Original subtitles

Narrator: OF THE 7 BILLION HUMANS ON EARTH,

JUST A FEW HUNDRED OF US HAVE SEEN THIS VIEW.

BUT NOW, A NEW GOLDEN AGE OF SPACE TRAVEL IS DAWNING.

Man: 3,2,1,0

Narrator: AT ANY MOMENT, THERE ARE THREE ASTRONAUTS

ABOVE US ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION,

Man: INITIATING THE CAPSULE, STANDING BY

Narrator: ...OVER A THOUSAND SATELLITES IN ORBIT,

AND OVER 30 PROBES CHARTING NEW CORNERS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

AND THE SPACE RACE

ISN'T JUST BETWEEN GOVERNMENTS ANYMORE.

PRIVATE COMPANIES RUN BY SOME OF THE WORLD'S

MOST SUCCESSFUL BILLIONAIRES ARE TAKING OVER.

THEY WANT TO SEND US TO SPACE AS TOURISTS.

Richard Branson: HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYTHING SO SEXY?

Narrator: LAUNCH HEAVY INDUSTRY INTO ORBIT

Jeff Bezos: IT IS A STEP TOWARDS A SPACEFARING CIVILIZATION.

Narrator: AND EVEN COLONIZE ANOTHER PLANET.

Robert Zubrin: OUR ENVIRONMENT IS NOT JUST THE EARTH -

OUR ENVIRONMENT IS THE SOLAR SYSTEM

THESE MEN BELIEVE THEY CAN RADICALLY TRANSFORM OUR FUTURE -

AND MAKE MONEY DOING IT.

CAN THEY SUCCEED IN THEIR AMBITIOUS PLANS?

AND COULD WE BE ON THE CUSP OF BECOMING

A TRULY SPACEFARING CIVILIZATION?

Man: 3,2,1 ZERO

♪

Narrator: MOJAVE, CALIFORNIA.

A DUSTY DESERT TOWN TWO AND A HALF HOURS OUTSIDE OF LA.

IT'S CLEAR, UN-CROWDED SKIES MAKE IT PERFECT

FOR TESTING THE WORLD'S MOST REVOLUTIONARY AIRPLANES

IT'S BEEN HOME TO A LONG LINE OF AVIATION FIRSTS -

LIKE CHUCK YEAGER BREAKING THE SOUND BARRIER IN 1947.

Man: THERE SHE GOES,

A BIG MOMENT IN A HISTORY MAKING FLIGHT.

NOW SHE'S APPROACHING THE SPEED OF SOUND,

Narrator: TODAY, IT'S STILL A PLACE SYNONYMOUS

WITH CUTTING EDGE AVIATION.

PRIVATE COMPANIES HAVE COME HERE. AND THEY'RE RUN

BY BILLIONAIRES WITH A NEW VISION OF SPACE TRAVEL.

Branson: TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE SPACE ACCESSIBLE

IN A WAY THAT HAS ONLY BEEN DREAMT OF BEFORE NOW.

Narrator: THESE BILLIONAIRES ARE CHASING A DREAM OF CHEAP

REUSABLE SHIPS THEY CAN USE TO MAKE SPACE AFFORDABLE,

AND TURN A PROFIT

Bezos: IF WE STOP THROWING AWAY THE VEHICLES AFTER EVERY USE-

Brian Cox: YEAH.

Bezos: AND IF WE HAVE GENUINE OPERATIONAL REUSABILITY

THE COSTS CAN COME DOWN BY AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE OR MORE.

Narrator: OF COURSE - "CHEAP" AND "SPACECRAFT"

AREN'T WORDS THAT NORMALLY GO TOGETHER WELL.

AND SOME OF THE EARLY ATTEMPTS HERE IN THE 1990S

DIDN'T INSPIRE CONFIDENCE

BUT THE NEW GENERATION LOOKS VERY DIFFERENT.

RICHARD BRANSON'S VIRGIN GALACTIC

IS WORKING ON A NEW DESIGN HERE IN MOJAVE.

THEIR GOAL IS TO TAKE AN ENTIRELY NEW GROUP OF PEOPLE

TO SPACE: TOURISTS.

VIRGIN GALACTIC HAVE SOLD OVER 700 ADVANCED TICKETS

TO WHAT THE COMPANY CALL THEIR 'FUTURE ASTRONAUTS.'

THE COST: $250,000 PER TRIP.

Enrico Palermo: WE WANTED TO MEET HERE TO,

TO SHOW YOU SOMETHING PRETTY SPECIAL,

WE ARE PREPARING FOR A FLIGHT AS YOU KNOW ON THURSDAY

AND WE'RE PRETTY, PRETTY EXCITED BY THAT.

Narrator: TONIGHT, THESE FUTURE ASTRONAUTS HAVE BEEN

INVITED TO GET AN EXCLUSIVE GLIMPSE

OF THE SPACECRAFT OF THE FUTURE

Clare: SO TONIGHT, WE'RE GOING TO SEE WHAT IS INSIDE,

BEHIND THESE GREAT BIG HANGAR DOORS.

[APPLAUSE]

Narrator: IT'S CALLED SPACESHIP TWO.

BUILT LARGELY FROM CARBON FIBRE, IT WEIGHS IN AT 20,000 POUNDS.

IT'S HYBRID ROCKET ENGINE WILL POWER IT TO SPEEDS OF OVER

TWO AND A HALF THOUSAND MILES AN HOUR

IT RELIES ON A MOTHER SHIP TO CARRY IT

TO AN ALTITUDE OF 50,000 FT.

THEN, RELEASED FROM THE LARGER AIRPLANE,

ITS ROCKET ENGINE WILL TAKE OVER AND CARRY UP TO SIX PASSENGERS

TO THE EDGE OF SPACE AT OVER 60 MILES UP.

EXPERIENCING AROUND 5 MINUTES OF WEIGHTLESSNESS,

THE ASTRONAUTS WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THE CURVATURE

OF THE EARTH BELOW AND THE BLACKNESS OF SPACE ABOVE.

Palermo: SO WE'RE GONNA PASS OUT SOME CHAMPAGNE,

WE'LL HAVE A TOAST TO UNITY.

Clare: THANK YOU FOR BEING FANTASTIC FUTURE ASTRONAUTS,

FOR SUPPORTING US ALL THE TIME AND BEING WONDERFUL. SO CHEERS

[CHEERS]

Narrator: EARLY CUSTOMERS EXPECTED TO FLY

TO SPACE BACK IN 2010.

Maureen Deanan: HI EVERYONE, MY NAME IS MAUREEN DEANAN,

I SIGNED UP TO BE A FUTURE ASTRONAUT

IN 2006 BEFORE, THIS ONE CAME ALONG.

Narrator: THEY'RE STILL WAITING.

Alan Mark: I'M ALAN MARK, I HAD NO INTEREST IN SPACE AT ALL, HI.

[LAUGHTER]

AND THEN I HEARD HOW FAST THIS IS GONNA GO.

AND THAT'S WHAT GOT ME, I LOVE FAST..

Narrator: SPEED IS ALSO THE KEY TO MAKING SPACE TOURISM

A PROFITABLE BUSINESS.

YOU HAVE TO GET THE SPACESHIP

READY FOR ITS NEXT FLIGHT QUICKLY

ANOTHER MOJAVE COMPANY, XCOR,

IS TACKLING THIS CHALLENGE WHILE DEVELOPING ITS LYNX SPACECRAFT.

THEY BELIEVE THE KEY LIES IN THE DESIGN OF THEIR ROCKET ENGINE.

Jeremy Voigt: WE USE PISTON PUMPS

TO POWER OUR ROCKET ENGINES, THEY'RE VERY RELIABLE,

ALL THE RELIABILITY THAT'S BUILT INTO YOUR CAR AND MOTORCYCLES,

AND ANYTHING THAT USES A PISTON ENGINE IS BAKED INTO THESE.

THEY'RE VERY EASY TO WORK ON YOU KNOW

I CAN TAKE A COUPLE OF BOLTS OFF AND PULL IT OPEN AND HAVE ACCESS

TO THE GUTS TO MESS AROUND AND I CAN ACTUALLY MAKE MODIFICATIONS

IN THE FIELD AND THEN KEEP TESTING,

OR GO BACK TO ANOTHER FLIGHT.

Narrator: REUSABILITY AND RELIABILITY ARE THE KEY.

Voigt: AND THE WAY THIS SYSTEM IS MEANT TO WORK

IS YOU HAVE A PAIR OF PISTON PUMPS POWERING TWO CHAMBERS -

SO IF I LOSE A ROCKET ENGINE I STILL HAVE THREE MORE ENGINES,

IF I LOSE A PUMP I HAVE ANOTHER SET OF PUMPS ON THE OTHER SIDE

POWERING TWO MORE ENGINES. I'M NOT GOING TO SPACE THAT DAY

BUT I'M COMING HOME SAFE AND THAT'S,

THAT'S REALLY WHAT'S IMPORTANT.

OUR ENGINES ARE DESIGNED TO LAST FOR 5,000 CYCLES

AND WHEN YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT THINGS IN KIND OF

THE CAR ENGINE MODE THAT,

THAT DOESN'T SEEM THAT UNUSUAL

BUT WHEN YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT ROCKETS, THAT'S CRAZY.

Man: FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ARM!

Narrator: THIS PLANE AIMS TO FLY TO THE EDGE OF SPACE

DIRECTLY FROM THE RUNWAY -

WITHOUT THE NEED FOR A SEPARATE MOTHER SHIP.

Erik Anderson: WE REALIZED THAT,

IF THE ROCKET PROPULSION WAS A LITTLE BIT BETTER

WE DON'T HAVE TO GO TO THE TROUBLE OF, OF BUYING

OR RENTING OR SOMEHOW OBTAINING A LARGE AIRCRAFT,

WE CAN TAKE OFF FROM THE RUNWAY

AND THAT DOES HAVE LARGE OPERATIONAL ADVANTAGES FOR US,

WE DON'T HAVE TO, WE DON'T HAVE TO CO-ORDINATE MULTIPLE AIRCRAFT

SO WE, WE JUST HAVE THE ONE AND IT, IT, WE CAN SHOW UP

AND WE CAN OPERATE IT AND WE DON'T HAVE TO RE-MATE IT,

IT BECAUSE WE JUST REFUEL IT AND GO AGAIN THAT'S KEY TO

REUSING THE VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES A DAY

AND MAKES US MUCH MORE OPERABLE.

Narrator: XCOR'S SPACESHIP,

THE LYNX, IS STILL A LONG WAY FROM COMPLETION.

BUT BACK AT VIRGIN GALACTIC,

SPACESHIP TWO IS READY FOR FLIGHT TESTING.

RICHARD BRANSON HAS ARRIVED TO SEE THE LATEST TEST FOR HIMSELF.

Branson: MORNING, MORNING,

MORNING, MORNING, MORNING, MORNING.

Narrator: VIRGIN GALACTIC HAS SPENT WELL OVER 600

MILLION DOLLARS, TRYING TO MAKE COMMERCIAL TRIPS TO SPACE

A REALITY.

Branson: HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYTHING SO SEXY?

Narrator: TWO MORE SPACESHIPS ARE ALREADY BEING BUILT ON SITE.

THE START OF A FLEET TO MAKE REGULAR TOURIST FLIGHTS

TO SPACE.

[APPLAUSE]

Branson: IT'S SUCH AN EXCITING TIME TO BE BACK WITH YOU

AND THIS YEAR IS THE CULMINATION I THINK OF,

OF 10 YEARS HARD WORK.

WE ALL HAVE TO PINCH OURSELVES, WE'RE BUILDING,

WE'RE A SPACESHIP COMPANY,

WE'RE BUILDING NOT JUST ONE SPACESHIP BUT ANOTHER SPACESHIP

AND ANOTHER SPACESHIP,

I MEAN IT'S, IT'S JUST RIDICULOUSLY EXCITING.

Narrator: THE PILOT FOR SPACESHIP TWO'S TEST FLIGHT

IS DAVE MACKAY.

Dave Mackay: FOLLOW ME.

SO YOU'RE NOW IN THE CAPTAIN'S SEAT.

THIS IS A MANUAL FLIGHT CONTROL VEHICLE SO RODS,

CABLES CONNECTING THE FLIGHT CONTROLS

TO THE ACTUAL SURFACES ON THE WING.

ONE OF THE BEAUTIES OF THIS VEHICLE IS THAT I CAN HAVE

A TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE

SO I CAN LOSE ALL OF THIS AND WE CAN STILL FLY

THE RECOVERY AND WE CAN JUST LOOK OUT THE WINDOW LIKE ANY

OTHER AEROPLANE AND FLY AND APPROACH AND LANDING.

AND THE NEXT THING I WANT TO POINT OUT IS

THE FIELD OF VIEW

OR THE WINDOWS, THEY MAY LOOK FAIRLY SMALL FROM THE OUTSIDE

BUT YOUR HEAD'S ACTUALLY QUITE CLOSE TO THOSE WINDOWS

AND THEN WE'VE GOT THIS ADDITIONAL WINDOW UP HERE

AS WELL SO WHEN WE'RE UP IN SPACE YOU KNOW

WE CAN BE MANOEUVRING TO ALL SORTS OF UNUSUAL LATITUDES

SO TYPICALLY ONCE WE'RE UP IN SPACE WE'RE GOING TO

FLIP THE VEHICLE OVER ONTO ITS BACK AND THEN, SO YOU CAN

SEE THE HORIZON COMING UP THROUGH THIS WINDOW HERE.

Narrator: SPACESHIPS TWO'S HULL IS BUILT USING

THE LATEST TECHNIQUES IN CARBON FIBER CONSTRUCTION

Palermo: THIS IS R&D - YOU KNOW NO ONES HAS DONE

WHAT WE'RE DOING BEFORE AND SO IT'S BEEN

A COMPLEX TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.

AND WERE REALLY NOW ROUNDING THE CORNER IN THE SENSE

THAT WE HAVE AN AIRCRAFT DESIGN WE'RE VERY COMFORTABLE WITH,

AND WE HAVE THE CONFIDENCE NOW TO REALLY GET INTO PRODUCTION.

WE HAVE STARTED THE SECOND AND THIRD SPACESHIP

THAT WILL GO INTO SERVICE.

Narrator: THE SPACESHIP MUST BE LIGHT AS POSSIBLE.

BUT ALSO INCREDIBLY STRONG TO REPEATEDLY RE-ENTER

THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.

WINDOWS ARE A POTENTIAL WEAK POINT.

BUT SPACE TOURISTS ARE PAYING FOR THE VIEW.

Adam Wells: SO THIS IS A WINDOW FRAME

THAT WE HAVEN'T PUT IN TO ONE OF OUR NEW SPACE CRAFT YET.

SO THAT'S THE MAIN WINDOW - THAT'S THE SIZE OF IT -

IN A WEIGHTLESS ENVIRONMENT YOU ACTUALLY NEED

TO CONTROL THE WAY YOU ARE RELATIVE TO THE WINDOW,

AND HOLD YOURSELF UP TO IT.

SO THERE WILL BE A LITTLE FINGER-GRAB AROUND THE WINDOW

THAT YOU ONLY NEED JUST A LITTLE BIT. YOUR FIRST KNUCKLE ALMOST,

TO BE ABLE TO GET AROUND.

AND THAT'S ENOUGH TO HOLD YOURSELF UP AGAINST THAT WINDOW.

Narrator: BUILDING A COMMERCIAL SPACESHIP

IS PUSHING THE ENVELOPE OF ENGINEERING CAPABILITIES.

IN 2014, A SHOCKING INCIDENT SHOWED JUST HOW DIFFICULT

ROCKET SCIENCE IS

Narrator: VIRGIN GALACTIC'S SPACECRAFT FOR TOURISTS, CALLED

SPACESHIP TWO

IS ALMOST COMPLETED

BUT THE COMPANY HAS BEEN HERE BEFORE.

IN 2010, THE AEROSPACE COMPANY WHICH DESIGNED AND BUILT

THE FIRST SPACESHIP TWO BEGAN ITS TEST FLIGHT PROGRAM.

IT PROGRESSED FROM SIMPLE GLIDE FLIGHTS TO ROCKET POWERED TESTS

AND RAISING THE UNIQUE TAIL STABILIZATION SYSTEM.

ALL WAS PROGRESSING WELL. BUT DURING THE LAST POWERED TEST,

ON OCTOBER 31, 2014,

THE CONTROL SYSTEM ALLOWED THE CO-PILOT TO RELEASE THE TAIL

TOO EARLY IN THE FLIGHT.

WITHIN SECONDS, THE SPACECRAFT DISINTEGRATED.

THE LEAD PILOT WAS THROWN CLEAR OF THE COCKPIT

AND MANAGED TO PARACHUTE TO SAFETY.

BUT THE CO-PILOT WAS KILLED.

George Whitesides: OUR PRIMARY THOUGHTS

AT THIS MOMENT ARE WITH THE CREW AND FAMILY

AND WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN FOR THEM NOW.

Branson: WE'VE ALWAYS KNOWN THAT

COMMERCIAL SPACE TRAVEL IS AN INCREDIBLY HARD PROJECT,

WE'VE BEEN UNDERTAKING A COMPREHENSIVE

TESTING PROGRAM FOR MANY YEARS

AND SAFETY HAS ALWAYS BEEN OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.

WE DO UNDERSTAND THE RISKS INVOLVED

AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO PUSH ON BLINDLY, TO DO SO

WOULD BE AN INSULT TO ALL THOSE AFFECTED BY THIS TRAGEDY.

WE'RE GOING TO LEARN FROM WHAT WENT WRONG,

DISCOVER HOW WE CAN IMPROVE SAFETY AND PERFORMANCE

AND THEN MOVE FORWARDS TOGETHER.

Narrator: VIRGIN GALACTIC HAVE SINCE TAKEN OVER

THE ENTIRE PROJECT.

OVER TWO YEARS AFTER THE CRASH, THE NEW SPACESHIP TWO

IS NOW WORKING THROUGH IT'S INITIAL FLIGHT TEST PROGRAM.

THE ROCKET ENGINE THAT WILL BLAST THE SHIP INTO SPACE

HASN'T BEEN ATTACHED YET.

INSTEAD, THE REAR SECTION CONTAINS WATER AS BALLAST.

TODAY, DAVE MCKAY AND HIS CO-PILOT WILL CHECK

HOW THE CRAFT HANDLES WHILE GLIDING FROM ITS MOTHER SHIP

BACK TO EARTH.

VIRGIN GALACTIC STAFF AND THEIR FAMILIES

HAVE TURNED OUT TO WATCH.

AS HAVE SOME OF THE FUTURE ASTRONAUTS.

David Perez: MY DATE THAT I ALWAYS THOUGHT WOULD BE

NO LONGER THAN 2010 OR YOU KNOW

SO NOW I'M LOOKING AT 2018 SO...

MY LUCKY NUMBER'S 18.

AND I JUST WANT IT TO BE SAFE, I WANT IT,

TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S ENOUGH LAUNCHES PRIOR TO MINE.

Alan Mark: MY WIFE SAID, YOU'RE WHAT?

I SAID HONEY I HAVE TO DO THIS.

IT WILL BE MAYBE THAT I GET TO USE AN AMERICAN EXPRESS CARD

TO DO THE MOST EXCITING THING IN MY LIFE. THAT'S AWESOME.

Narrator: THE MOTHER SHIP BEGINS ITS CLIMB TO 50,000 FEET.

Woman: OH MY GOD SHE'S ALREADY UP.

[APPLAUSE]

Narrator: ONCE ITS JOB IS DONE,

THE MOTHER SHIP'S PILOTS WILL FLY IT BACK TO BASE

TO BE REUNITED WITH THE SPACESHIP.

Branson: BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO

I THINK YOU KNOW WHEN YOU'RE GOING THROUGH A TEST PROGRAM

IT'D BE VERY STRANGE NOT TO HAVE NERVES AND

I'M SURE THAT YOU KNOW I'VE JUST BEEN UP WITH ALL THE FAMILIES

AND ALL THE, ALL THEIR CHILDREN AND THEY WOULDN'T BE HUMAN

IF THEY DIDN'T HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF, SOME NERVES.

YEAH I'M NERVOUS WITH THEM BUT IN THE END

YOU CAN ONLY TEST THESE THINGS IN THE AIR

AND SEE HOW THEY WORK.

Narrator: THE MOTHER SHIP HAS REACHED THE DROP ALTITUDE.

IN SPACESHIP TWO, CHIEF PILOT DAVE PREPARES TO BE RELEASED

FOR THE GLIDE BACK TO EARTH.

Man: THREE, TWO, ONE.

Man: THERE IT GOES, THERE IT GOES

IT'S TO THE RIGHT - I CAN SEE IT -

Narrator: SPACESHIP TWO PROVES ITS GLIDING ABILITY -

Man: WELL DONE.

Narrator: BUT THE REAL TEST WILL BE WHETHER

THE ROCKET POWERED FLIGHTS - DUE TO START IN A FEW MONTHS -

CAN TAKE IT SAFELY TO SPACE.

MOJAVE IS JUST ONE PART OF BRANSON'S VISION

FOR SPACE TOURISM.

THE FULL SCALE OF HIS DREAM IS JUST A SHORT FLIGHT AWAY

Branson: MANY, MANY, MANY YEARS AGO,

PRESIDENT GORBECHEV INVITED ME TO BE THE FIRST CIVILIAN TO GO

IN TO SPACE, AND FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS I SAID NO APART FROM,

APART FROM WHEN I FOUND OUT HOW MUCH IT WAS GONNA COST,

AND I ALWAYS REGRETTED THAT. AND THEN I THINK ONE DAY I THOUGHT

SCREW THIS AND I WENT DOWN TO THE REGISTRY OFFICE

AND I REGISTERED THE NAME VIRGIN GALACTIC AIRWAYS.

ACTUALLY I WAS QUITE AMBITIOUS,

I REGISTERED VIRGIN INTERGALACTIC AIRWAYS AS WELL

AT THE SAME TIME.

Narrator: RICHARD'S AMBITION

IS FOR MANY MORE PEOPLE TO GO TO SPACE.

Branson: THERE'S A WONDERFUL BOOK CALLED

THE OVERVIEW EFFECT WHICH IS AN INTERVIEW -

INTERVIEWS WITH MANY OF THE ASTRONAUTS WHO'VE BEEN

IN TO SPACE AND COME BACK,

AND HOW IT'S COMPLETELY TRANSFORMED THEM.

AND YET THERE ARE ONLY 500 ASTRONAUTS

IN THE HISTORY OF SPACE TRAVEL SO, YOU KNOW, IF WE - IF WE CAN

BE PUTTING 500, 1,000 PEOPLE UP A YEAR,

WHICH I THINK ONE DAY WE CAN -

AND THESE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW WITH THIS ARMY OF ASTRONAUTS

CAN COME BACK DETERMINED TO YOU KNOW MAKE A DIFFERENCE

TO THIS BEAUTIFUL EARTH THAT WE LIVE ON.

Narrator: RICHARD'S VISION FOR THE FUTURE IS HERE -

IN NEW MEXICO.

Branson: OH HERE SHE COMES.

Narrator: SPACEPORT AMERICA

- THE WORLD'S FIRST COMMERCIAL SPACEPORT.

IT WAS DESIGNED BY BRITISH ARCHITECT NORMAN FOSTER,

AND COST OVER 200 MILLION DOLLARS TO BUILD.

THE CLEAR SKIES ABOVE THE NEW MEXICO DESERT

OFFERS THE IDEAL PLACE TO ACCESS SPACE.

BUT FOR NOW, THE BUILDING IS EMPTY.

NONE OF THE SPACESHIPS ARE READY.

VIRGIN GALACTIC IS THE FACILITY'S LEAD TENANT

THEY PLAN TO MAKE DAILY FLIGHTS TO SPACE FROM HERE.

Branson: OUR DREAM IS THAT WE'LL HAVE 2 MOTHER SHIPS HERE

ENABLING SOME THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE PER YEAR TO GO TO SPACE.

Narrator: FOR FUTURE ASTRONAUTS,

REACHING THIS SPACEPORT WILL BE THE BEGINNING OF

AN ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME.

Branson: WE'RE GONNA GIVE PEOPLE A TASTE OF SPACE

AND FROM THERE YOU KNOW WE'LL, WE'LL BE ABLE TO SEND PEOPLE

INTO ORBIT, I HOPE IN OUR LIFETIMES YOU KNOW

WE'LL HAVE A VIRGIN HOTEL JUST FLOATING JUST OFF THE MOON.

ONE'S GOT TO FANTASIZE AND DREAM ABOUT THESE THINGS

AND THEN YOU JUST SAY TO THE ENGINEERS YOU KNOW

PLEASE HELP US TURN THESE DREAMS INTO REALITY.

SOME OF THESE DREAMS WILL NEVER BECOME REALITY

YOU KNOW SOME, SOME WILL BECOME REALITY

BUT IF YOU DON'T DREAM, NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING PROGRESSES.

Narrator: AND TOURISM IS JUST THE BEGINNING

OF THE SPACE BILLIONAIRE'S DREAM FOR OUR FUTURE IN SPACE.

Narrator: THE NEW SPACE BILLIONAIRES SEE TOURISM

AS A STEPPING STONE TO AN EVEN BOLDER FUTURE IN SPACE.

RICHARD BRANSON PLANS TO SLASH THE COST

OF LAUNCHING SMALL SATELLITES.

MICROSOFT BILLIONAIRE PAUL ALLEN HAS JUST ROLLED OUT

THE WORLD'S LARGEST PLANE - WITH A 385 FOOT WINGSPAN.

IT'S DESIGNED TO LAUNCH SATELLITES

INTO ORBIT IN MID-AIR.

BUT THERE'S ANOTHER TECH MOGUL SPENDING A BILLION DOLLARS

OF HIS OWN MONEY A YEAR ON AN EVEN GRANDER VISION.

Jeff Bezos: YOU KNOW I COME BY THE SPACE BUG HONESTLY.

AS A KID, I WAS INSPIRED BY THE GIANT SATURN FIVE MISSIONS

THAT ROARED TO LIFE FROM THESE VERY SHORES.

Narrator: JEFF BEZOS HAS BECOME THE SECOND RICHEST MAN

IN THE WORLD THOUGH HIS CANNY ABILITY TO READ THE FUTURE.

BACK IN 1994, HE RECOGNIZED THE POTENTIAL OF THE INTERNET

AND STARTED AN ONLINE SALES COMPANY IN HIS GARAGE.

IT'S NOW THE BASIS OF HIS 80 BILLION DOLLAR FORTUNE.

AMAZON.COM

IN SEATTLE, JUST DOWN THE ROAD FROM AMAZON,

BEZOS HAS STARTED HIS OWN SPACE ROCKET COMPANY.

IT'S CALLED BLUE ORIGIN, AFTER THE COLOR OF OUR HOME PLANET.

Bezos: WE NEED A DYNAMIC ENTREPRENEURIAL EXPLOSION

IN SPACE, JUST AS I'VE WITNESSED OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS

ON THE INTERNET, THOUSANDS OF COMPANIES

AND TENS OF THOUSANDS OF START-UPS

AND DOING INTERESTING THINGS ONLINE.

THE REASON THAT COULD HAPPEN IS BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE

TO DO THE HEAVY LIFTING INFRASTRUCTURE,

THE HEAVY LIFTING INFRASTRUCTURE WAS ALREADY IN PLACE.

20 YEARS AGO I WAS DRIVING THE PACKAGES

TO THE POST OFFICE MYSELF AND I DIDN'T HAVE TO

BUILD THE INTERNET, THAT ALREADY EXISTED, I DIDN'T HAVE TO

FIGURE OUT HOW TO TRANSPORT PARCELS,

THERE WAS THE POSTAL SERVICE, AND SO ON AND SO ON. SO THAT,

WHEN HEAVY INFRASTRUCTURE IS ALREADY IN PLACE,

THEN THE CREATIVITY OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE CAN BE UNLEASHED.

RIGHT NOW THE PRICE OF THE ADMISSION IS JUST SO HIGH

THAT NOT VERY MANY PEOPLE GET TO EXERCISE THEIR CREATIVITY

IN THE DOMAIN OF SPACE.

Narrator: BEZOS' BLUE ORIGIN IS DEVELOPING A VERTICAL ROCKET

WITH A PASSENGER CARRYING CAPSULE ON TOP.

LIKE VIRGIN GALACTIC, IT HOPES TO START TAKING UP

SPACE TOURISTS NEXT YEAR.

LANDING ROCKETS IS A MIGHTY ENGINEERING CHALLENGE.

BUT THEY CAN BE SCALED UP TO SEND LARGER PAYLOADS

DEEPER INTO SPACE.

Bezos: ONE OF THE BIG PROBLEMS WITH LOWERING

THE COST OF SPACE LAUNCH TODAY

IS THAT WE JUST DON'T GET ENOUGH PRACTICE.

THE MOST USED LAUNCH VEHICLES FLY, YOU KNOW

IN A GOOD YEAR MAYBE 10 OR 12 TIMES A YEAR

AND YOU JUST NEVER GET TRULY GREAT AT ANYTHING

YOU ONLY DO 10 OR 12 TIMES A YEAR.

SO, ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT TOURISM

IS IT COULD PROVIDE ADDITIONAL LAUNCHES

TO DRIVE UP THE RATE OF PRACTICE.

Bezos: YOU'RE GONNA SEE THE LANDING GEAR DEPLOY.

Narrator: FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY,

ROCKET BOOSTERS LIKE THIS

ARE BEING DESIGNED TO BE REUSED MULTIPLE TIMES.

Bezos: THIS IS THE AFT SECTION OF THE NEW SHEPHERD VEHICLE.

SO THIS SECTION OF THE VEHICLE GETS MOUNTED

ONTO THE MIDSECTION.

Bezos: WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE PRECISION

OF THIS AEROSPACE QUALITY HARDWARE AND EVEN,

IT'S OBVIOUSLY VERY WASTEFUL JUST FINANCIALLY

BUT IT'S ALSO HEART BREAKING TO PUT SO MUCH WORK

INTO SOMETHING AND THEN ONLY USE IT ONCE. [LAUGHS].

Man: AND LIFT OFF

Narrator: DEVELOPING THEIR ROCKET

HAS ALREADY BEEN USEFUL PRACTICE FOR BLUE ORIGIN.

Man: BOOSTERS NOW 250,000 FEET.

Narrator: IN 2015, THEY MADE A GROUND BREAKING STEP

TOWARDS REUSABILITY BY SUCCESSFULLY LANDING

A SPACE ROCKET BACK ON ITS TAIL.

[CHEERS]

BUT WHAT IS ALL THIS PRACTICE FOR?

BLUE ORIGIN HAS STARTED WORK BUILDING A ROCKET

THAT'S MORE POWERFUL THAN ANYTHING FLYING TODAY.

THE NEW GLENN.

IT WILL BE CAPABLE OF CARRYING A PAYLOAD OF 45 TONS INTO ORBIT,

AND THE COMPANY ALREADY HAS A CONTRACT TO DELIVER SATELLITES -

MOST IMPORTANT, THIS ROCKET

HAS THE MUSCLE TO BEGIN DELIVERING JEFF'S GRAND VISION.

Bezos: IT IS A STEP TOWARDS A SPACEFARING CIVILIZATION.

WE HAVE SENT ROBOTIC PROBES NOW TO EVERY PLANET

IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM AND WE KNOW WITHOUT ANY SHADOW OF A DOUBT,

THAT EARTH IS THE BEST ONE, THIS IS THE BEST PLANET [LAUGHS].

AND WE NEED TO PROTECT IT AND THE ONLY WAY

TO REALLY PROTECT IT IS TO EVENTUALLY YOU KNOW

MOVE HEAVY INDUSTRY OFF EARTH

AND EARTH CAN BE EFFECTIVELY ZONED,

YOU KNOW RESIDENTIAL AND LIGHT INDUSTRY.

Bezos: REALLY IF YOU THINK ABOUT SPACE,

IT'S A MUCH BETTER PLACE TO DO HEAVY MANUFACTURING.

IN SPACE, YOU HAVE 24/7 SOLAR POWER

AND RESOURCES IN SPACE ARE MUCH VASTER

IN TERMS OF MINERAL RESOURCES AND SO ON

AND EVERY KIND OF ELEMENT THAT YOU NEED IS AVAILABLE IN SPACE

IN VERY LARGE QUANTITIES AND SO

OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HUNDRED YEARS

THAT WILL ALLOW US TO BOTH CONTINUE TO HAVE A DYNAMIC,

EXPANDING, GROWING, THRIVING, INTERESTING CIVILIZATION

BUT WHILE STILL PROTECTING THIS PLANET THAT WE EVOLVED ON

WHICH IS THIS JEWEL, THIS DIAMOND OF A PLANET.

Narrator: THIS MAY SOUND LIKE A HUGELY AMBITIOUS VISION.

BUT THE ERA OF INDUSTRY IN SPACE HAS ALREADY BEGUN.

OVER A THOUSAND SATELLITES CIRCLE ABOVE US

PROVIDING EVERYTHING FROM LAND USE DATA TO TV BROADCASTS.

AND WITH COMPANIES LIKE BLUE ORIGIN PROMISING

MORE AFFORDABLE ACCESS TO SPACE,

THERE ARE ALREADY START UP BUSINESSES

LOOKING TO CAPITALIZE.

Man: WHAT WILL TOMORROW LOOK LIKE?

OUR WORLD IS AT ITS LIMITS AND YET WE ALL WANT MORE.

AND WHY NOT?

WHY SHOULDN'T THE FUTURE BE BRIGHTER THAN TODAY?

OUR TINY PLANET SITS IN A VAST SEA OF RESOURCES.

IT'S TIME SOMEONE SEIZED THE OPPORTUNITY.

DEEP SPACE INDUSTRIES.

Rick Tumlinson: OUR BUSINESS PLAN FOR DEEP SPACE,

IS BASED ON THE FACT THAT IT'S EXPENSIVE TO GO INTO SPACE

SO WE LOOK AT TELECOM SATELLITES,

TELECOMMUNICATION SATELLITES,

BUT THESE, THESE ARE BILLION DOLLAR SPACE CRAFT.

NOW THEY HAVE A NEED TO BE ABLE TO KEEP THEM UP THERE

AS LONG AS POSSIBLE SO WHAT ABOUT TUG BOATS?

WHAT ABOUT REFUELLING THEM, YOU KNOW?

WHAT ABOUT BEING ABLE TO MOVE THEM

FROM ONE ORBIT TO ANOTHER?

AND DOING THINGS LIKE THAT.

THESE ARE THE KINDS OF ACTIVITIES

WE'RE STARTING TO LOOK AT RIGHT NOW

AND THERE ARE REAL COMPANIES WORKING ON THIS,

OUR COMPANY'S ONE OF THEM BUT THERE ARE OTHERS AS WELL.

Man: ALRIGHT WE'RE ENTERING OUR CLEAN ROOM,

AND WE HAVE TWO SPACE CRAFT WE'RE BUILDING HERE,

THE ARKYD 6 SATELLITES.

Narrator: ONE OF THESE OTHER COMPANIES

IS PLANETARY RESOURCES.

IT'S BACKED BY SILICON VALLEY BILLIONAIRES,

INCLUDING GOOGLE'S LARRY PAGE AND ERIC SCHMIDT.

Man: THIS SATELLITE ACTUALLY IS GOING TO BE THE VERY FIRST

COMMERCIAL SATELLITE TO TEST THIS TYPE OF SENSOR IN SPACE.

Narrator: IN A FEW YEARS,

A SATELLITE CARRYING THESE COMPONENTS

WILL BE IN OUTER SPACE...

PROSPECTING FOR THE GOLD RUSH OF THE FUTURE

Chris Lewiki: THIS IS THE GEOLOGIST THAT WE'LL SEND OUT

TO THE FUTURE MINE SITE ON A NEAR EARTH ASTEROID.

WE'RE ACTUALLY TESTING OUT ALL OF THESE PIECES.

THE REACTION WHEEL TECHNOLOGY THAT POINTS US,

THE STAR TRACKERS THAT LET US KNOW WHERE WE'RE POINTED AT.

THE SENSORS THAT WE USE

TO DETECT THE MATERIALS IN THE ASTEROID.

Narrator: ASTEROIDS ARE THE ROCKY LEFTOVERS

FROM THE BIRTH OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

THERE ARE MILLIONS OF THEM RANGING FROM A FEW FEET,

TO HUNDREDS OF MILES ACROSS.

IT'S LIKELY THAT MANY CONTAIN LARGE QUANTITIES OF PLATINUM

AND OTHER VALUABLE METALS.

Lewiki: THE METALLIC ASTEROIDS REALLY ARE GONNA BE STOCK

THAT WE WILL BUILD OUT ALL THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN SPACE,

BUILD A SPACE STATION, A HABITAT, START MANUFACTURING,

BEING ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE MORE SPACE SHIPS.

IF WE LOOKED AT ALL THE METAL ON THE ASTEROIDS

IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM,

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ENOUGH METAL TO BUILD

AN 8000 STORY TALL SKY SCRAPER THAT WOULD COVER

THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF THE EARTH.

SO THAT'S A VERY VERY BIG BUILDING INDEED.

Narrator: MINING IN SPACE IS AN AMBITIOUS IDEA

WITH POTENTIALLY HUGE REWARDS.

BUT ANOTHER SPACE BILLIONAIRE HAS EVEN BIGGER PLANS

- TO COLONIZE ANOTHER PLANET.

Narrator: IF YOU THINK SPACE MINING SOUNDS AMBITIOUS,

THERE'S ANOTHER BILLIONAIRE ENTREPRENEUR

WITH AN EVEN BIGGER VISION OF OUR SPACEFARING FUTURE.

AND A MUCH MORE AGGRESSIVE DEADLINE.

ELON MUSK MADE HIS FORTUNE

SETTING UP THE ONLINE PAYMENT COMPANY PAYPAL.

SINCE THEN HE'S BECOME STEADILY MORE AMBITIOUS,

FROM HIS RADICAL SHAKE UP OF THE CAR MARKET

WITH HIS ELECTRIC TESLA CARS

TO BUILDING THE WORLD'S LARGEST FACTORY IN NEVADA

WHICH WILL ALMOST DOUBLE THE WORLD SUPPLY

OF LITHIUM ION BATTERIES.

NOW HE WANTS TO TAKE US TO SPACE

WITH HIS COMPANY SPACE X.

Man: THREE, TWO, ONE.

Woman: THAT IS THAT FIRST STAGE

COMING BACK DOWN TO LAND AT CAPE CANAVERAL.

Narrator: OF ALL THE NEW COMMERCIAL SPACE COMPANIES,

SPACE X MAY BE THE FASTEST MOVING

Tim Urban: WHAT SPACE X DOES NOW, THE WAY THEY PAY THE BILLS,

WHICH IS NOT THEIR LONG TERM GOAL,

IT'S JUST THE WAY THEY PAY THEIR BILLS

AND THE WAY ON THEIR WAY TO THE LONG TERM GOAL

IS THEY JUST DELIVER STUFF TO SPACE.

Narrator: FOUNDED IN 2002,

THEY'VE HAD THEIR FAIR SHARE OF FAILURES...

MOST RECENTLY WHEN A ROCKET EXPLODED

DURING A LAUNCH PAD TEST IN 2016.

BUT THEY HAVE SUCCEEDED IN DEVELOPING

A REUSABLE ROCKET SYSTEM THAT CAN PUT SATELLITES INTO ORBIT.

AND A CAPSULE THAT CAN DOCK

WITH THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION...

...TO DELIVER NASA'S CARGO, AND SOON THEIR ASTRONAUTS TOO.

Man: ... LOOKS LIKE WE GOT US A TAGGART BY THE TAIL

Narrator: BUT THAT'S JUST THE BEGINNING OF SPACE X'S PLANS.

Urban: SO THERE'S WHAT SPACE X DOES

AND THEN THERE'S WHAT IT REALLY DOES.

Elon Musk: WHAT I REALLY WANNA TRY TO

ACHIEVE HERE IS TO MAKE MARS SEEM POSSIBLE,

MAKE IT SEEMS AS THOUGH IT'S SOMETHING THAT

WE CAN DO IN OUR LIFETIMES.

Urban: NOW WHAT IT REALLY DOES IS IT INNOVATES TO TRY

TO REVOLUTIONIZE THE COST OF SPACE TRAVEL

IN ORDER TO MAKE HUMANITY A SPACEFARING,

MULTI-PLANETARY CIVILIZATION IN ORDER TO BUILD LIFE INSURANCE

FOR THE SPECIES AND BRING US TO ANOTHER LEVEL AS A SPECIES.

THAT'S WHAT IT REALLY DOES, THE BIG PICTURE.

Musk: ONE PATH IS WE STAY ON EARTH FOREVER

AND THEN THERE WILL BE SOME EVENTUAL EXTINCTION EVENT

AND I DON'T HAVE AN IMMEDIATE DOOMSDAY PROPHECY BUT THERE'S,

IT'S, EVENTUALLY HISTORY SUGGESTS THERE WILL BE SOME,

SOME DOOMSDAY EVENT.

Narrator: MUSK BELIEVES THAT AN EVENT LIKE AN ASTEROID STRIKE

OR A WORLDWIDE EPIDEMIC WILL ONE DAY THREATEN OUR SURVIVAL.

Musk: THE ALTERNATIVE IS TO BECOME

A SPACEFARING CIVILIZATION AND MULTI-PLANET SPECIES -

WHICH I HOPE YOU AGREE, THAT IS THE RIGHT WAY TO GO.

Narrator: THE ULTIMATE AIM OF HIS ROCKET COMPANY

IS TO HELP ESTABLISH A COLONY OF A MILLION HUMANS ON MARS.

A BACK UP PLAN FOR OUR SPECIES.

SPACE X IS ALREADY MAKING DELIVERIES TO EARTH ORBIT,

BUT ITS MARS TECHNOLOGY IS STILL IN ITS EARLY STAGES.

Musk: THERE'S A HUGE AMOUNT OF RISK, IT'S GOING TO COST A LOT,

A GOOD CHANCE WE DON'T SUCCEED. BUT WE'RE GOING TO DO OUR BEST.

Narrator: IN FACT THERE'S ONLY ONE ORGANIZATION

THAT HAS SUCCEEDED IN LANDING AND OPERATING ON MARS.

NASA.

THE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY IS RESPONSIBLE

FOR ALL OF NASA'S UNMANNED SPACECRAFT AND ROBOTS

BEYOND THE EARTH'S ORBIT.

IN 2012, JPL TOUCHED DOWN THE CURIOSITY ROVER ON MARS

USING A REVOLUTIONARY NEW TECHNIQUE.

Charles Elachi: NOW, ON MARS IT'S A LITTLE BIT EASIER,

BECAUSE IT'S, THE GRAVITY IS ONE THIRD BUT ALSO

MARS BRING A DIFFERENT CHALLENGE BECAUSE IT'S

A VERY THIN ATMOSPHERE.

ON MARS YOU NEED THE PARACHUTE

AND THEN WE NEED TO DO THE RETRO ROCKET...

TO SLOW US EVEN FURTHER AND THEN IT EFFECTIVELY HOVERS.

AND THEN WE DO THE SKY CRANE ...

SLOWLY LAND THE ROVER ON THE SURFACE.

Narrator: SINCE THE LANDING, JPL'S MARS ROVERS

HAVE SENT BACK INVALUABLE DATA ON THE PLANET'S ATMOSPHERE

AND GEOLOGY.

MOST SIGNIFICANTLY, IT CONFIRMED THAT THERE'S ICE ON MARS.

THIS MEANS WATER WOULD BE AVAILABLE

TO SUPPORT A FUTURE COLONY.

TO PERFECT THE ROVER'S MANEUVERS

BEFORE BEAMING INSTRUCTIONS TO MARS,

JPL PRACTICE WITH CURIOSITY'S IDENTICAL TWIN.

Elachi: HERE IS A ROBOT, THEY ARE GETTING MORE

AND MORE INTELLIGENT.

YOU CAN TAKE MORE RISK WITH THESE ROVERS,

YOU CAN GO, GO TO MORE HAZARDOUS AREA

THAT YOU WOULDN'T SEND YOU KNOW HUMAN TO THEM.

Narrator: THE INFORMATION THE ROBOTS SEND BACK

WILL HELP NASA PREPARE THEIR PLANS TO SEND HUMANS TO MARS

Elachi: WE KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO LAND ON MARS, YOU KNOW

BECAUSE HERE AT JPL WE LANDED THE LAST FOUR MISSIONS

SUCCESSFULLY, IT'S NOT EASY, IT'S VERY CHALLENGING

AND THEN WHEN YOU MOVE TO THE HUMAN IT ADDS

ADDITIONAL CHALLENGE OF THE LONG TRAVEL,

I MEAN YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT EVEN, I MEAN

WITH TODAY'S TECHNOLOGY, ABOUT TWO YEARS AROUND TRIP.

Elachi: IN THE EARTH ORBIT FOR THE COMMERCIAL SECTOR

CAN DO MOST OF THE THINGS YOU KNOW IN EARTH ORBIT

AND WE RELY ON THEM.

THE NEXT STEP IS GOING TO BE ASTEROIDS AND THE MOON

AND I THINK WE'RE ALMOST THERE FOR THE COMMERCIAL SECTOR

TO BE ABLE TO, STEP BY STEP.

GOING TO MARS IS STILL A BIG CHALLENGE.

Narrator: NASA'S CURRENT TIMELINE SUGGESTS

MANNED MARS MISSIONS IN THE 2030S.

ELON MUSK'S TARGET IS TO SEND PEOPLE IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS

COULD COMMERCIAL COMPANIES REALLY BEAT NASA TO IT?

Narrator: ELON MUSK'S DREAM OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS ON MARS

WAS PARTLY INSPIRED BY PRESIDENT OF THE MARS SOCIETY

AND MAVERICK INVENTOR ROBERT ZUBRIN.

Robert Zubrin: OK SO HERE'S MY LAB

THIS MACHINE HERE IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT,

THIS IS FOR MAKING ROCKET FUEL AND OXYGEN ON MARS

OUT OF THE MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE.

THIS IS - MY INVENTION FOR CLEANING CLOTHES IN SPACE,

I CALL IT THE VACUUM CLEANER, IT SUCKS OUT ALL THE AIR,

IT BOILS OFF ALL THE WATER AND ALL THE OILS,

IT EXPLODES ALL THE BACTERIA,

THEY'RE DEAD, THE STUFF IS CLEAN.

Narrator: ROBERT MAY BE AN ECCENTRIC CHARACTER,

BUT HE'S INFLUENCED THE THINKING OF MANY IN COMMERCIAL

AND GOVERNMENT FUNDED SPACE EXPLORATION.

HE HAS A STRIPPED BACK, LIVE OFF THE LAND APPROACH

TO REACHING MARS.

Zubrin: THIS IS A DEPICTION OF MY MISSION PLAN

FOR HUMAN EXPLORATION TO MARS

WHICH IS KNOWN AS THE MARS DIRECT PLAN.

THERE'S NOTHING IN THIS THAT'S FUNDAMENTALLY BEYOND

OUR TECHNOLOGY.

WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT VENTURING INTO NEW

AND UNKNOWN WORLDS OF PHYSICS HERE.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BRASS TACKS ENGINEERING,

BUILDING SYSTEMS OF MODERATE SIZE, FLYING THEM TO MARS.

WE DO NOT NEED GIANT BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SPACESHIPS.

IN THE YEAR 2000, WE KNEW ABOUT PEOPLE LIKE ELON MUSK.

THEY WERE CHARACTERS IN SCIENCE FICTION STORIES

OF THE ENTREPRENEUR WHO WOULD COME ALONG

AND MAKE THIS HAPPEN.

WELL NOW THOSE CHARACTERS HAVE STEPPED OUT

OF SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS

AND THEY ARE NOW IN THE REAL WORLD DOING THIS STUFF.

Narrator: COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES ARE ALREADY

HELPING TO PREPARE HUMANS FOR MARS.

ELON MUSK HAS DONATED MONEY TO THE MARS SOCIETY

TO BUILD AN EXPERIMENT IN THE UTAH DESERT.

THE MARS DESERT RESEARCH STATION WAS BUILT

TO ALLOW RESEARCHERS TO SIMULATE LIVING ON THE RED PLANET.

IT'S CURRENTLY HOSTING A GROUP OF YOUNG AEROSPACE ENGINEERS

FROM FRANCE AND BELGIUM.

Louis Maller: WE'RE KIND OF CUT OFF FROM THE WORLD,

WE DON'T SEE OTHER PEOPLE.

ALSO MAYBE THE FACT THAT WE'RE CONFINED IN THIS ENVIRONMENT,

WE CAN'T GO OUT EXCEPT WEARING THOSE BULKY EVA SUITS

BECAUSE IT'S POINTLESS RISKING YOUR LIFE OUTSIDE.

Narrator: LIVING ON MARS WOULD BE INCREDIBLY TOUGH.

TEMPERATURES ARE REGULARLY MINUS 110 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,

THERE'S ALMOST NO OXYGEN AND THE ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE

IS SO LOW THAT A HOLE IN A SPACESUIT WOULD BE FATAL.

Maller: SO WE HAVE THESE BACKPACKS AND THE HELMETS

AND WE HAVE LIKE THE TUBES THAT YOU,

THAT COME FROM THE BACKPACKS AND GIVE US AN AIRSTREAM.

ON MARS IT WOULD BE OUR, REALLY OUR LIFE SUPPLY.

Arthur Lillo: OTHERWISE WE COULD ALSO DIE

FROM THE LOW PRESSURE, BEFORE BEING ASPHYXIATED

BY THE LACK OF OXYGEN.

Narrator: DURING THEIR THREE WEEK STAY,

THESE SCIENTISTS ARE CONDUCTING EXPERIMENTS,

AS IF ON THE MARTIAN LANDSCAPE.

Man: [RADIO CHATTER]

Narrator: THEY'RE TESTING A SEISMOMETER

THAT WOULD BE USED TO LOOK FOR WATER.

AND TRYING OUT MARTIAN NAVIGATION TECHNIQUES.

THE CREWS HABITATION MODULE IS BASED ON THE DESIGN

FROM ROBERT ZUBRIN'S MARS DIRECT PLAN.

THE BOTTOM DECK AT THE HAB IS FOR EXPERIMENTS

AND EQUIPMENT...

ON THE TOP DECK IS THE LIVING AREA.

THE RISKS FOR ANYONE WILLING TO GO TO MARS WOULD BE HUGE.

BUT IF ELON MUSK SUCCEEDS IN HIS PLANS,

IT'S COULD BE ORDINARY CITIZENS, LIKE THESE YOUNG SCIENTISTS,

THAT ARE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO.

Xavier Rixhon: IF YOU JUST ASK ME TO GO TO SPACE FOR TWO YEARS

NOW I WOULD SAY YES IMMEDIATELY.

Maller: I THINK IT DEPENDS A LOT ON THE, LET'S SAY THE FINE PRINT

OF THE CONTRACT, LIKE IF IT'S A ONE-WAY MISSION

I THINK A LOT OF US WOULD GIVE IT A LOT MORE THOUGHT.

IF IT'S LIKE COME BACK WITH, WITH WHAT PROBABILITY,

ALSO WHAT IS THE EXACT DURATION OF THE MISSION?

THAT KIND OF PARAMETERS WILL PROBABLY HELP EVERYONE

MAKE A DECISION BUT I THINK AS OF RIGHT NOW

IF YOU'D SAY OK LET'S GO, IT TAKES TWO YEARS, AH.

Narrator: THERE'S NO DOUBT,

THAT THE SPACE BILLIONAIRES ARE INFLUENCING A NEW GENERATION.

Man: AND LIFT OFF

Narrator: THE ENGINEERING FEATS

OF THEIR COMMERCIAL COMPANIES

ARE PUSHING THE FRONTIER OF HUMAN CAPABILITIES.

Zubrin: IF WE CAN GET OFF THIS ROCK

AND SEE THAT THE WORLD WE LIVE IN IS NOT THIS PLANET.

THIS IS NOT THE WORLD.

THIS IS JUST ONE PLANET, IN A WORLD OF TRILLIONS OF PLANETS

AND THAT THERE ARE UNLIMITED RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO US

IF WE MAXIMIZE THE REACH OF HUMAN CREATIVITY.

Bezos: HUMANITY, AS A SPECIES, WE HAVE TO GO IN TO SPACE.

I MEAN I, IN MY VIEW AND SO THAT LEAVES YOU

WITH ONLY TWO OPTIONS, EITHER WE NEED TO EXPAND OUT

IN TO THE SOLAR SYSTEM IF WE WANNA CONTINUE TO GROW, OR,

YOU HAVE TO ENTER A PERIOD OF STASIS,

AND I KNOW WHICH OF THOSE TWO OPTIONS

I THINK IS MORE INTERESTING. [LAUGHS].

Narrator: WITH SUCH AMBITIOUS VISION

FROM THE SPACE BILLIONAIRES AND THEIR COMPANIES,

WE COULD BE RIGHT ON THE THRESHOLD OF BECOMING

A TRULY SPACEFARING CIVILIZATION.

♪