All language subtitles for Discovering.The.Cosmos.S01E01_English

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.

♪