT WE'RE SEEING
EVEN OUT OF THE VOYAGES FROM THE
1970S?
>> ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE MANNED
SPACE PROGRAM, IS GREAT.
AND ALSO THE SPACE ASTRONOMY
PROGRAM HAS DONE GREAT THINGS,
KEPLER, HUBBLE, THESE ARE
PURPOSE DRIVEN PROGRAMS.
WHEN THE SPACEFLIGHT PROGRAM WAS
PURPOSE DRIVEN, HUMAN MISSIONS
TO REPAIR AND AND UPGRADE THE
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE, THEY
ACCOMPLISHED GREATER THINGS.
IF WE SEND HUMANS TO MARCHS
WE'LL FIND OUT IF MARS IS LOCAL
TO THE EARTH OR GENERAL TO THE
UNIVERSE.
WE HAVE TO HAVE A HUMAN
SPACEFLIGHT PROGRAM.
UNFORTUNATELY WE DON'T.
NASA, FOR INSTANCE, TALKING
ABOUT GOING BACK TO THE MOON,
THEY'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT GOING
BACK TO THE MOON.
THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT BUILDING A
LUNAR ORBIT TOLLBOOTH.
IT HAS NO PURPOSE AT ALL.
IT IS NOT PURPOSE DRIVEN
PROGRAM.
IT IS VENDOR-DRIVEN PROGRAM.
THEY'RE NOT DOING SOMETHING
EXCEPT TO SPEND MONEY.
HOMER AND I WROTE ABOUT IT IN
"THE NEW YORK POST."
IF YOU WANT TO GO TO THE MOON,
YOU NEED TO GO TO THE MOON.
SPENDING EIGHT YEARS,
$20 BILLION TO BUILD A SPACE
STATION IN ORBIT AROUND THE
MOON, WILL DO NOTHING, INCREASE
COST AND DIFFICULTY OF SENDING
PEOPLE TO THE MOON OR MARS,
MAKES NO SENSE WHATSOEVER.
NEIL: HOMER, YOU HAVE 20 SECONDS
MAKE A COMPELLING CASE FOR US TO
BE ON THE MOON.
>> LIKE NAPOLEON SAID, TAKE
BRUSSELS, TAKE BRUSSELS.
LET'S GO TO THE MOON.
THERE ARE A LOT OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY AND I ULTIMATELY IT
WILL DELIVER A GREAT DEAL OF
POSITIVE ECONOMIC DIVIDENDS BACK
TO THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER.
WE'RE ALL WORRIED ABOUT THAT.
NEIL: GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU BOTH
VERY MUCH.