FOLKS, YOU'VE COME ON A GREAT
NIGHT. MY FIRST GUEST TONIGHT IS
AMERICA'S FAVORITE ASTROPHYSICIST. PLEASE WELCOME THE DIRECTOR OF
THE HAYDEN PLANETARIUM AT THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL
HISTORY, NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON! ♪ ♪ ♪<i>
( APPLAUSE )</i> ♪ ♪ ♪<i>
( APPLAUSE )</i> >> GOTTA DO THE VEST GLI LOVE
YOU'RE WEARING THE VEST DON'T. IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, YOU DON'T
ALWAYS WEAR THE VEST. >> IF IT'S HOT OUT, I DON'T WEAR
THE VEST. BUT IT'S FREEZING IN THIS
STUDIO. >> Stephen: YOU'RE WELCOME. WE HAVE THE STARS OUT TONIGHT. >> I ALWAYS NOTICE YOUR STARS. THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL. THEY'RE ACCURATE. >> Stephen: AND WE HAVE THE
PLANETS ON THE DOME. >> THOSE ARE NOT ACCURATE. >> Stephen: THEY'RE NOT, BUT
THEY'RE FUN. >> THEY'RE FUN, THEY'RE FUN. >> Stephen: I NEED TO ASK YOU
ABOUT SOMETHING THAT'S HAPPENING BOTH IN SPACE AND IN POLITICS
RIGHT NOW, IF YOU DON'T MIND TOUCHING ON THAT. THE SPACE FORCE THAT DONALD
TRUMP IS VERY EXCITED ABOUT. HE ANNOUNCED SPACE FORCE. PEOPLE MAKE FUN OF IT, I AMONG
THEM. >> YEAH. >> Stephen: I LIKE SPACE
EXPLORATION. I'M EXCITED ABOUT US CONQUERING
SPACE SCIENTIFICALLY AND THROUGH KNOWLEDGE. WHY DO WE NEED THE SPACE FORCE? WHAT DON'T WE UNDERSTAND ABOUT
IT BECAUSE YOU SAY YOU'RE ON BOARD. >> JUST BECAUSE IT CAME OUT OF
TRUMP'S MOUTH, DOESN'T REQUIRE THAT IT THEN BE A CRAZY THING. JUST-- I'M JUST SAYING. >> Stephen: IT DON'T HELP. <i>( LAUGHTER )
>> SO --</i> >> Stephen: BUT WHY DO WE NEED
A SPACE FORCE, NEIL? >> I DON'T HAVE A HORSE IN THAT
RACE. I CAN TELL THAT YOU MANY PEOPLE
ARE THINKING THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE A SPACE FORCE BEFORE, AND NOW
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A SPACE FORCE. WE HAVE A SPACE FORCE. IT'S CALLED THE UNITED STATES
SPACE COMMAND AND UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE AIR FORCE. >> Stephen: REALLY. >> THE AIR FORCE LAUNCHES
SATELLITES. THE AIR FORCE PUT G.P.S. SATELLITES IN ORBIT. >> Stephen: NASA DIDN'T DO
THAT. THE AIR FORCE DID IT? >> THE AIR FORCE DID IT BECAUSE
IT WAS A MILITARY PROJECT. >> Stephen: AND THEY HAVE THAT
SECRET SPACE PLANE THAT STAYS UP FOR, LIKE, TWO YEARS AT A TIME? >> I CANNOT COMMENT. >> Stephen: THEY DO. IT LOOKS LIKE A LITTLE SHUTTLE. >> IT'S A SECRET PLANE. WHY ARE YOU TELLINGY EVERYBODY
WHAT IT LOOK S. >> Stephen: THEY LET US SEE
IT LAND, THEY JUST WON'T TELL US WHAT IT'S-- AND IT'S UNMANNED,
RIGHT? NEIL! >> WHAT I'M SAYING IS--
>> Stephen: DO YOU ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT IT'S DOING UP THERE? >> I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING. >> Stephen: OH, YOU SO KNOW. I'M GOING TO GET YOU DRUNK. <i>( LAUGHTER ).</i> >> ALL I'M SAYING IS THE UNITED
STATES SPACE COMMAND IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THE SPACE
ACTIVITIES THAT THE MILITARY HAS ENGAGED IN FOREVER, EVER SINCE
THE 1960s, BASICALLY. AND SO TO HAVE A SPACE FORCE,
YOU JUST SLIDE IN ALL THESE ACTIVITIES UNDER THIS NEW
UMBRELLA, AND YOU MIGHT ADD A FEW THINGS. IN FACT, IF I HAD ANY SAY IN THE
MATTER I MIGHT SAY WHY DON'T YOU THROW IN SOME ASTEROID DEFENSE. WE NEED THAT. AND WHY DON'TY YOU CLEAN UP
SPACE WHILE YOU'RE AT IT, GET RID OF THE SPACE DEBRIS. >> Stephen: HOW BAD IS OUR
SPACE DEBRIS PROBLEM? AND WHERE DID IT COME FROM? >> IT'S RANDOM CHIPS OF PAINT
AND BOLTS AND NUTS-- THERE'S A LOT OF HARDWARE IN SPACE. PIECES FALL OFF EVERY NOW AND
THEN, AND IF YOU'RE IN ORBIT AND IT FALLS OFF, THAT PIECE IS
GOING 18,000 MILES PER HOUR. AND YOU DON'T WANT TO BE HIT BY
THAT. >> Stephen: DO YOU HAVE A
SPACE VACUUM? ISN'T SPACE ALREADY A VACUUM? HOW DO YOU SUCK IT UP OUT OF
SPACE? >> IT'S NOT A CLEAR SOLUTION TO
THAT PROBLEM. >> Stephen: THERE ISN'T. A BIG NET. >> DISMATS AIR FORCE TRACKS
THESE PARTICLES SO LAUNCH WINDOWS ARE PATROLLED WHETHER
SOMETHING WILL GET HIT OR NOT. >> Stephen: HONEST TO GOD,
SPACE COMMAND OR NASA THEY'RE TRACKING, LIKE, A BOLT? >> YES, WELL, DEPENDING ON THE
SIZE, YEAH, YEAH. THEY'RE TRACKING THING THAT
COULD HARM SUBSEQUENT ACTIVITIES. AND ALL I'M SAYING IS THIS IS
NOT A NEW THING BECAUSE WE'VE HAD SPACE ASSETS, MILITARY SPACE
ASSETS SINCE THE 60s. WHAT IS A SPY SATELLITE? IT'S A SPACE ASSET IN THE
SERVICE OF THE MILITARY. THE 2003 GULF WAR WAS ENABLED BY
SPACE ASSET S. >> Stephen: OKAY, BUT HERE'S
MY THING IS THAT IF YOU CALL IT A "SPACE FORCE" YOU'RE INNATELY
EMBRACING THE IDEA OF SPACE WAR. >> YEAH, SPACE MUSCLE. >> Stephen: SPACE MUSCLE,
SPACE MILL IT TIRRIZATION. ISN'T THE PROBLEM THE FUTURE IN
SPACE, WE HAVE PEACE FRONTIERS. WE DON'T HAVE WAR FRONTIERS. >> WE TRIED. IN 19 SCWEF, THERE WAS A TREATY
PUT FORECAST BY THE U.N. AND SIGNED BY PARTIES --
>> Stephen: INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES. >> INCLUDING THE NIGHTS YOOUTS. TODAY 107 COUNTRIES HAVE SIGNED
IT. IT'S THE PEACEFUL USE OF OUTER
SPACE. IT'S A BEAUTIFUL-- YOU WANT TO
SING KUMBAYA. SPACE AND PEACE AND PROSPERITY. IF YOUR ASTRONAUT IS IN TROUBLE,
WE'LL SEND SOMEONE TO HELP YOU. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. >> Stephen: BUT WITH SPACE
FORCE IT'S LIKE, "YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN." >> THERE'S A GRAY AREA IN THERE. IT ALLOWS TO YOU DEFEND YOUR
ASSETS IN SPACE. SUPPOSE I HAVE A LAYS SCER
YOU'RE COMING AT ME WITH YOUR BAD SATELLITE AND I TAKE YOU
OUT. WELL, THAT'S DEFENSIVE. SUPPOSE YOU'RE COMING AT ME AND
I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO DO SOMETHING BAD AND I TAKE YOU OUT
PREEMPTIVELY, IS THAT DEFENSIVE? >> Stephen: WHO ARE WE GOING
TO BE FIGHTING IN SPACE? IS THERE ANYBODY MILITARIZING
SPACE IN AN, OVERT WAY THAT WE HAVE TO BE PREPARED FOR? >> WE'RE USING "MILL TIRRIZATION
OF SPACE" AND YOU'RE THINKING WEAPONS AND BOMBS DISPLI AM. >> ISN'T SPACE ALL RIGHT
MILITARIZED IF WE HAVE SOME COUNTLESS NUMBER OF SATELLITES
IN THE SERVICE OF MILITARY OPERATIONS ON EARTH'S SURFACE. >> Stephen: COULD WE FIGHT
EACH OTHER UP THERE? COULD OUR SATELLITE FIGHT A
CHINESE SATELLITE? >> YOU COULD, BUT IT'S KIND OF
NOT WHAT YOU WANT TO DO, BECAUSE IF YOU TAKE OUT THAT SATELLITE
WITH A KINETIC KILL -- >> Stephen: MEANING A BOMB--
>> IT WOULDN'T HAVE TO BE A BOMB. A FAST-MOVING OBJECT IS KIND OF
LIKE A BOMB. >> Stephen: FIRE ONE OF THOSE
18-MILE-AN-HOUR PARTICLES. >> CORRECT. EACH BIT IS A PROJECTILE THAT
CAN TAKE OUT YOUR OWN SATELLITES. WHAT PEOPLE ARE THINKING ABOUT
FIGHTING AND-- IT'S NOT REALISTIC FOR WHAT WOULD HAPPEN
IN SPACE. IN FACT, THERE'S SOMETHING
CALLED THE KESSLER EFFECT, ADVANCED IN 1978. THE GUY CALCULATED, IF YOU HAVE
A CERTAIN NUMBER OF SATELLITES IN ORBIT, THERE'S A THREB HOLD,
ABOVE WHICH IF YOU TAKE OUT ONE OF THOSE SATELLITES INTO 10
PIECES THOSE 10 PIECE WILL TAKE OUT 10 SATELLITES AND THOSE WILL
TAKE OUT ANOTHER 10, FROM ONE TO 10 TO 1,000 --
>> Stephen: THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS IN THE MOVIE "GRAVITY." >> EXACTLY. OTHER THAN THE ISSUES "GRAVITY"
HAD, LIKE SANDA BULLOCK'S HAIR NEVER WENT ZERO G. >> Stephen: THEY HAVE
HAIRSPRAY IN SPACE. >> SO, SO, IT'S A DEVASTATING
FACT THAT IF YOU TAKE OUT ONE SATELLITE ABOVE A CERTAIN
THRESHOLD, ALL SATELLITES CAN GO. AND THEN WAR IS DONE IN SPACE. SO IT'S NOT REALISTIC. LIKE IN WORLD WAR I WHERE THEY
HAD MUSTARD GAS BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T SHOOT PEOPLE IN THE
TRENCHES. BUT THE WIND CHANGED DIRECTION,
AND NOW THE MUSTARD GAS IS IN YOUR OWN DAMN FACE. SO CERTAIN MILITARISTIC OPTIONS,
WHICH SOUND LIKE SOMETHING THAT WOULD HAPPEN, STRATEGICALLY
WON'T HAPPEN. >> Stephen: BAD IDEA IN SPACE. >> BAD IDEA GR I W. >> Stephen: I WANT TO TALK
ABOUT HOW WE GREW OUR SPACE PROGRAM DETAILED IN YOUR NEW
BOOK "ACCESSORY TO WAR." AND WE WILL BE BACK WITH THIS
AND MORE NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON IN JUST A MOMENT.
This made Colbert so uncomfortable, repeatedly tries changing the subject.
It really is a case of certain people mocking an idea simply bc they loathe the person who said it, and if Obama had made the same statements, these same people would think he deserved some kind of award for it.
A "space force" is necessary and inevitable. If you are the world's predominant superpower, obviously you're going to want to keep it that way. It won't be too far in the future when nations start staking territory on the moon and on near-Earth asteroids for mining purposes. Whoever controls the supply of Helium-3 will control the world's economy in the next phase of history. America has a huge head start, take advantage of it.