DAVID: SUSAN LI.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
MELISSA.
MELISSA: A MISSION OUT OF THIS
WORLD.
NASSDA LAUNCHING THE
PERSEVERANCE ROVER TO MARS TO
LOOK FOR SIGNS OF PAST AND
CURRENT LIFE ON THE RED PLANET.
HERE IS ASTRO PHYSICIST NEIL
DEGRASSE TYSON.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
I ASKED MY OWN 13-YEAR-OLD
QUANTUM PHYSICIST HERE AT HOME
WHAT I SHOULD ASK YOU.
SO THE ROVER IS CARRYING 4-POUND
HELICOPTER TO FLY ON MARS?
DO YOU THINK IT IS GOING TO
WORK.
WHAT SIGNS OF LIFE MIGHT THEY
FIND, DO YOU
>> IS SO A COUPLE OF THINGS.
YES, THE FIRST TIME WE’RE GOING
TO ATTEMPT AN AIRBORNE VEHICLE.
IT’S LIKE A DRONE-STYLE
HELICOPTER ON ANOTHER PLANET.
JUST TO REMIND YOU, THIS IS NOT
SOME BLACK BOX LANDING ON MARS,
IT’S THE SIZE OF AN AUTOMOBILE,
AND IT WEIGHS A TON.
IT’S CLAD WITH ALL MANNER OF
SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS AND
INSTRUMENTS, INTERNATIONAL
PARTICIPATION. ONE OF THEM IS THIS HELICOPTER.
ONE OF THEM IS THIS HELICOPTER.
IT’S A TEST OF CONCEPT.
CAN WE FLY ON A PLANET THAT HAS
LISS THAN 1% -- LESS THAN 1% THE
ATMOSPHERE WE HAVE ON EARTH.
IT’S A TEST OF CONCEPT, BUT IT’S
A REALLY COOL TEST OF CONCEPT.
MELISSA: DO YOU THINK THEY’LL BE
SUCCESSFUL?
>> I DON’T SEE WHY NOT.
AERODYNAMICS IS SOMETHING THAT’S
BEEN WITH US FOR QUITE SOME
TIME, DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW,
SINCE THE WRIGHT BROTHERS
FIGURED OUT HOW TO FLY.
WE’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT IT,
WE’VE HAD POWERED CHOPPERS FOR
MOST OF THE 20TH CENTURY.
NOT FROM THE BEGINNING, OF
COURSE, BUT ABOUT MID CENTURY
THEY CAME IN, SO IT’S A MATURE
BRANCH OF FLYING PHYSICS THAT’S
BEING TESTED THERE.
AS FOR FINDING ALIEN LIFE,
THAT’S THE HOLY GRAIL HERE.
THERE ARE EXPERIMENTS THAT’LL BE
LOOKING FOR ORGANIC MOLECULES,
THE HISTORY OF WATER AND
MINERALS AND THE ROCKS.
OF COURSE, IS IF LIFE JUST
WALKED UP TO THE CRAFT AND SAID
HI --
[LAUGHTER]
THAT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, YES,
THAT WOULD BE EVIDENCE OF
LIFE --
[LAUGHTER]
ON MARS.
BUT THAT’S NOT THE KIND OF LIFE
WE’RE EXPECTING, AT LEAST NOT ON
THIS MISSION.
MELISSA: NO, THAT WOULD BE
REALLY EXCITING IF THAT
HAPPENED.
THEY’RE ALSO GOING TO TRY AND
CONVERT CARBON DIOXIDE TO
OXYGEN, A LOT OF THAT HAS TO DO
WITH TRYING TO SEE IF LIFE CAN BE SUSTAINED THERE AS WELL.
MY QUANTUM PHYSICIST
WANTED TO ASK YOU, WHAT IS GOING
TO BE DIFFERENT ABOUT IT NOW?
>> YEAH, I DON’T THINK MUCH.
IT’S A VERY SORT OF BLUNT WAY TO
RETURN TO EARTH.
IT’S A CAPSULE, AND THE
CAPSULE’S MOVING VERY FAST IN
ORBIT, BASICALLY ABOUT 5 MILE
PER SECOND.
AND SO YOU HAVE TO SOMEHOW
DISSIPATE THAT ENERGY.
AND SO WHEN IT PLUNGES BACK
THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE, THE HEAT
SHIELDS -- WE THINK OF THAT AS
SOME DANGEROUS POINT OF REENTRY.
YES, IT IS DANGEROUS, BUT IT’S
HIGHLY DESIRED BECAUSE IT’S --
YOU’RE BASICALLY AERO-BRAKING AS
YOU RETURN.
THAT’S A VERY SIMILAR THING THAT
HAPPENED IN THE ENTIRE APOLLO
ERA, AND IT’S GOING TO -- WHEN
IT GETS SLOW ENOUGH THROUGH THE
ATMOSPHERE, IT DEPLOYS
PARACHUTES AND PLUNGES DOWN INTO
THE OCEAN.
IN THIS CASE, INTO THE GULF.
SO THE RETURN DATE, AUGUST 2ND,
IS A LITTLE BIT CONTINGENT.
THERE’S A TROPICAL STORM BEARING
DOWN ON FLORIDA, AND YOU DON’T
WANT TO LAND IN A STORM.
THAT WOULD BE BAD.
SO --
MELISSA: YEAH.
>> -- WE’RE MONITORING THAT.
IF THAT’S A PROBLEM, THEY’LL
STAY IN ORBIT A FEW MORE DAYS
AND LET THE STORM RUN ITS COURSE
BEFORE THEY RETURN.
MELISSA: YEAH.
THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE
EVERYTHING’S PERFECT.
WE DON’T HAVE ANY MORE TIME.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING ON
AND ANSWERING OUR QUESTIONS.
WE LOVE TO HAVE YOU, AND THERE’S
THIS RENEWED INTEREST AND
ENTHUSIASM IN SPACE --
>> WE SHOULD ALL HAVE A QUANTUM
PHYSICIST IN OUR HOMES, THE WAY
YOU DO.
[LAUGHTER]
MELISSA: WELL, I AM VERY BLESSED