>>> WELCOME BACK.
MANKIND IS TAKING GIANT LEAPS
TOWARD A NEW ERA OF SPACE TRAVEL
THIS JULY.
BILLIONAIRES ARE PAVING THE WAY.
NEXT WEEK AN 18-YEAR-OLD DUTCH
PHYSICS STUDENT WILL BECOME THE
YOUNGEST PERSON EVER TO GO TO
SPACE.
THE TEENAGER IS THE FIRST
CUSTOMER TO FLY WITH JEFF BEZOS
ROCKET COMPANY BLUE ORIGIN.
HELL JOIN THE AMAZON FOUNDER,
BEZOS BROTHER, AND 82-YEAR-OLD
ASTRONAUT WALLY FUNK, WHO WILL
BREAK THE RECORD FOR BEING THE
OLDEST PERSON IN SPACE.
THE NEW ROCKET LAUNCHES FROM
TEXAS JULY 20, THE AERNGSNNIVERS
OF THE APOLLO MOON LANDING.
VIRGIN GALACTIC FOUNDER RICHARD
BRANSON FLEW TO SPACE ON SUNDAY.
BRANSON, BEZOS, ANDY LON MUSK
ARE CHANGING THE WAY HUMANS
INTERACT WITH SPACE.
JOINING US NOW IS NASA
ADMINISTRATOR BILL NELSON.
AS THE FORMER DEMOCRATIC SENATOR
FROM FLORIDA, HE HELPED EXPAND
PRIVATE/PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMS TO
ALLOW FOR MANY OF THE MILESTONES
WERE SEEING TODAY.
I GUESS ITS MR. ADMINISTRATOR
NOW, IM SO USED TO CALL YOU MR.
SENATOR IN THE HALLWAY.
GREAT TO HAVE YOU, MR.
ADMINISTRATOR.
I GUESS I HAVE TO SET ASIDE MY
PERSONAL BIAS WHICH IS PLEASE
LET ME KNOW HOW YOU CAN GET A
POLITICAL REPORTER ON THESE
SPACE CRAFTS.
SURELY ITS IMPORTANT FOR OTHER
REASONS AS WELL.
ILL START WITH A TOUGH QUESTION
IS THAT I THINK THERES A LOT OF
PEOPLE HERE ON EARTH WHO ARE
REALLY STRUGGLING WITH BASIC
THINGS AND THEY LOOK AT WHAT
THESE BILLIONAIRES ARE DOING AND
THEY WONDER, WHY ARENT THEY
SPENDING THEIR BILLIONS ON
TRYING TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF
LIFE FOR PEOPLE HERE ON THE
PLANET, TRYING TO FIGURE THINGS
OUT?
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THOSE PEOPLE
WHO SEE THESE BILLIONAIRES BLAST
OFF AND RESENT THEM?
>> WELL, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT,
BECAUSE IVE DEALT IN THAT WORLD
OF CONSTANTLY HAVING TO STAND UP
FOR THE LITTLE GUY AND MAKE SURE
THAT THEY ARE PROVIDED FOR.
BUT IF YOU JUST SCRATCH BEYOND
THE SURFACE AND YOU FIND
EVERYTHING THAT NASA HAS
DEVELOPED IN ITS TECHNOLOGY AND
HOW IT APPLIES TO EVERYDAY LIFE,
FROM THINGS LIKE WARNING OF
HURRICANES TO FINDING DISEASED
CROPS FROM SPACE, TO THE CAMERA
ON A CHIP IN YOUR CELLPHONE, AND
YOU APPLY THAT TO OUR EVERYDAY
LIVES, AND IVE JUST MENTIONED
THREE, THEN YOU GET A LITTLE
DIFFERENT CUT ON SPENDING MONEY
ON RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOR
HIGH TECHNOLOGY THAT IS APPLIED
TO OUR SPACE PROGRAM.
NOW, WITH REGARD TO YOUR
BILLIONAIRE QUESTION, I THINK
ITS GREAT.
THESE GUYS ARE SPENDING THEIR
OWN MONEY, AND THEY ARE PAYING
MORE ATTENTION TO THE
DEVELOPMENT OF SPACE AND SPACE
TRAVEL.
AND ALTHOUGH THE TWO THAT YOU
MENTIONED JUST RECENTLY ARE JUST
GOING UP TO THE EDGE OF SPACE
AND COMING RIGHT BACK DOWN, LOOK
WHAT THE THIRD BILLIONAIRE HAS
DONE.
HE HAS GOTTEN THE PRICE OF GOING
TO SPACE FOR OUR SCIENTIFIC
PAYLOADS, FOR OUR DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE PAYLOADS.
AND BECAUSE HE REUSES THAT
ROCKET, IM TALKING ABOUT ELON
MUSK AND SPACEX, IT IS 40%
CHEAPER TO PUT PAYLOADS IN
SPACE.
THATS BECAUSE OF A BILLIONAIRE
SPENDING HIS OWN MONEY.
>> THATS INTERESTING.
I GUESS THAT RAISES A QUESTION
FOR ME, WHICH IS, YOU MENTIONED
ALL THESE OTHER TECHNOLOGIES, SO
INTERESTING, AND ITS SUCH A
GREAT POINT.
ARE THESE BILLIONAIRES IN THEIR
DEAL THAT ALLOWS THEM TO GO UP
TO SPACE AND WORK WITH NASA, DO
THEY HAVE TO SHARE THEIR
DISCOVERIES OR WILL THEY HAVE
THE RIGHT TO USE WHATEVER THEY
FIGURE OUT TO TRY TO PROFIT OFF
OF IT?
>> WELL, RIGHT NOW, NASA IS
HOLDING THE HAND OF ANYONE THAT
IS PUTTING HUMANS ON SPACECRAFT
TO GO INTO ORBIT, AND THUS NASA
WAS VERY MUCH INVOLVED WITH ELON
IN PRODUCING THE COMMERCIAL CREW
TO ORBIT TO THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION, A NASA AND INDEED
AN INTERNATIONAL FACILITY THAT
DOES RESEARCH.
SO ITS A COMBINATION OF
EVERYTHING.
NOW, BRANSON AND BEZOS DOING
THEIR OWN JUST TO THE EDGE OF
SPACE AND DOWN, THATS A
DIFFERENT MATTER.
THEYRE SPENDING THEIR OWN
MONEY.
ALTHOUGH WE DID HAVE SCIENTIFIC
EXPERIMENTS ON BRANSONS FLIGHT
A WEEK AGO.
>> VERY INTERESTING.
AND BRIEFLY, BEFORE I LET YOU
GO, I DO WANT TO ASK ABOUT CHINA
AND OUR COMPETITION WITH THEM IN
SPACE AND WHETHER THEYRE
ACTUALLY A RESPONSIBLE ACTOR
HERE.
HOW CONCERNED ARE YOU ABOUT WHAT
THE CHINESE ARE DOING IN SPACE
AND HOW THAT AFFECTS OUR
NATIONAL SECURITY INTERESTS HERE
IN THE UNITED STATES?
>> HUGELY.
ITS NO SECRET THAT CHINA IS
EVEN SAYING PUBLICLY THAT
THEYRE GOING TO CHALLENGE US AT
EVERY POINT IN SPACE, NOT ONLY
CIVILIAN, BUT I THINK THE
DEFENSE GUYS WILL TELL YOU THAT
THEYRE CHALLENGING US FROM A
MILITARY STANDPOINT AS WELL.
AND CHINA IS VERY GOOD.
THEYRE ONLY THE SECOND NATION
TO BE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY LAND
ON MARS, EVEN THOUGH WE WERE ON
MARS BACK IN THE 70s,
NEVERTHELESS THEYRE ONLY THE
SECOND ONE, AND THEY DID IT.
THEYVE ALREADY RETURNED A
SAMPLE FROM THE MOON.
THEY SAID THEYRE GOING, AND
THEY USUALLY TELL IN ADVANCE,
THEY SAID THEYRE GOING TO THE
SOUTH POLE OF THE MOON AND
THEYRE GOING TO TRY TO FIND
WATER AND CONVERT IT INTO FUEL.
THEYRE VERY AGGRESSIVE IN THEIR
SPACE PROGRAM.
>> SOMETHING WE HAVE TO PAY
CLOSE ATTENTION TO.
NASA ADMINISTRATOR BILL NELSON,
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SPENDING
SOME TIME WITH US TODAY, WE
REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
WE SHOULD NOTE ALSO THAT MSNBC
WILL HAVE LIVE COVERAGE OF THE
BLUE ORIGIN LAUNCH ON TUESDAY.
>>> THATS GOING TO DO IT FOR ME
THIS HOUR.
"MEET THE PRESS DAILY" WILL BE