>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
WE'RE HERE WITH OUR FRIEND NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON.
NEIL, I WANT TO GET TO YOUR BOOK, BUT BEFORE WE DO, I WANT
TO TOUCH ON PLUTO ONE MORE TIME.
>> DON'T GET ME STARTED.
>> Stephen: THERE ARE SOME NEW SCIENTISTS OUT THERE, YOUNG
BUCKS ON THE SCENE, WHO SAID YOU AND THE OTHERS WHO SAID PLUTO
SHOULD BE TAKEN OUT OF THE LIST OF THE NINE PRINCIPAL PLANETS WE
GREW UP WITH, YOU GUYS ARE WRONG, BECAUSE IT'S NOT THAT
IT'S LARGE ENOUGH TO CLEAR OUT ITS NEIGHBOR IN ORBIT, IT'S IS
IT LARGE ENOUGH THAT ITS GRAVITY ALLOW IT TO BECOME SPHERICAL?
I'M GOING TO FREAK YOU OUT, NEIL.
I'M ON YOUR SIDE.
I DON'T LIKE THIS DEFINITION.
>> OOO...
>> Stephen: SPHERICAL DOESN'T CUT IT.
>> SIRI WOULD BE A PLANET AND SO WOULD A HOST OF OTHER THINGS.
THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT.
THEY WANT 50 PLANETS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM AND THEN THE WORD
HAS LOST DISTINCTION.
>> Stephen: HAVE YOU TALKED TO THIS GUY.
HAVE YOU TOLD THEM TO KNOCK IT OFF?
>> I KNOW ALL THE PEOPLE AND THEY'RE NOT--
>> Stephen: THEY'RE NOT WHAT?
GET TO THE NOUN THERE.
THEY'RE NOT REAL.
>> THE NOUN IS FULLY IMPLIED.
PLUTO CROSSES THE -- >> Stephen: OH!
DAMN!
I'VE NEVER HEARD A WORSE INSULT NOT STATED.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> PLUTO CROSSES THE ORBIT OF NEPTUNE.
THAT'S JUST EMBARRASSING.
YOU CAN'T BE A PLANET AND CROSS ANOTHER PLANET'S ORBITZ.
COMETS DO THAT.
WE GOT WORDS AND OTHER CATEGORIES FOR STUFF LIKE THAT.
I'M NOT -- >> Stephen: THROW DOWN, MAN.
>> PLUTO HAD IT COMING!
PLUTO-- OUR MOON IS FIVE-- OUR MOON IS FIVE TIMES THE MASS OF
PLUTO.
DID YOU KNOW THAT?
I BET YOU DIDN'T.
>> Stephen: YES, BECAUSE WE ARGUE ABOUT THIS A LOT.
I JUST WANT TO TELL YOU, 13 YEARS IN, I AM ON YOUR SIDE NOW.
THIS IS NEW TERRITORY FOR ME.
>> THANK YOU FOR OPENING YOUR EYE S.
>> Stephen: THIS IS A BRAVE NEW WORLD, WHERE NO MAN-- THIS
MAN-- HAS NEVER GONE BEFORE.
>> WELCOME.
>> Stephen: THE BOOK IS CALLED "ACCESSORY TO WAR: THE UNSPOKEN
ALLIANCE BETWEEN ASTROPHYSICIST AND THE MILITARY.
>> TRADITIONAL SCIENCES LIKE PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY, BIOLOGY,
IT'S NOT HARD TO KNOWLEDGE HOW THEY MIGHT HAVE DIRECT
IMPLICATIONS IN WARFARE.
THE PHYSICIST MAKES THE BOMB, AND THE CHEMIST MAKES THE
CHEMICALS-- LIKE NAPALM AND THAT SORT OF THING.
AND YOU MIGHT-- A ROGUE STATE MIGHT HIRE A BIOLOGIST TO
WEAPONNIZE ANTHRAX.
BUT THE ASTROPHYSICIST, WE'RE LIKE KIND OF NOT DOING THAT.
WE'RE JUST SITTING AT THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN-- WE SIT THERE ASK
WAIT FOR, LIKE, PHOTONS OF LIGHT TO COME TO OUR DETECTOR, AND WE
TAKE THAT TO THE COFFEE LOUNGE AND TALK ABOUT IT.
WE'RE NOT NORMALLY ASSOCIATED WITH WARFARE.
BUT I CAME TO THIS REVELATION ABOUT 13 YEARS AGO, WE ARE SO
DEEPLY IN BED WITH THE MILITARY, I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO TELL YOU.
AND MY-- I-- MY FIELD IS OVERWHELMINGLY SORT OF LIBERAL
ANTIWAR.
SO WE ARE SIMPLY EXPLICIT WITH THIS FACT.
SO GO ALL THE WAY BACK.
SO IF YOU WANTED TO RULE THE SEAS AND ALL THE LANDS THAT YOU
CAME UPON, YOU NEEDED TO KNOW HOW TO NAVIGATE.
AND THE PEOPLE WHO KNEW HOW TO NAVIGATE BACK THEN WHO
UNDERSTOOD THE SUN, MOON, AND STARS WERE THE ASTRONOMERS SO
YOU NEEDED ONE OF THOSE WHEREVER YOU WERE GOING.
NOT ONLY THAT, YOU COULD USE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SKY TO BE
EXPLOITIVE.
I HAVE A COLUMBUS STORY.
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, HIS FOURTH VOYAGE.
HE'S ON THE ISLAND OF HISPANIOLA, AND HE NEEDS
SUPPLIES TO GET BACK TO SPAIN AND HE DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH.
HE GOES TO THE NATIVES AND SAYS, "COULD YOU GIVE US SOME OF YOUR
SUPPLIES?" AND THEY ONLY MAKE EXACTLY
ENOUGH TO GET THROUGH TO THE NEXT SEASON AND THEY DIDN'T HAVE
ENOUGH.
COLUMBUS SAYS, "I WILL SUMMON DIVINE FORCES"-- HE KNEW IN A
WEEK HENCE THERE WILL BE A TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE.
IF YOU DON'T GIVE ME YOUR SUPPLIES, I WILL SUMMON DIVINE
FORCES AND MAKE THE MOON DETERMINE DISAPPEAR.
THEY WERE SKEPTICAL, AND A WEEK GOES BY AND THE MOON BEGINS TO
DISAPPEAR AND THEY FREAK AND GIVE HIM ALL THE SUPPLIES THEY
WANT.
HE WAITS UNTIL MIDECLIPSE AND STEPS OUT OF THE CABIN AND SAYS
OUR GODDESS WILL NOW BE GOOD TO YOU BECAUSE YOU DID THE RIGHT
THING, AND WE WILL LET THE MOON COME BACK.
SO THE SECOND HALF THE ECLIPSE, THE MOON COMES BACK, AND HE GOES
AWAY.
IF YOU NEEDED YET ANOTHER REASON TO THINK COLUMBUS WAS A DICK,
THAT WOULD DO IT.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: WOW.
>> OH!
>> Stephen: WOW.
I HAVE SOME ITALIAN VIEWERS.
HE'S SO LUCKY-- HE'S REALLY LUCK TEWASN'T CLOUDY OR THEY WOULD
HAVE DIED.
>> VERY GOOD POINT.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU.
>> VERY GOOD POINT.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU.
>> ANOTHER QUICK ONE.
CAPTAIN COOK WENT TO THE SOUTH PACIFIC.
>> Stephen: SURE >> AND YOU LOOK AT HIS ORDERS,
OKAY, VENUS IS GOING TO PASS BETWEEN EARTH AND THE SUN,
MEASURE THAT WITH OUR TELESCOPES WE'RE GOING TO GIVE YOU.
IT WAS A SCIENTIFIC AN EXPEDITIO OSTENSIBLY.
WHILE YOU'RE THERE.
HERE'S NEW NAVIGATION TOOLS, MAP EVERY COASTLINE YOU COME TO AND
BRING BACK THE MAPS.
THAT'S WHAT HE DID.
HE MEASURED THE TRANSIT OF VENUS.
FINE.
COMES BARK PRESENTS THE MAPS.
WITHIN 18 YEARS GREAT BRITAIN HAD TAKEN CONTROL OF NORTHERN
AUSTRALIA, OF NEW ZEALAND, OF TASMANIA, COOK ISLANDS, FIJI,
AND TUVULU.
EVERYONE OF THOSE FLAGS -- >> Stephen: BECAUSE THE
SCIENTISTS PROVIDED THE INFORMATION THE MILITARY NEEDED.
>> YES, YES!
AND EVERY ONE OF THOSE COUNTRIES HAS THE BRITISH FLAG AS AN INSET
IN WHAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE THEIR SOVEREIGN FLAG.
>> Stephen: WHAT ABOUT OUR SPACE PROGRAM?
BECAUSE OUR SPACE PROGRAM BORROWED FROM-- DO YOU COVER
THAT?
OPERATION PAPER CLIP-- >> WHAT DO YOU THINK?
IT'S A 600-PAGE BOOK.
I DO COVER THE SPACE PROGRAM.
>> Stephen: I UNDERSTAND, I UNDERSTAND, I UNDERSTAND.
I CAN'T WAIT-- I CAN'T WAIT TO READ IT.
( LAUGHTER ) TELL PEOPLE ABOUT OPERATION
PAPER CLIP, ABOUT HOW WE WENT AND GOT THE GERMAN SCIENTIST AND
HIS CROWD TO COME OVER HERE.
THE SOVIETS-- >> VON BROWN INVENT ROCKETS.
>> Stephen: THE "V"s.
>> THE V-1 -- >> Stephen: THE BUZZ BOMB.
>> AND THE B-2 WAS THE FIRST BALLISTIC MISSILE THAT LEAVES
OUR ATMOSPHERE, GOES INTO THE VACUUM OF SPACE AND GOES BACK
AND HITS ITS TARGET.
HE KNEW EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS DEPUTIZED FOR WARFARE, AFTER THE
WAR, IF YOU WANT TO GO INTO SPACE, YOU NEED SOMETHING LIKE
THAT.
WE NEEDED THAT, TOO.
WE DID NOT PUT HIM ON THE LINE AT NUREMBURG.
WE KEPT THEM.
>> Stephen: THE JOKE IN THE 1960s WAS OUR GERMAN
SCIENTISTS ARE BETTER THAN YOUR GERMAN SCIENTISTS.
>> EXACTLY.
WE GOT HIM TO BIRTH THE APOLLO PROGRAM AND DESIGN THE ROCKET
THAT WOULD GO TO THE MOON.
USING HIS EXPERTISE THAT HE USED TO TERRORIZE LONDON WITH THE V2
ROCKET.
THIS RELATIONSHIP GOES DEEP!
AND SO I'M-- I'M-- I WAS CONFLICTED BECAUSE I GREW UP
DURING THE VIETNAM WAR.
AND VIETNAM WAS BAD NO MATTER HOW YOU SLICED THAT.
REMEMBER THAT LINE IN THE SONG ♪ WAR, WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ♪ >> Stephen: SAY IT AGAIN.
>> VERY GOOD.
THAT LINE WASN'T, "VIETNAM WAR, WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?"
IT WAS "WAR."
SO VIETNAM SHAPED WHAT WAR IS TO ME.
BUT, MEANWHILE, THERE ARE STAT USE OF PROUD SOLDIERS STANDING
THERE BRANDISHING WEAPONS AND THINGS.
AND I SAID WHY WOULD ANYONE BUILD A STATUE IF WAR IS THIS
BAD?
AND THEN I REALIZED THE VIETNAM WAR HAD THAT WEIGHT OF MORAL
TURPITUDE, AND OTHER WARS, NO, NO ONE FELT THAT WAY ABOUT THEM.
PEOPLE WERE PROUD TO FIGHT IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR, TO RID
EUROPE OF FASCISM.
AND SO I NO LONGER PASS JUDGMENT ON WHETHER SOMETHING IS INVOKE
FORWARD WAR RECOGNIZING THAT THERE ARE TIMES WHEN YOUR
SECURITY MATTERS AND THERE ARE BAD AGENTS OPERATING, EITHER
DOMESTUCLY OR INTERNATIONALLY AND SOMETIMES YOU'LL NEED IT.
I MATURED INTO THAT VIEW.
IT'S NO LONGER KUMBAYA, MAKE LOVE, NOT WAR.
IF SOMEONE IS BAD AND THEY'RE COMING AT AWE, I'M MAKING WAR
BECAUSE I WANT TO KICK -- >> Stephen: THIS IS A WHOLE
NEW NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON.
LET ME TELL YOU.
I CAN'T WAIT TO READ THE BOOK.
"ACCESSORY TO WAR" IS OUT TODAY!
THE MAN IS NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON, EVERYBODY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MICHAEL RAPAPORT.