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MELISSA: ASTEROID ALERT.
NASA IS TRACKING MULTIPLE
ASTEROIDS APPROACHING EARTH'S
ORBIT AT UNIMAGINABLE SPEEDS.
WHO BETTER TO ASK ABOUT THIS
PHENOMENON THAN NEIL DEGRASSE
TYSON, ASTROPHYSICIST AND AUTHOR
OF, LETTERS FROM AN
ASTROPHYSICIST WHICH MY SON READ
IN ONE NIGHT AND LOVED.
A FANTASTIC NEW BOOK.
ALL RIGHT, SIR, THANK YOU FOR
JOINING US.
SO SHOULD WE BE AFRAID OF THESE
ASTEROIDS?
WHAT'S THE DEAL?
>> THEY'RE NOT AT UNIMAGINABLE
SPEEDS.
I CAN IMAGINE WHAT SPEEDS THEY
ARE.
FOR YOU THEY'RE UNIMAGINABLE.
MELISSA: OKAY.
>> NO, THE SOLAR SYSTEM IS A
SHOOTING GALLERY BASICALLY.
YOU THINK IT IS JUST PEACEFUL,
TRANQUIL OUTER SPACE BUT THERE
ARE ROGUE ASTEROIDS.
THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF ASTEROIDS
BROKEN LOSE FROM THE ASTEROID
BELT THAT CROSS THE ORBIT OF THE
EARTH.
THEY ARE OUT THERE.
IT IS NOT A PROBLEM THEY'RE OUT
THERE, PROVIDED WE KNOW WHERE
THEY ARE AND HOW TO TRACK THEM,
EXCUSE ME, PROVIDED WE KNOW
WHERE THEY ARE, HOW TO TRACK
THEM AND HOW TO DEFLECT THEM
THAT THIRD PART IS AN ISSUE.
IT IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO KNOW
YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE BY AN
ASTEROID.
YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT
IT.
MELISSA: ARE WE ABLE NOT TO
DEFLECT THEM?
>> WE KNOW TECHNOLOGICALLY HOW
TO DO IT THERE IS NO FUNDING IN
PLACE.
THERE IS NO ORGANIZING
INSTITUTION OR KNEW MIU MIU
MUNICIPAL FUNDING OR
INTERNATIONAL FUNDING TO DO
THIS.
CONSIDER IF ANS ASTEROID COMES
YOU DON'T KNOW NECESSARILY WHAT
PART OF THE EARTH IT IS GOING TO
HIT.
YOU REALLY WANT AN EARTH-FUNDED
DEFENSE SYSTEM TO PROTECT ALL OF
EARTH.
BECAUSE IT WILL HIT A PLACE THAT
THEY DON'T HAVE A SPACE PROGRAM
YOU SAY TOO BAD, YOU WANT TO
PROTECT THE SPECIES.
THAT IS NOT SOMETHING YET WE
FIGURED OUT HOW TO DO.
MELISSA: WOW.
>> IT REQUIRES COOPERATION.
THAT IS THE PROBLEM.
MELISSA: THEN IT IS HOPELESS.
IT IS TOTALLY DEPRESSED.
ON THIS SPECIFIC TOPIC THOUGH,
MY SON THOMPSON IS A HUGE FAN.
AS I SAID HE READ YOUR BOOK, HE
HAS BEEN BENDING YOUR EAR IN THE
GREEN ROOM.
SORRY ABOUT THAT HEAR AS URGENT
QUESTION.
LISTEN.
>> HI, MY NAME IS THOMPSON.
MY QUESTION TO YOU HOW DO YOU
THINK THE UNIVERSE WILL END?
MELISSA: IS IT GOING TO BE THAT
ASTEROID HURT HE WILLING AT US?
THAT WILL BE THE PLANET, NOT THE
UNIVERSE.
>> HOW THE UNIVERSE WILL END,
CURRENTLY SHOW WE WILL EXPAND
FOREVER AND AS WE EXPAND THE
UNIVERSE COOLS BECAUSE THE
DENSITY OF ENERGY BECOMES MORE
AND MORE DILUTED.
WE ULTIMATELY APPROACH THE
TEMPERATURE OF ABSOLUTE ZERO.
SO THE UNIVERSE WILL END NOT IN
FIRE BUT IN ICE.
NOT WITH A BANG BUT WITH A
WHIMPER.
MELISSA: HMMM.
YOU SAY THAT THE WAY YOU DO ON
SOME OF YOUR PROGRAMS AND HOW
HAVE YOU MANAGED TO BOTTLE SO
MUCH INTEREST IN SCIENCE AND IN
SPACE?
YOU KNOW YOU'VE GOTTEN A WHOLE
NEW GENERATION OF PEOPLE SO
ENGAGED IN THE FIELD, SO EXCITED
ABOUT IT, HERE IN NEW YORK YOU
RUN THE BIGGEST MUSEUM, YOU'RE
KNOWN ALL AROUND THE PLANET,
WHAT IS YOUR SECRET?
>> NO, IT IS NOT -- FIRST OF ALL
I'M A FAN OF CARL SAGAN'S EDICT,
WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE YOU WANT TO
TELL THE WORLD.
SO THERE IS AN ENERGY TO SHARE
THE LOVE OF THIS TOPIC BUT ALSO
I'M JUST REAWAKENING A CURIOSITY
I THINK WE ALL CERTAINLY HAD AS
CHILDREN AND MAY HAVE BEEN LOST
IN ADULTHOOD OR BEATEN OUT OF US
OR FADED BUT I CAN TAKE SOME
COSMIC KNOWLEDGE AND FAN THAT
FLAME, HAVE IT, FAN THOSE
EMBERS, HAVE IT REIGNITE, SEND
YOU OFF SO YOU WANT TO BE A PART
OF SPACE AS WELL.
THAT IS NOT HARD TO DO.
I HAVE GOT GOOD MATERIAL.
THE UNIVERSE CONTINUES.
MELISSA: YOU HAVE GREAT
MATERIAL.
YOU HAVE INSPIRED MANY MEMBERS
OF MY OWN FAMILY.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR
NEW BOOK.
>> SO IT IS JUST A COLLECTION OF
LETTERS THAT EXCHANGED LETTERS
THAT I HAVE RECEIVED, SPANNING
THE LAST THREE DECADES.
MOST OF THEM ARE CONCENTRATED IN
A 10-YEAR PERIOD WHERE MY EMAIL
WAS ACTUALLY PUBLIC.
TOOK A FEW CLICKS BUT YOU COULD
GET TO IT.
THERE IS A WHOLE CHAPTER THERE
ON PARENTING, A CHAPTER ON DEATH
AND DYING.
A MAN WHO HAD SIX MONTHS CANCER
DIAGNOSIS, HE WILL DIE IN SIX
MONTHS WROTE TO ME, THANKING ME
FOR HELPING HIS RETIRED YEARS GO
AS, WHERE HE CAN BECOME A
LIFELONG LEARNER.
I WAS VERY MOVED BY THAT.
I INCLUDED THAT LETTER.
THERE IS CHAPTER ON HATE MAIL,
ONE IS FROM AN ANGRY
FOURTH-GRADER AFTER PLUTO GOT
DEMOTED.
MELISSA: OH, YEAH.
>> A 22-YEAR-OLD YOUNG MAN,
DEADPANNED APOLOGIZED, DEAR
DR. TYSON, WHEN I WAS 10 I
CALLED YOU A POO-POO HEAD FOR
DEMOTING PLUTO.
I WANT TO APOLOGIZE IF THAT HURT
YOUR FEELINGS.
SO THAT IS IN THERE.
THERE A LETTER I WROTE TO FAMILY
AND FRIENDS I WROTE ON
SEPTEMBER 12th, 2001,
WITNESSED THE COLLAPSE OF THE
TOWERS FROM FOUR BLOCKS AWAY.
THAT WAS VERY IMPORTANT PART OF
MY LIFE AS IT IS FOR ALL OF US.
THERE IS A LETTER TO NASA IN
THERE.
THERE IS A TESTIMONIAL TO MY
FATHER.
MELISSA: WOW.
>> IT AS LOT OF COMMUNICATION,
WITH MANY PEOPLE, MANY PEOPLE IN
SEARCH OF MEANING, THEY HAVE A
BIT OF ANGST ABOUT THEIR PURPOSE
IN LIFE.
MELISSA: YEAH.
>> THEY CAME TO ME, I HAVE SOME
COSMIC PERSPECTIVE TO SHED WHAT
PATH THEY MIGHT TAKE.
MELISSA: MY SON WANTED ME TO ASK
YOU, DOES SCIENCE DISPROVE
RELIGION?
WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT.
DON'T WORRY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO
ANSWER THAT HERE.
NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON.