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[crickets chirping]
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[enchanting orchestral music]
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* *
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- Greetings.
Bill Nye here.
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Beautiful night, isn't it?
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Hard to believe that charming,
twinkly sky above us
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is filled with
celestial shrapnel--
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00:00:27,445 --> 00:00:29,781
ancient rocks
and debris left over
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from the birth
of our solar system
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00:00:31,657 --> 00:00:33,910
that can,
with very little prompting,
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come hurtling toward Earth
with devastating consequences.
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[comet whooshing]
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[tires screeching]
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[explosion]
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[gasps softly]
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[dramatic music]
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* *
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[cow mooing]
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Here we are again, my friends,
in the Disaster Institute,
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a conservatory
of catastrophic events
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that have happened in the past,
are happening now,
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or could happen at any moment.
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We're here to witness the end
of the world as we know it.
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It will be instructive.
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We'll learn
how science can provide
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a blueprint for our survival.
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Tonight's disaster
comes from beyond the sky.
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The last time this happened,
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nine out of ten living things
on Earth disappeared.
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It's about to happen again.
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Our beautiful, blue Earth
was formed
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about 4.6 billion years ago,
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but honestly, madam,
you don't look
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a day over three billion.
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Many of the ingredients
of life,
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including almost all
of Earth's water,
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were carried here
by flying boulders
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and ice blocks.
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We call them asteroids
and comets.
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Some of those icy rocks
are still out there,
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but along with bringing us
the building blocks of life,
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those objects can also be
building blocks of death.
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Brace for impact.
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[soft dramatic music]
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Any advice?
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* *
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- [growls]
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- Our planet
is under constant assault.
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About 50 tons of cosmic dust,
rock, and debris
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fall to Earth every single day.
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If you live
out in the country
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away from factories
and other urban pollution,
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the film that accumulates
on your car
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or your windshield,
a lot of that
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is asteroid and comet dust.
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You can pull out tiny bits
of metal asteroids
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using a magnet.
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This dust came from deep space.
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Most of the celestial objects
are so small,
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they never even reach
the ground.
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They vaporize
on the way down,
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or they just blow away
in the wind.
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Every once in a while, though,
a space rock will land
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in your backyard or, blam,
right on top of your car,
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like back in 1992
in Peekskill, New York,
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when
a bowling-ball-sized meteorite
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put a hole through a totally
innocent Chevy Malibu.
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* *
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[explosion]
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Your living room
isn't safe either,
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as Ann Hodges
discovered in 1954
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when a space rock cruising
through the cosmos
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for four and a half
billion years
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crashed through the roof
of her Alabama home
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and walloped her
while she napped.
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Ouch.
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That object was only a foot
in diameter.
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Imagine something that's 100,
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1,000, 10,000 times that big.
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Most scientists
agree that an impact event
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00:04:17,842 --> 00:04:20,136
caused the most recent
mass extinction
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66 million years ago.
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It struck around what today is
known as the Yucatan Peninsula
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off the Gulf of Mexico.
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75% of all life
on Earth went extinct.
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Think about it,
three quarters of us.
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That's like if a comet
struck "Sex and the City"
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and only Carrie survived.
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I mean,
who's she gonna talk to?
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The dinosaur-killing
space rock
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was nine miles wide
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and slammed into Earth
so hard...
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[explosion]
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That it created a crater
ten times that big.
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The crash threw huge amounts
of debris into the air,
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blocking out the sun.
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Plant growth slowed
so drastically
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that the entire ecosystem
collapsed.
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Only one kind
of dinosaur survived,
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the ones that could fly,
birds.
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That's right, folks,
that cheerful chirping
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you hear every morning
are the shrieks
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of modern-day descendants
of dinosaurs.
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[explosion]
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Get ready for the next
big extinction event.
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It is coming.
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We're about to take a ride
on our disaster simulator.
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I want you to experience
this disaster firsthand
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from different points of view--
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an astronomer-turned-detective
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trying to prevent
the death of our planet,
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a fanatic searching
for meaning
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in the end of the world...
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[comet whooshing]
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And a condescending
Congressman
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who foolishly believes
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that lightning
never strikes twice.
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- Now, who
are you gonna believe?
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* *
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- But, Bill,
66 million years ago
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is so yesterday.
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Things that happened back then
don't happen now.
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That, my friends,
is where you're wrong.
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* *
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Dead wrong.
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* *
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Our story begins here
in a farm field in Ohio
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in the not-so-distant future.
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This crater was created
by a shock wave--
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that fireball seen lighting up
the sky last night.
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[explosion]
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Our esteemed colleague
is an astronomer
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who hurried here
to study the impact site.
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* *
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She spent the last few years
in Chile
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helping to build
a new telescope.
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* *
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She concludes
that the debris in this crater
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came from an icy comet.
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Now, comet impacts are rare
and usually create something
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much larger than this.
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She suspects it was
a cometary fragment,
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which leads to a mystery.
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What happened
to the rest of the comet?
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* *
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The next clue comes
from 250 miles above.
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* *
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Up here on the
International Space Station,
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things seem pretty normal.
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Could use
a little sugar though.
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[crashing and beeping]
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What's that?
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Micrometeorites,
tiny space rocks
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no bigger than a grain of rice
hitting at 20 times
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the speed of a rifle bullet.
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The International
Space Station's
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designed to handle
small impacts,
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but this is like nothing
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they've ever
encountered before.
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[crashing and beeping]
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[glass shattering]
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Air leaks, power losses.
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Not great.
Really not great.
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* *
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A comet fragment crashes
in a farm field in Ohio.
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Within hours, a swarm of
space pebbles pummels the ISS.
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What's going on?
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* *
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This is the brand new
Vera C. Rubin Observatory
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on a mountaintop
in North Central Chile.
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It's named after Vera Rubin.
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She was an amazing
American astronomer
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who studied how galaxies spin
and was the first person
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to discover hard evidence
of the existence
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of dark matter,
all the while advocating
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for women in science.
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Back then,
women were denied access
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to most major observatories.
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She's what many experts
might call a total badass.
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Speaking of badass,
behold this wide field
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reflecting telescope.
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It has an 8.4-meter
primary mirror.
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That's as wide
as a tennis court.
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It will photograph
the entire visible sky
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every few nights
as part of a 10-year survey
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00:09:06,798 --> 00:09:10,093
of, you know,
all of space and time.
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It will provide the deepest,
widest images
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of the universe
captured so far.
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Imagine what it could do
looking for a comet.
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To check out our hunch
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that the small
farm field impact
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and the micrometeoroid incident
in space
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are connected,
our astronomer has returned
194
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to her home base in Chile.
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She studies
the orbit of the ISS.
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Turns out it passed
over the impact site
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00:09:36,327 --> 00:09:39,205
just hours before
the meteoroid swarm.
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00:09:39,247 --> 00:09:42,625
That almost certainly means
the station got smacked
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by the comet's tail.
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The two events are connected,
but there's still a question--
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00:09:48,631 --> 00:09:49,882
a big one.
202
00:09:49,924 --> 00:09:51,968
Where is the rest of the comet?
203
00:09:52,009 --> 00:09:54,262
And could it still pose
a threat in the future?
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00:09:54,303 --> 00:09:56,222
[computers beeping]
205
00:09:56,264 --> 00:09:59,100
* *
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00:09:59,142 --> 00:10:00,810
To answer those questions,
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00:10:00,852 --> 00:10:03,104
she needs to find
the parent comet,
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00:10:03,146 --> 00:10:05,606
and to do that,
our astronomer needs
209
00:10:05,648 --> 00:10:07,984
to do a little time traveling.
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00:10:08,025 --> 00:10:09,485
Now, astronomers use something
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00:10:09,527 --> 00:10:11,779
called precovery observations.
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00:10:11,821 --> 00:10:14,657
That's short for
pre-discovery recovery,
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00:10:14,699 --> 00:10:16,159
obviously.
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00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:19,120
She scans through images
taken a few nights earlier.
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00:10:20,788 --> 00:10:24,041
Using computer modeling,
she retraces the path
216
00:10:24,083 --> 00:10:27,587
of the comet fragment
all the way back to Jupiter,
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00:10:27,628 --> 00:10:29,047
half a billion miles away
218
00:10:29,088 --> 00:10:31,632
and nearly two years
in the past,
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00:10:31,674 --> 00:10:33,760
and what she finds
is startling.
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00:10:33,801 --> 00:10:35,553
* *
221
00:10:35,595 --> 00:10:39,140
Our astronomer confirms
that the farm field impact
222
00:10:39,182 --> 00:10:41,684
and the space station
pebble storm
223
00:10:41,726 --> 00:10:43,061
were both caused by objects
224
00:10:43,102 --> 00:10:45,688
that came here
by way of Jupiter.
225
00:10:45,730 --> 00:10:47,607
Now, she wonders,
could there be
226
00:10:47,648 --> 00:10:48,983
more objects
that were disturbed
227
00:10:49,025 --> 00:10:51,360
from the very same path?
228
00:10:51,402 --> 00:10:53,696
The answer is yes.
229
00:10:53,738 --> 00:10:57,700
[comet whooshing]
230
00:10:57,742 --> 00:11:00,078
Two years ago,
a massive comet
231
00:11:00,119 --> 00:11:02,497
passed by Jupiter
where it got torn apart
232
00:11:02,538 --> 00:11:05,792
by the giant planet's
powerful gravity.
233
00:11:05,833 --> 00:11:09,379
Two fragments plunged
into Jupiter's atmosphere,
234
00:11:09,420 --> 00:11:12,965
creating a pair of dark spots
when they exploded.
235
00:11:13,007 --> 00:11:15,426
At the time,
astronomers assumed
236
00:11:15,468 --> 00:11:19,597
they were giant storm systems
not uncommon on Jupiter,
237
00:11:19,639 --> 00:11:23,684
but they were wrong.
Those were comet impacts.
238
00:11:23,726 --> 00:11:28,106
* *
239
00:11:28,147 --> 00:11:29,982
The surviving
cometary fragments
240
00:11:30,024 --> 00:11:31,234
whipped around Jupiter,
241
00:11:31,275 --> 00:11:34,237
spreading out
like a string of pearls,
242
00:11:34,278 --> 00:11:36,406
and I'm not talking about
what Grandma Nye wears
243
00:11:36,447 --> 00:11:38,199
with a sweater set.
244
00:11:38,241 --> 00:11:41,119
It's a string
of smaller but still deadly
245
00:11:41,160 --> 00:11:44,247
comet fragments ranging
from a few hundred meters
246
00:11:44,288 --> 00:11:46,958
to a couple of kilometers wide.
247
00:11:46,999 --> 00:11:48,584
And here's
the really bad news,
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00:11:48,626 --> 00:11:52,088
the other comet fragments
in this string of pearls
249
00:11:52,130 --> 00:11:54,924
are headed our way,
meaning that they could
250
00:11:54,966 --> 00:11:56,718
smash land
right here on Earth,
251
00:11:56,759 --> 00:12:00,471
and it's impossible
to predict exactly how close
252
00:12:00,513 --> 00:12:02,056
they'll get to Earth.
253
00:12:02,098 --> 00:12:04,267
Maybe we'll get lucky,
and they'll all miss.
254
00:12:04,308 --> 00:12:07,437
Maybe there'll be
no disaster today.
255
00:12:07,478 --> 00:12:08,938
* *
256
00:12:08,980 --> 00:12:11,482
What do you think?
257
00:12:11,524 --> 00:12:16,821
* *
258
00:12:20,283 --> 00:12:23,745
[dramatic music]
259
00:12:23,786 --> 00:12:27,415
- Our astronomer has gone
from watching the stars
260
00:12:27,457 --> 00:12:29,375
to warning the world.
261
00:12:29,417 --> 00:12:31,169
She has joined forces
with others
262
00:12:31,210 --> 00:12:33,838
in the scientific community
to raise the alarm
263
00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:35,840
about the deadly string
of comets
264
00:12:35,882 --> 00:12:37,633
threatening our planet.
265
00:12:37,675 --> 00:12:40,053
They contact a powerful,
ambitious Congressman
266
00:12:40,094 --> 00:12:42,472
to request emergency funding
for a plan
267
00:12:42,513 --> 00:12:44,265
to deflect the comet.
- Sounds like an overreact.
268
00:12:44,307 --> 00:12:46,976
- But to get those projects
off the ground quickly
269
00:12:47,018 --> 00:12:48,603
will be
a monumental undertaking
270
00:12:48,644 --> 00:12:50,104
and cost billions.
271
00:12:50,146 --> 00:12:53,983
Unfortunately, he's spoken
to his own experts.
272
00:12:54,025 --> 00:12:55,693
They've assured him that nobody
273
00:12:55,735 --> 00:12:58,154
can predict the exact path
of these things.
274
00:12:58,196 --> 00:12:59,447
We don't have enough data,
275
00:12:59,489 --> 00:13:01,949
and there are
too many variables to consider.
276
00:13:01,991 --> 00:13:04,577
He accuses her
of getting too emotional
277
00:13:04,619 --> 00:13:06,829
and blames it
on her lack of experience.
278
00:13:06,871 --> 00:13:07,955
- These things
fly past the Earth
279
00:13:07,997 --> 00:13:09,457
all the time, am I right?
280
00:13:09,499 --> 00:13:11,959
- Our astronomer now knows
how Vera Rubin must have felt.
281
00:13:12,001 --> 00:13:13,878
She argues that,
no matter how small
282
00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:17,048
the possibility of an impact,
we can't risk doing nothing.
283
00:13:17,090 --> 00:13:19,967
The time to get prepared
was yesterday.
284
00:13:20,009 --> 00:13:22,011
- If we don't act now,
we don't have a chance.
285
00:13:22,053 --> 00:13:23,137
[computer beeps]
286
00:13:23,179 --> 00:13:25,473
- Here it is, folks,
our act of cow.
287
00:13:25,515 --> 00:13:27,308
[cow moos]
288
00:13:27,350 --> 00:13:29,977
Act of cow symbolizes
the human negligence
289
00:13:30,019 --> 00:13:33,106
that can trigger a disaster
or make one worse.
290
00:13:33,147 --> 00:13:36,150
It's inspired by a bovine
named Daisy who,
291
00:13:36,192 --> 00:13:38,694
as legend has it,
kicked over a lantern
292
00:13:38,736 --> 00:13:41,280
and started
the Great Chicago Fire.
293
00:13:41,322 --> 00:13:42,824
[cow mooing]
294
00:13:42,865 --> 00:13:45,034
Kind of unfair to Daisy,
if you ask me.
295
00:13:45,076 --> 00:13:47,662
I mean, who leaves a lantern
behind a cow?
296
00:13:47,703 --> 00:13:49,205
Yeah, no one you know.
297
00:13:49,247 --> 00:13:51,332
Well, in this case,
the congressman
298
00:13:51,374 --> 00:13:54,460
has spoken with the president
and his advisors.
299
00:13:54,502 --> 00:13:57,213
Everyone agrees
that the science isn't settled,
300
00:13:57,255 --> 00:14:00,007
so why waste billions
of taxpayer dollars
301
00:14:00,049 --> 00:14:02,677
on something
that only might happen?
302
00:14:02,719 --> 00:14:06,139
The congressman also calls it
highly suspicious
303
00:14:06,180 --> 00:14:08,641
that just a few weeks
after astronomers switched
304
00:14:08,683 --> 00:14:11,686
on their half-billion-dollar
Rubin telescope,
305
00:14:11,728 --> 00:14:12,979
they happened to discover
306
00:14:13,020 --> 00:14:15,022
an existential threat
to humanity,
307
00:14:15,064 --> 00:14:18,526
and now, those greedy,
bloodsucking scientists
308
00:14:18,568 --> 00:14:21,028
are asking
for more, more, and more--
309
00:14:21,070 --> 00:14:25,074
more instruments,
more missions, more money.
310
00:14:25,116 --> 00:14:26,534
- Now, who are you
gonna believe,
311
00:14:26,576 --> 00:14:29,912
some rat-faced science twerp
312
00:14:29,954 --> 00:14:32,707
or a straight shooter
who tells it like it is?
313
00:14:32,749 --> 00:14:35,585
And what it is is a hoax.
314
00:14:36,753 --> 00:14:38,004
- A hoax.
A hoax.
315
00:14:38,046 --> 00:14:39,505
The H word.
Really?
316
00:14:39,547 --> 00:14:41,049
Come on.
317
00:14:41,090 --> 00:14:43,718
Over the next few weeks,
the world is in a state
318
00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:45,678
of chaotic uncertainty.
319
00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:47,055
[indistinct chatter]
320
00:14:47,096 --> 00:14:49,390
Professional
and citizen scientists
321
00:14:49,432 --> 00:14:51,851
across the globe
get louder and louder
322
00:14:51,893 --> 00:14:53,019
with their warnings.
323
00:14:53,061 --> 00:14:55,730
Some politicians
and naysayers
324
00:14:55,772 --> 00:14:57,690
get more vehement
in their denials.
325
00:14:57,732 --> 00:15:00,777
[people chanting indistinctly]
326
00:15:00,818 --> 00:15:03,404
Even as nations
compete for emergency supplies
327
00:15:03,446 --> 00:15:06,324
and accuse each other
of hoarding,
328
00:15:06,365 --> 00:15:08,242
preppers build bunkers.
329
00:15:08,284 --> 00:15:10,661
Deniers
and conspiracy theorists
330
00:15:10,703 --> 00:15:13,331
battle each other
on social media.
331
00:15:13,372 --> 00:15:16,334
[phones beeping]
332
00:15:16,375 --> 00:15:20,129
* *
333
00:15:20,171 --> 00:15:22,090
[people cheering]
334
00:15:22,131 --> 00:15:25,093
News of the possible
comet strike is spreading.
335
00:15:25,134 --> 00:15:27,804
Folks are naturally
freaked out,
336
00:15:27,845 --> 00:15:30,390
so comet cults like this one
are springing up
337
00:15:30,431 --> 00:15:31,891
all over the world.
338
00:15:31,933 --> 00:15:33,935
People join for
various reasons--
339
00:15:33,976 --> 00:15:37,647
fear, superstition,
human connection--
340
00:15:37,688 --> 00:15:40,108
like my good buddy over there.
341
00:15:40,149 --> 00:15:42,819
We've been through some
crazy disasters together.
342
00:15:42,860 --> 00:15:45,738
He must have
nerves of steel by now.
343
00:15:45,780 --> 00:15:46,948
- Honk if you love comets!
344
00:15:46,989 --> 00:15:49,909
[cheering and honking]
345
00:15:49,951 --> 00:15:52,286
- I guess he figures
he can't beat what's coming,
346
00:15:52,328 --> 00:15:54,997
so I might as well
make friends with him.
347
00:15:55,039 --> 00:15:57,125
Hey, man.
It's Bill.
348
00:16:02,672 --> 00:16:05,133
- No, no, no, no, no!
349
00:16:05,174 --> 00:16:06,968
- We are born of sin
and this is why--
350
00:16:07,009 --> 00:16:10,221
- Doomsday enthusiasts
are nothing new.
351
00:16:10,263 --> 00:16:13,808
You might say we are obsessed
with how the world will end.
352
00:16:13,850 --> 00:16:16,728
[explosion]
353
00:16:16,769 --> 00:16:20,273
Every major religion features
a vision of the apocalypse,
354
00:16:20,314 --> 00:16:22,400
and so-called
doomsday prophets
355
00:16:22,442 --> 00:16:25,319
make a good living
by predicting Armageddon.
356
00:16:25,361 --> 00:16:28,156
Nostradamus claimed
that Earth would be struck
357
00:16:28,197 --> 00:16:30,533
by a giant comet,
and that the world would end
358
00:16:30,575 --> 00:16:34,036
in the year 2004...
359
00:16:34,078 --> 00:16:35,955
which it didn't,
unless you count
360
00:16:35,997 --> 00:16:37,331
the cancellation of "Friends."
361
00:16:37,373 --> 00:16:39,584
[laughter]
362
00:16:39,625 --> 00:16:42,336
People are obsessed
with the end of the world.
363
00:16:42,378 --> 00:16:43,713
Don't believe me?
364
00:16:43,755 --> 00:16:45,840
Well, why are you
watching this show?
365
00:16:45,882 --> 00:16:49,010
[explosion]
366
00:16:51,763 --> 00:16:53,222
It's a different episode.
367
00:16:55,058 --> 00:16:58,519
As the days turn into weeks,
the news cycle moves on.
368
00:16:58,561 --> 00:17:02,065
Most people are tired of even
hearing the word comet.
369
00:17:02,106 --> 00:17:04,817
The media thrives
on the here and now,
370
00:17:04,859 --> 00:17:06,944
not the later and maybe.
371
00:17:06,986 --> 00:17:08,696
People have
more immediate problems
372
00:17:08,738 --> 00:17:12,200
to face like going to work,
paying their bills on time,
373
00:17:12,241 --> 00:17:15,453
and other
more earthly matters,
374
00:17:15,495 --> 00:17:17,371
until one fateful night,
375
00:17:17,413 --> 00:17:21,667
the threat becomes
impossible to ignore.
376
00:17:21,709 --> 00:17:24,837
[explosion]
377
00:17:26,923 --> 00:17:28,758
[people screaming]
378
00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:30,885
- [gasps]
379
00:17:30,927 --> 00:17:34,764
[car alarms blaring]
380
00:17:34,806 --> 00:17:38,643
- Look, it is hard to believe
what we're seeing.
381
00:17:38,684 --> 00:17:40,353
For those of you
just tuning in,
382
00:17:40,395 --> 00:17:43,231
have you looked
up at the night sky lately?
383
00:17:43,272 --> 00:17:46,067
* *
384
00:17:46,109 --> 00:17:49,237
[animals chirping and calling]
385
00:17:49,278 --> 00:17:54,075
* *
386
00:17:54,117 --> 00:17:55,743
[car horns blaring]
387
00:17:55,785 --> 00:17:57,161
- The sight of the moon impact
388
00:17:57,203 --> 00:18:00,123
is a serious wake-up call
for humanity.
389
00:18:00,164 --> 00:18:03,751
People of Earth,
you are in danger.
390
00:18:03,793 --> 00:18:05,253
* *
391
00:18:08,631 --> 00:18:11,551
[dramatic music]
392
00:18:11,592 --> 00:18:18,641
* *
393
00:18:18,683 --> 00:18:21,227
- After the comet impact
on the Moon,
394
00:18:21,269 --> 00:18:22,478
there is no denying
395
00:18:22,520 --> 00:18:24,772
the threat to Earth
any longer.
396
00:18:24,814 --> 00:18:27,692
More comets
are heading our way.
397
00:18:27,734 --> 00:18:30,611
Astronomers are now
the most important people
398
00:18:30,653 --> 00:18:32,780
in the world
because they're the only ones
399
00:18:32,822 --> 00:18:36,284
who can predict where
the comets might hit next.
400
00:18:36,325 --> 00:18:37,744
They are updating
their simulations
401
00:18:37,785 --> 00:18:41,122
minute by minute to account
for the erratic motions
402
00:18:41,164 --> 00:18:42,498
of the comet fragments.
403
00:18:42,540 --> 00:18:44,417
It's too late to deflect them.
404
00:18:44,459 --> 00:18:46,669
That opportunity
was lost months ago
405
00:18:46,711 --> 00:18:48,755
when the congressmen blocked
funding efforts
406
00:18:48,796 --> 00:18:50,131
and downplayed the threat.
407
00:18:50,173 --> 00:18:51,549
- Tells it like it is.
408
00:18:51,591 --> 00:18:54,010
And what it is is a hoax.
409
00:18:54,052 --> 00:18:56,679
- Damage control
is all we can hope for,
410
00:18:56,721 --> 00:18:58,431
and it doesn't look good.
411
00:18:58,473 --> 00:19:01,434
The latest projections
show a 90% chance
412
00:19:01,476 --> 00:19:05,605
of at least one impact,
a 50% chance of three or more,
413
00:19:05,646 --> 00:19:08,066
and you don't have to be
a statistician to know
414
00:19:08,107 --> 00:19:10,985
there's a 100% chance
we're screwed.
415
00:19:13,988 --> 00:19:16,741
They can now estimate
the approximate impact times.
416
00:19:16,783 --> 00:19:18,159
[bell chimes]
417
00:19:18,201 --> 00:19:19,619
The countdown has begun.
418
00:19:19,660 --> 00:19:21,329
[clock ticking]
419
00:19:21,370 --> 00:19:24,791
The world has about 11 days,
or a million seconds,
420
00:19:24,832 --> 00:19:26,667
before the first fragment
arrives
421
00:19:26,709 --> 00:19:29,420
and we find out
how bad it's going to be.
422
00:19:29,462 --> 00:19:31,172
I'll give you a hint.
423
00:19:31,214 --> 00:19:33,007
It's going to be bad.
424
00:19:33,049 --> 00:19:34,967
* *
425
00:19:35,009 --> 00:19:37,303
Earth's surface
is mostly water,
426
00:19:37,345 --> 00:19:39,972
so an ocean strike is likely.
427
00:19:40,014 --> 00:19:42,183
Bad news for beach-goers.
428
00:19:42,225 --> 00:19:47,230
* *
429
00:19:47,271 --> 00:19:48,898
But this obnoxious Congressman
430
00:19:48,940 --> 00:19:52,193
decides it's a great time
to take a vacation.
431
00:19:52,235 --> 00:19:54,987
* *
432
00:19:55,029 --> 00:19:58,324
Most official agencies
are recommending the evacuation
433
00:19:58,366 --> 00:20:01,244
of coastal cities,
but it's virtually impossible
434
00:20:01,285 --> 00:20:02,870
to predict with any accuracy
435
00:20:02,912 --> 00:20:05,998
which areas will truly be safe,
436
00:20:06,040 --> 00:20:09,127
so our Congressman is heading
to the Yucatan Peninsula,
437
00:20:09,168 --> 00:20:10,837
where the dinosaur-killing
asteroid
438
00:20:10,878 --> 00:20:12,338
landed back in the day.
439
00:20:12,380 --> 00:20:15,091
He figures there's no way
lightning will strike
440
00:20:15,133 --> 00:20:17,343
twice in the same place.
441
00:20:17,385 --> 00:20:20,263
By the way, lightning does
strike twice in the same place
442
00:20:20,304 --> 00:20:21,723
all the time.
443
00:20:21,764 --> 00:20:24,058
The Empire State Building
gets struck dozens of times
444
00:20:24,100 --> 00:20:27,145
every year, an example
off the top of my head.
445
00:20:29,731 --> 00:20:31,607
[phone chimes]
- [snoring]
446
00:20:31,649 --> 00:20:38,740
* *
447
00:21:35,296 --> 00:21:38,216
[upbeat tropical music]
448
00:21:38,257 --> 00:21:39,759
* *
449
00:21:39,801 --> 00:21:42,637
- Thanks, babe.
One more.
450
00:21:45,139 --> 00:21:46,766
[exhales deeply]
451
00:21:50,311 --> 00:21:53,231
[comet whooshing]
452
00:21:57,026 --> 00:21:58,653
No way!
453
00:22:02,949 --> 00:22:04,742
- After the impact
off the coast
454
00:22:04,784 --> 00:22:07,870
of the Yucatan Peninsula,
astronomers do everything
455
00:22:07,912 --> 00:22:10,123
they can to pinpoint
where the next one
456
00:22:10,164 --> 00:22:12,250
will hit so they can evacuate
457
00:22:12,291 --> 00:22:14,877
as many people as possible
and so governments
458
00:22:14,919 --> 00:22:16,879
can brace for the worst.
459
00:22:16,921 --> 00:22:18,506
- If there is an imminent
impact, we need to alert--
460
00:22:18,548 --> 00:22:20,800
- It looks like
the largest comet in the swarm
461
00:22:20,842 --> 00:22:23,052
is on course
to graze Antarctica,
462
00:22:23,094 --> 00:22:25,471
and another
is just hours behind.
463
00:22:25,513 --> 00:22:28,474
[dramatic music]
464
00:22:28,516 --> 00:22:35,398
* *
465
00:22:39,360 --> 00:22:41,320
[explosion]
466
00:23:08,389 --> 00:23:11,309
[sirens blaring]
467
00:23:17,315 --> 00:23:20,318
Remember the effects
of global climate change
468
00:23:20,359 --> 00:23:23,988
I've been whining about
for 30 years?
469
00:23:24,030 --> 00:23:26,783
Well, all of that just happened
in about 30 seconds.
470
00:23:26,824 --> 00:23:28,159
- One more thing--
- Yeah.
471
00:23:28,201 --> 00:23:29,702
- Take the--
472
00:23:29,744 --> 00:23:31,996
[panicked chatter]
473
00:23:32,038 --> 00:23:34,040
- And here
at the Rubin Observatory,
474
00:23:34,082 --> 00:23:36,417
the telescope has been blinded
by impact debris
475
00:23:36,459 --> 00:23:38,378
spreading through
the atmosphere.
476
00:23:38,419 --> 00:23:42,673
No one on Earth can track
anything anymore,
477
00:23:42,715 --> 00:23:44,926
and there's one more impact
on the way.
478
00:23:44,967 --> 00:23:52,183
* *
479
00:23:52,475 --> 00:23:55,436
[people cheering]
480
00:24:01,734 --> 00:24:08,825
* *
481
00:24:11,869 --> 00:24:15,164
- [screaming]
482
00:24:18,042 --> 00:24:25,174
* *
483
00:24:29,262 --> 00:24:31,556
It's been an hour
since Canada got hit,
484
00:24:31,597 --> 00:24:34,892
and it looks like the impacts
have finally stopped,
485
00:24:34,934 --> 00:24:36,436
but the entire world
will suffer
486
00:24:36,477 --> 00:24:38,521
the effects for decades.
487
00:24:38,563 --> 00:24:41,149
In a few weeks,
Earth will be a gray ball
488
00:24:41,190 --> 00:24:43,526
and shrouded in debris,
smoke, and ash.
489
00:24:43,568 --> 00:24:45,445
If humans survive this,
490
00:24:45,486 --> 00:24:47,739
we'll have to learn
to live and grow food
491
00:24:47,780 --> 00:24:48,990
in sub-zero temperatures.
492
00:24:49,031 --> 00:24:52,493
[impacts thudding]
493
00:24:52,535 --> 00:24:53,828
It's not over yet.
494
00:24:53,870 --> 00:24:56,122
These are tektites
from the Canadian impact
495
00:24:56,164 --> 00:24:59,876
falling back to Earth
like hot bullets.
496
00:24:59,917 --> 00:25:02,045
Whoa!
497
00:25:02,086 --> 00:25:03,880
[tires squealing]
498
00:25:09,844 --> 00:25:12,513
[tires screech]
499
00:25:14,599 --> 00:25:16,642
[screaming]
500
00:25:16,684 --> 00:25:20,438
[explosion]
501
00:25:24,358 --> 00:25:29,947
- Our disaster simulation
has come to an impactful end.
502
00:25:29,989 --> 00:25:31,741
Well, that sucked.
503
00:25:31,783 --> 00:25:34,077
Maybe the suckiest part
is that sooty layer
504
00:25:34,118 --> 00:25:36,245
in our stratosphere
which is going to block
505
00:25:36,287 --> 00:25:38,247
the sunlight for decades.
506
00:25:38,289 --> 00:25:42,460
Most of the remaining humans
on Earth will freeze or starve.
507
00:25:42,502 --> 00:25:44,295
How bad will it get?
508
00:25:44,337 --> 00:25:47,757
Just ask any old
ancient dinosaur.
509
00:25:47,799 --> 00:25:50,885
Of course, you can't ask them
because they're dead,
510
00:25:50,927 --> 00:25:52,261
all of them.
511
00:25:52,303 --> 00:25:53,679
Get it?
512
00:25:53,721 --> 00:25:56,182
[dramatic music]
513
00:25:56,224 --> 00:25:58,434
So how do we stop
more space rocks
514
00:25:58,476 --> 00:26:00,478
from killing us all?
515
00:26:00,520 --> 00:26:01,813
First, we'll need to know
516
00:26:01,854 --> 00:26:03,773
where those rocks
are coming from.
517
00:26:03,815 --> 00:26:07,193
Let's hit the lab and suit up.
518
00:26:07,235 --> 00:26:10,405
Major cometary impacts
have happened a few times
519
00:26:10,446 --> 00:26:11,989
in Earth's history,
520
00:26:12,031 --> 00:26:15,159
and each time one of them hit,
it turned life on this planet
521
00:26:15,201 --> 00:26:19,789
upside-down, but the story of
these icy messengers of death
522
00:26:19,831 --> 00:26:23,042
goes back even further,
before life,
523
00:26:23,084 --> 00:26:26,838
before Earth, out beyond
any of the Sun's planets.
524
00:26:33,845 --> 00:26:36,556
I'm about to take you
to the outermost reaches
525
00:26:36,597 --> 00:26:38,182
of our solar system,
526
00:26:38,224 --> 00:26:40,893
a place very few people
even know about,
527
00:26:40,935 --> 00:26:43,146
so pee now if you have to.
528
00:26:43,187 --> 00:26:47,191
* *
529
00:26:47,233 --> 00:26:50,153
[tranquil music]
530
00:26:50,194 --> 00:26:55,241
* *
531
00:26:55,283 --> 00:26:57,618
Welcome to the Oort cloud,
532
00:26:57,660 --> 00:27:00,496
named for Jan Oort,
the astronomer
533
00:27:00,538 --> 00:27:02,749
who realized it must exist.
534
00:27:02,790 --> 00:27:07,628
The Oort cloud is a vast,
spherical shell of icy debris
535
00:27:07,670 --> 00:27:10,173
that surrounds
the entire solar system.
536
00:27:10,214 --> 00:27:12,967
It's made up of
the same ancient stardust
537
00:27:13,009 --> 00:27:16,137
and star gas
that became our Sun and Earth
538
00:27:16,179 --> 00:27:17,972
and the other planets,
539
00:27:18,014 --> 00:27:20,892
but it never got sucked in
by any of them.
540
00:27:20,933 --> 00:27:24,687
Instead, it got scattered
to the dim reaches,
541
00:27:24,729 --> 00:27:28,024
trapped out here
in this twilight zone.
542
00:27:28,066 --> 00:27:30,568
If you could zoom out
to see our solar system
543
00:27:30,610 --> 00:27:32,987
from a light year away,
the Oort cloud
544
00:27:33,029 --> 00:27:36,532
might look something like this.
545
00:27:36,574 --> 00:27:43,748
* *
546
00:27:53,132 --> 00:27:54,300
That's right.
547
00:27:54,342 --> 00:27:56,844
Our entire solar system
is surrounded
548
00:27:56,886 --> 00:28:01,808
by a shell of icy rocks.
549
00:28:01,849 --> 00:28:05,728
There are trillions
of comets out here.
550
00:28:05,770 --> 00:28:07,772
Unlike asteroids,
which, simply put,
551
00:28:07,814 --> 00:28:10,400
are big space rocks,
and meteoroids,
552
00:28:10,441 --> 00:28:13,069
which are small space rocks,
553
00:28:13,111 --> 00:28:15,113
comets are cosmic snowballs
554
00:28:15,154 --> 00:28:19,367
full of water ice,
and frozen carbon compounds.
555
00:28:19,409 --> 00:28:22,370
As a comet
moves closer to the Sun,
556
00:28:22,412 --> 00:28:25,415
the snowball starts
to vaporize
557
00:28:25,456 --> 00:28:29,377
and spew dust and gases,
forming a pair of tails
558
00:28:29,419 --> 00:28:32,296
that can stretch for millions
of miles.
559
00:28:32,338 --> 00:28:34,090
* *
560
00:28:34,132 --> 00:28:36,843
Comets typically pass
far away from Earth,
561
00:28:36,884 --> 00:28:39,095
but occasionally,
they come close enough
562
00:28:39,137 --> 00:28:43,266
to produce a dazzling
spectacle in our skies.
563
00:28:43,307 --> 00:28:48,730
Now, all these objects orbit
the Sun, but very slowly.
564
00:28:48,771 --> 00:28:51,399
The Sun's pull
is so weak out here
565
00:28:51,441 --> 00:28:54,736
that it takes
only the tiniest random tug,
566
00:28:54,777 --> 00:28:57,905
like the gravity
from a distant passing star,
567
00:28:57,947 --> 00:28:59,615
to nudge
one of these comets
568
00:28:59,657 --> 00:29:01,451
out of the Oort cloud.
569
00:29:01,492 --> 00:29:03,745
When its orbit is disturbed,
570
00:29:03,786 --> 00:29:06,122
a comet will start falling
toward the Sun
571
00:29:06,164 --> 00:29:08,541
and begin its
long, long journey
572
00:29:08,583 --> 00:29:10,460
across our solar system.
573
00:29:10,501 --> 00:29:13,463
[dramatic music]
574
00:29:13,504 --> 00:29:20,386
* *
575
00:29:38,321 --> 00:29:42,283
Jupiter's gravity is so strong,
it can easily rip a comet
576
00:29:42,325 --> 00:29:44,410
like this one to pieces.
577
00:29:44,452 --> 00:29:46,370
Happens all the time.
578
00:29:46,412 --> 00:29:53,378
* *
579
00:29:57,673 --> 00:30:01,386
String of pearl impacts leave
telltale signatures behind.
580
00:30:01,427 --> 00:30:04,847
They're called crater chains,
and they are everywhere
581
00:30:04,889 --> 00:30:06,808
in our solar system.
582
00:30:06,849 --> 00:30:08,601
Some of you may remember
when NASA's
583
00:30:08,643 --> 00:30:11,521
Voyager 1 spacecraft
flew past Jupiter's moon,
584
00:30:11,562 --> 00:30:14,524
Callisto, in 1979.
585
00:30:14,565 --> 00:30:17,276
It spotted curious chains
of craters.
586
00:30:17,318 --> 00:30:21,030
* *
587
00:30:21,072 --> 00:30:24,325
Eight more chains were
later found on Callisto,
588
00:30:24,367 --> 00:30:27,412
along with three
similar chains on Ganymede,
589
00:30:27,453 --> 00:30:29,122
Jupiter's biggest moon.
590
00:30:32,417 --> 00:30:37,046
At first, the crater chains
were a mystery
591
00:30:37,088 --> 00:30:40,258
until the discovery
of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.
592
00:30:40,299 --> 00:30:44,220
Not a law firm, Shoemaker-Levy
was a string of pearls,
593
00:30:44,262 --> 00:30:46,556
a chain of comet fragments
594
00:30:46,597 --> 00:30:48,349
created when Jupiter's gravity
595
00:30:48,391 --> 00:30:51,352
ripped
the original comet apart.
596
00:30:51,394 --> 00:30:54,897
Shoemaker-Levy
got its revenge in 1994,
597
00:30:54,939 --> 00:30:56,733
crashing into Jupiter.
598
00:30:56,774 --> 00:30:59,610
Astronomers watched
in awe as the broken bits
599
00:30:59,652 --> 00:31:02,697
hit like machine gunfire.
600
00:31:02,739 --> 00:31:05,575
In fact, everywhere we look
in the solar system,
601
00:31:05,616 --> 00:31:07,577
it's all craters--
602
00:31:07,618 --> 00:31:09,912
craters, craters,
and more craters.
603
00:31:09,954 --> 00:31:16,586
* *
604
00:31:16,627 --> 00:31:20,173
The only reason we don't see
craters everywhere on Earth
605
00:31:20,214 --> 00:31:24,260
is because our planet
is good at hiding its scars.
606
00:31:24,302 --> 00:31:26,763
If we drained
away Earth's ocean
607
00:31:26,804 --> 00:31:30,975
and stripped off its forests
and all the other concealers,
608
00:31:31,017 --> 00:31:33,352
it might look
something like this.
609
00:31:33,394 --> 00:31:34,604
* *
610
00:31:34,645 --> 00:31:38,107
Behold the Earth naked.
611
00:31:38,149 --> 00:31:40,943
What?
Not what you imagined?
612
00:31:40,985 --> 00:31:43,654
That's enough.
This is a family show.
613
00:31:43,696 --> 00:31:46,324
[enchanting orchestral music]
614
00:31:46,365 --> 00:31:48,451
Earth's taken quite a few shots
615
00:31:48,493 --> 00:31:50,995
over the last four
and a half billion years,
616
00:31:51,037 --> 00:31:53,122
and we're still
in the line of fire,
617
00:31:53,164 --> 00:31:54,916
but here's the great news.
618
00:31:54,957 --> 00:31:57,543
Of all the natural disasters
showcased
619
00:31:57,585 --> 00:32:01,255
in this institute of ours,
this is the only one
620
00:32:01,297 --> 00:32:03,549
that's entirely preventable.
621
00:32:03,591 --> 00:32:06,052
How?
With science.
622
00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:13,518
[tranquil music]
623
00:32:13,559 --> 00:32:14,560
* *
624
00:32:14,602 --> 00:32:16,020
- To prevent an impact,
625
00:32:16,062 --> 00:32:18,398
we first have to find
the impactors,
626
00:32:18,439 --> 00:32:20,566
see what's coming at us.
627
00:32:20,608 --> 00:32:23,653
That's what the Asteroid
Terrestrial-impact
628
00:32:23,694 --> 00:32:25,571
Last Alert System
is trying to do.
629
00:32:25,613 --> 00:32:27,949
We call it ATLAS.
630
00:32:27,990 --> 00:32:31,119
It's in Maui, Hawaii.
You know Atlas.
631
00:32:31,160 --> 00:32:32,787
In Greek mythology,
he was the guy holding up
632
00:32:32,829 --> 00:32:35,331
the Earth on his shoulders.
633
00:32:35,373 --> 00:32:39,127
Well, this ATLAS is trying
to hold up life on Earth,
634
00:32:39,168 --> 00:32:42,130
and it's a full-time job
with no benefits.
635
00:32:42,171 --> 00:32:43,965
* *
636
00:32:44,006 --> 00:32:46,509
The robotic telescopes
in ATLAS
637
00:32:46,551 --> 00:32:49,011
are part of a critical
early warning system
638
00:32:49,053 --> 00:32:51,848
that scientists use
to detect near-Earth objects
639
00:32:51,889 --> 00:32:56,519
a few days or sometimes only
a few hours before they hit.
640
00:32:56,561 --> 00:32:59,021
* *
641
00:32:59,063 --> 00:33:02,316
The most important thing
we need is advance notice.
642
00:33:02,358 --> 00:33:03,901
There's an old saying--
643
00:33:03,943 --> 00:33:06,154
I mean, an old saying
among comet hunters--
644
00:33:06,195 --> 00:33:08,698
that finding a distant comet
is like looking
645
00:33:08,740 --> 00:33:11,242
for a charcoal briquette
in the dark
646
00:33:11,284 --> 00:33:12,952
or trying to find
a flattering pair
647
00:33:12,994 --> 00:33:15,413
of cargo pants.
It's almost impossible.
648
00:33:15,455 --> 00:33:18,708
* *
649
00:33:18,750 --> 00:33:21,461
Near-Earth objects fly past us
all the time.
650
00:33:21,502 --> 00:33:23,796
* *
651
00:33:23,838 --> 00:33:27,133
Scientists estimate that
several dozen large asteroids
652
00:33:27,175 --> 00:33:30,053
fly past Earth at a distance
closer than the orbit
653
00:33:30,094 --> 00:33:32,930
of the Moon every year,
654
00:33:32,972 --> 00:33:35,600
but only a fraction of these
are actually detected.
655
00:33:35,641 --> 00:33:38,978
* *
656
00:33:39,020 --> 00:33:43,024
The ones we do see are usually
spotted after they pass by,
657
00:33:43,066 --> 00:33:45,234
and only one or two
are detected with more
658
00:33:45,276 --> 00:33:47,028
than 24 hours' notice.
659
00:33:47,070 --> 00:33:49,155
* *
660
00:33:49,197 --> 00:33:51,074
Not trying
to freak you out here,
661
00:33:51,115 --> 00:33:53,534
but we might want to find
a better way to detect
662
00:33:53,576 --> 00:33:56,287
these unexpected guests.
663
00:33:56,329 --> 00:33:58,790
That's why we need this.
664
00:33:58,831 --> 00:34:01,626
It's the Near-Earth
Object Surveyor spacecraft,
665
00:34:01,667 --> 00:34:03,503
the NEO Surveyor.
666
00:34:03,544 --> 00:34:05,421
It's a new kind
of space telescope
667
00:34:05,463 --> 00:34:06,589
designed to hunt down
668
00:34:06,631 --> 00:34:09,217
potentially hazardous
space rocks.
669
00:34:09,258 --> 00:34:12,804
Now, they get warmed
ever so slightly by the Sun,
670
00:34:12,845 --> 00:34:15,556
and it's fantastically cold
out there in space,
671
00:34:15,598 --> 00:34:18,059
so if you have a detector
sensitive enough,
672
00:34:18,101 --> 00:34:20,603
you can sense
their reflected heat.
673
00:34:20,645 --> 00:34:23,856
It's like night vision
for space rocks.
674
00:34:23,898 --> 00:34:26,859
By making this opening
wide and dark,
675
00:34:26,901 --> 00:34:29,612
it stays as cold
as possible in here.
676
00:34:29,654 --> 00:34:32,490
Then down inside
are the most advanced
677
00:34:32,532 --> 00:34:35,535
heat-detecting sensors
ever built.
678
00:34:35,576 --> 00:34:37,745
So let's get it flying,
679
00:34:37,787 --> 00:34:39,497
then we can go looking
for that thing.
680
00:34:39,539 --> 00:34:41,833
* *
681
00:34:41,874 --> 00:34:43,167
Oh, yeah.
682
00:34:43,209 --> 00:34:50,133
* *
683
00:34:56,764 --> 00:35:00,017
Seriously, let's say we
find a comet or an asteroid
684
00:35:00,059 --> 00:35:02,228
and we know
that it's got our name on it.
685
00:35:02,270 --> 00:35:05,690
Well people, you might think
we could just blow that baby up
686
00:35:05,732 --> 00:35:07,608
in Bruce Willis fashion--
687
00:35:07,650 --> 00:35:09,986
throw a nuke at it
and Bob's your uncle.
688
00:35:10,027 --> 00:35:14,198
Actually, a nuke
is a pretty good idea...
689
00:35:14,240 --> 00:35:16,325
if scientists and engineers
figure out
690
00:35:16,367 --> 00:35:17,910
the right way to use it.
691
00:35:17,952 --> 00:35:19,829
Space agencies
have been studying ways
692
00:35:19,871 --> 00:35:21,748
to make this work
without having to rely
693
00:35:21,789 --> 00:35:24,709
on a bunch of yoked up
and bronzed oil drillers.
694
00:35:24,751 --> 00:35:26,127
Here's one way.
695
00:35:26,169 --> 00:35:28,129
You could use
the nuclear weapon
696
00:35:28,171 --> 00:35:31,674
to blast a crater
in the surface of the comet.
697
00:35:31,716 --> 00:35:34,469
The explosion, along with
the spewed out stuff--
698
00:35:34,510 --> 00:35:37,263
the ejecta--
would nudge the comet
699
00:35:37,305 --> 00:35:38,723
in a different direction.
700
00:35:38,765 --> 00:35:42,602
Or you could set off
your standoff burst
701
00:35:42,643 --> 00:35:45,480
some distance away
that uses radiation
702
00:35:45,521 --> 00:35:47,106
to heat the comet.
703
00:35:47,148 --> 00:35:49,150
Some of the surface
would vaporize,
704
00:35:49,192 --> 00:35:53,237
and that umph would push
the object into another orbit.
705
00:35:53,279 --> 00:35:55,990
We'd go like this.
706
00:35:56,032 --> 00:35:58,993
[explosion]
707
00:36:01,204 --> 00:36:04,165
[coughing]
708
00:36:06,751 --> 00:36:08,836
It's a tricky operation.
709
00:36:08,878 --> 00:36:11,881
Set off your bomb too far away,
and you might not change
710
00:36:11,923 --> 00:36:13,424
the object's course enough.
711
00:36:13,466 --> 00:36:16,969
Too close, and instead of
a single object coming in,
712
00:36:17,011 --> 00:36:19,639
you might end up with
a string of jagged pearls
713
00:36:19,680 --> 00:36:20,848
headed our way.
714
00:36:20,890 --> 00:36:24,018
That's why we,
planetary defense types,
715
00:36:24,060 --> 00:36:27,105
want to have a whole menu
of designs ready to go,
716
00:36:27,146 --> 00:36:29,899
including ones
that are a lot more subtle.
717
00:36:29,941 --> 00:36:32,902
We still don't know exactly
how much force
718
00:36:32,944 --> 00:36:34,570
any of this will take,
719
00:36:34,612 --> 00:36:38,533
so consider
NASA's DART mission--
720
00:36:38,574 --> 00:36:42,412
the Double Asteroid
Redirection Test.
721
00:36:42,453 --> 00:36:45,456
The DART spacecraft
was launched in 2021,
722
00:36:45,498 --> 00:36:48,751
and it's on course to slam
into a small asteroid
723
00:36:48,793 --> 00:36:51,796
named Dimorphos
in the fall of 2022.
724
00:36:51,838 --> 00:36:54,799
[dramatic music]
725
00:36:54,841 --> 00:36:57,802
* *
726
00:36:57,844 --> 00:37:00,388
If DART works,
we could use this method
727
00:37:00,430 --> 00:37:03,641
to deflect a future space rock
that might be headed our way.
728
00:37:03,683 --> 00:37:10,773
* *
729
00:37:13,276 --> 00:37:16,779
DART will shift things around
as the force of its impact
730
00:37:16,821 --> 00:37:19,407
will change the orbit
just a tiny bit--
731
00:37:19,449 --> 00:37:21,868
the kind of nudge needed
to prevent an asteroid
732
00:37:21,909 --> 00:37:23,578
from getting too close to us.
733
00:37:23,619 --> 00:37:25,913
But wait, there's more.
734
00:37:25,955 --> 00:37:28,666
Now, it's laser time.
735
00:37:28,708 --> 00:37:31,294
What if we could combine
the heat of a nuke
736
00:37:31,335 --> 00:37:34,047
with the kind of control
you get with light?
737
00:37:34,088 --> 00:37:37,717
What if you blasted
a comet with lasers?
738
00:37:37,759 --> 00:37:39,927
Well, how do we deliver lasers
739
00:37:39,969 --> 00:37:41,220
to a near-Earth object,
you ask?
740
00:37:41,262 --> 00:37:44,182
Oh, keep your pants on.
I'll show you.
741
00:37:49,604 --> 00:37:53,649
Ha ha!
Behold the Laser Bees.
742
00:37:54,567 --> 00:37:57,528
It's an idea my colleagues
at the Planetary Society
743
00:37:57,570 --> 00:37:58,946
have been cooking up.
744
00:37:58,988 --> 00:38:00,698
We'd send a swarm of them--
745
00:38:00,740 --> 00:38:02,116
dozens, maybe.
746
00:38:02,158 --> 00:38:03,993
The laser beams
from the bees
747
00:38:04,035 --> 00:38:06,954
would burn or oblate
a bit of comet ice
748
00:38:06,996 --> 00:38:09,457
and cause it
to out-gas into space.
749
00:38:09,499 --> 00:38:12,502
[buzzing]
750
00:38:12,543 --> 00:38:13,961
[clears throat]
751
00:38:14,003 --> 00:38:16,047
Except in space,
there's no sound,
752
00:38:16,089 --> 00:38:18,091
so it would just be like this.
753
00:38:21,344 --> 00:38:24,639
It's an idea so crazy,
it just might work.
754
00:38:24,680 --> 00:38:26,140
[sighs]
755
00:38:26,182 --> 00:38:27,975
OK, let's all
take a deep breath
756
00:38:28,017 --> 00:38:29,977
and replay our story,
757
00:38:30,019 --> 00:38:32,980
this time with systems
in place.
758
00:38:33,022 --> 00:38:35,650
Our astronomer
and her colleagues
759
00:38:35,691 --> 00:38:38,903
along with folks just like
you and me have put pressure
760
00:38:38,945 --> 00:38:41,906
on our legislators to take
the threat more seriously
761
00:38:41,948 --> 00:38:43,699
no matter what the cost
762
00:38:43,741 --> 00:38:45,159
or how long the odds
763
00:38:45,201 --> 00:38:47,787
because the safety
of our planet isn't theirs
764
00:38:47,829 --> 00:38:48,996
to gamble with.
765
00:38:49,038 --> 00:38:50,623
- Thank you for choosing
to listen to us.
766
00:38:50,665 --> 00:38:53,418
- Our Congressman listens to
the science and leads the way
767
00:38:53,459 --> 00:38:56,337
in green-lighting
a full-fledged global effort
768
00:38:56,379 --> 00:38:58,131
to save our planet.
769
00:38:58,172 --> 00:39:00,258
More than 100 countries invest
770
00:39:00,299 --> 00:39:02,218
in the most urgent
and ambitious
771
00:39:02,260 --> 00:39:05,179
technological undertaking
since the Moon landings.
772
00:39:05,221 --> 00:39:08,516
But the question is,
will it work?
773
00:39:08,558 --> 00:39:12,186
* *
774
00:39:12,228 --> 00:39:15,231
[lasers humming]
775
00:39:15,273 --> 00:39:22,238
* *
776
00:39:22,280 --> 00:39:25,241
[comet whooshing]
777
00:39:25,283 --> 00:39:32,206
* *
778
00:39:41,883 --> 00:39:45,595
[tranquil music]
779
00:39:45,636 --> 00:39:47,597
The mission was a success.
780
00:39:47,638 --> 00:39:51,059
Now the string of pearls
will safely pass the Earth
781
00:39:51,100 --> 00:39:53,436
in an event
as beautiful as it sounds,
782
00:39:53,478 --> 00:39:55,813
and we have nothing to fear.
783
00:39:55,855 --> 00:39:59,734
Instead, the light show
is spectacular.
784
00:39:59,776 --> 00:40:02,695
[triumphant music]
785
00:40:02,737 --> 00:40:06,199
* *
786
00:40:11,204 --> 00:40:13,498
- Our ancient dino friends
are goners,
787
00:40:13,539 --> 00:40:17,085
and we could be too,
but it's not too late for us.
788
00:40:17,126 --> 00:40:21,339
Asteroid and comet impacts are
preventable natural disasters
789
00:40:21,381 --> 00:40:23,424
if we set our minds to it.
790
00:40:23,466 --> 00:40:25,551
As far as we know,
the dinosaurs
791
00:40:25,593 --> 00:40:29,097
had no space program,
but we do.
792
00:40:29,138 --> 00:40:30,848
And we--you and me--
793
00:40:30,890 --> 00:40:33,434
have the power to make sure
our representatives
794
00:40:33,476 --> 00:40:35,895
represent us
when it comes to investing
795
00:40:35,937 --> 00:40:39,524
in the technology
that could save our world.
796
00:40:39,565 --> 00:40:42,902
We have an opportunity
to prevent our own extinction
797
00:40:42,944 --> 00:40:45,905
while at the same time
learning extraordinary things
798
00:40:45,947 --> 00:40:49,033
about our universe
and our place within it.
799
00:40:49,075 --> 00:40:52,787
With a robust infrastructure
of telescopes and spacecraft,
800
00:40:52,829 --> 00:40:55,915
we'll learn more about how
the solar system was formed,
801
00:40:55,957 --> 00:40:59,544
about the origins of life here,
and the prospects for life
802
00:40:59,585 --> 00:41:01,629
elsewhere in the universe.
803
00:41:01,671 --> 00:41:04,465
Even if you set aside
the practical benefits,
804
00:41:04,507 --> 00:41:07,844
face it, people,
space exploration is cool.
805
00:41:07,885 --> 00:41:10,179
Averting a potential
mass extinction
806
00:41:10,221 --> 00:41:12,432
has never been
so easy or come with
807
00:41:12,473 --> 00:41:15,184
so many fun
and fabulous rewards.
808
00:41:15,226 --> 00:41:19,188
The more we invest in exploring
the possibilities up there,
809
00:41:19,230 --> 00:41:21,774
the better our lives
will be down here.