Sci Fi Science: Physics of the Impossible (2009–…): Season 2, Episode 3 - Deep Impact - full transcript

90% OF THE ROCKS IN SPACE

ARE BIG ENOUGH TO DESTROY CIVILIZATION.

AND IT'S NOT A QUESTION OF IF.

IT'S A QUESTION OF WHEN.

Dr. Kaku: IT'S OFFICIAL.
EARTH IS IN DANGER.

TWO, ONE, ZERO!

I'M DEVISING A PLAN TO SAVE IT.

ALONG THE WAY,

I GET ADVICE FROM THE
SCI-FI-LOVING PUBLIC...

WE JUST HAVE TO MOVE IT.

DEFLECT IT.



LASER TECHNOLOGY'S ALWAYS GOOD.

...TO RESCUE OUR PLANET
FROM ASTEROID ARMAGEDDON.

I THINK IT CAN BE DONE, AND
I'M GONNA SHOW YOU HOW.

I'M DR. MICHIO KAKU.

I'M A THEORETICAL PHYSICIST

AND A SCIENCE-FICTION [Echoing] FAN.

JOIN ME AS I SHOW YOU HOW
TO MAKE SCI-FI [Echoing] SCIENCE.

LURKING OUT IN SPACE,

THERE COULD BE A ROCK WITH OUR NAME ON IT,

AND I'M DESIGNING A SYSTEM

TO MAKE SURE IT NEVER CROSSES OUR PATH.

IT'S SCI-FI'S FAVORITE DOOMSDAY SCENARIO.

Man: RACING THROUGH SPACE

TOWARD AN INEVITABLE
COLLISION WITH THIS PLANET.



AS A KID, I WATCHED DOZENS OF MOVIES

IN WHICH FEARLESS SCIENTISTS BATTLED

TO STOP GIANT SPACE ROCKS
FROM HITTING THE EARTH.

BACK THEN, I THOUGHT IT WAS
JUST GOOD ENTERTAINMENT.

NOW I KNOW DIFFERENT.

I'M MAKING IT MY BUSINESS
TO DEAL WITH KILLER ROCKS.

I'M GONNA DESIGN A SYSTEM

TO PREVENT DEADLY ASTEROIDS AND COMETS

FROM DEVASTATING THE EARTH
AND WIPING OUT THE HUMAN RACE.

IT'S A PROBLEM ALL SCI-FI
FANS HAVE CONSIDERED.

SO WHAT ADVICE CAN THEY GIVE ME

ABOUT DEFEATING A KILLER SPACE ROCK?

THE EARTH IS ABOUT TO BE HIT

BY AN ASTEROID OR A COMET.

WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO?

MAYBE SETTING OFF NUCLEAR
EXPLOSIONS OFF TO THE SIDE

JUST TO PUSH IT OFF JUST A LITTLE BIT?

OH, THE SHOCK WAVE, HUH?

MAYBE THE SHOCK WAVE WILL PUSH IT AWAY.

TRY TO ATTACH A SAIL TO ONE SIDE OF IT.

MAYBE IT WOULD CATCH
SOME OF THE SOLAR WIND,

JUST DEFLECT IT JUST ENOUGH THAT IT MISSES.

CAN WE PUT ROCKETS ON OUR OWN PLANET

SO IT'LL MOVE ON ITS ORBIT FASTER

SO THAT THE ASTEROID WOULD MISS?

THERE'S SOME PRETTY WILD IDEAS OUT THERE.

I WANT MY DESIGN

TO BE TRUE TO THE SPIRIT OF SCI-FI,

BUT IT ALSO HAS TO WORK.

SO LET'S SET OUT SOME OBJECTIVES.

THERE'S NO TIME TO LOSE.

TO MAKE THE EARTH 100% SAFE,

MY SYSTEM HAS TO, ONE,

ACCURATELY DETECT
ASTEROID AND COMET THREATS

BOTH NEAR AND FAR,

TWO, ASSESS THE LEVEL
AND TYPE OF THOSE THREATS,

AND, THREE, ELIMINATE THEM.

MY FIRST TASK

IS TO PREVENT EXTINCTION BY ASTEROID.

MOST ASTEROIDS IN OUR
SOLAR SYSTEM ORBIT THE SUN

IN A BELT BETWEEN MARS AND JUPITER.

BUT THERE ARE THOUSANDS
MUCH CLOSER TO EARTH.

THE LARGEST OF THEM MEASURE MILES ACROSS,

AND IF ONE THIS SIZE WERE TO HIT US,

THE EFFECT WOULD BE DEVASTATING.

WOW!

[ Chuckling ] WELL, THERE
GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

IF THAT WAS THE EARTH, WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT A BLAST WAVE

THAT WOULD FLATTEN ALL OF SOUTH AMERICA,

AND THEN THE FIRESTORM
WOULD ENGULF THE ENTIRE PLANET,

AND WHATEVER IS LEFT WILL BE
DROWNED BY A GIGANTIC TSUNAMI.

IN OTHER WORDS,

WE JUST WITNESSED THE
DEATH OF AN ENTIRE PLANET.

HOLLYWOOD'S SOLUTION TO
A KILLER ASTEROID IS NUKES.

SO I WANT TO DRILL A HOLE
IN THIS THING, RIGHT? YEAH.

IN THE MOVIE "ARMAGEDDON,"

A GROUP OF FEARLESS
ASTRONAUTS LAND ON THE ASTEROID

AND PLANT A NUCLEAR BOMB IN ITS CORE.

THIS IS OUR EXPLOSIVE FOR TODAY.

THE IDEA IS TO BLOW THE ASTEROID APART,

SAVING HUMANITY FROM EXTINCTION.

OKAY, READY?

STAND BY.

THREE, TWO, ONE, ZERO!

THE PLOT MAKES FOR A GREAT MOVIE,

BUT WOULD IT SAVE THE EARTH?

WOW!

[ Chuckling ] LOOK AT THIS.

THAT EXPLOSIVE CHARGE SPLATTERED
THAT WATERMELON EVERYWHERE,

AND, HEY, IT ACTUALLY DID MORE DAMAGE.

THIS GOES AGAINST COMMON SENSE.

COMMON SENSE SAYS YOU CAN
SIMPLY BLOW THE WATERMELON AWAY

AND DO LESS DAMAGE, BUT LOOK AT THIS.

NOW EVEN EUROPE IS AFFECTED.

IN FACT, THE DEBRIS WILL
CIRCLE THE ENTIRE GLOBE.

THERE'S NOT A PIECE OF EARTH

WHICH IS NOT GONNA BE
AFFECTED BY THE BLAST.

BLOWING UP AN ASTEROID FROM THE INSIDE

TURNS ONE BIG PROBLEM
INTO 1,000 SMALLER PROBLEMS.

IT'S OBVIOUS THAT THERE ARE NO QUICK FIXES.

IF I'M GONNA STAND ANY CHANCE
OF DEFEATING A KILLER ASTEROID,

I'M GONNA HAVE TO KNOW
EXACTLY WHAT I'M UP AGAINST.

NEXT UP,

I INVESTIGATE HOW COMBINING SUNLIGHT

WITH SOME INGENIOUS
ENGINEERING COULD SAVE THE EARTH.

STRIKE!

BUT I DISCOVER A HIDDEN DANGER

THAT POSES AN EVEN GREATER
THREAT TO OUR SURVIVAL.

NOW, IMAGINE THAT THING COMING AT YOU

AT 40,000 MILES PER HOUR.

I'LL TRY NOT TO.

THE EARTH IS IN DANGER
FROM KILLER ASTEROIDS,

AND I'M ON A MISSION TO SAVE IT.

NUKES ARE A NO-GO.

BLOWING UP AN ASTEROID
WILL DOOM EARTH, NOT SAVE IT.

MAYBE I DON'T NEED TO DESTROY THE ASTEROID.

I JUST NEED TO MOVE IT.

AND I HAVE ONE THING
WORKING IN MY FAVOR... TIME.

ALL ASTEROIDS HAVE LONG,
PREDICTABLE TRAJECTORY.

STRIKE!

IF I KNOW WHAT PATH IT'S GOING TO TRAVEL,

THEN I KNOW BY HOW MUCH I
HAVE TO CHANGE ITS COURSE

TO AVOID ARMAGEDDON.

DETONATING A NUCLEAR BOMB

ON THE SURFACE OR ON
THE INSIDE OF AN ASTEROID...

THAT COULD DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD.

SO MAYBE THERE'S ANOTHER
WAY, A MORE SUBTLE WAY.

MAYBE WE COULD SIMPLY
PUSH IT OUT OF THE WAY

WHEN THE ASTEROID IS STILL VERY DISTANT.

SOME SCIENTISTS HAVE
SUGGESTED ATTACHING ROCKETS

TO THE ASTEROID.

IF THE ROCKETS FIRED
CONTINUOUSLY FOR A DECADE

BEFORE IT WAS DUE TO HIT...

IT'S VEERING OFF TO THE RIGHT.

MOVE OVER, MOVE OVER!

...I THINK THEY'D NUDGE
THE ASTEROID JUST ENOUGH

TO AVOID CATASTROPHE.

THE EARTH IS SAVED.

THE IDEA WORKS, AND
THERE'S NOT A NUKE IN SIGHT.

BUT PUTTING IT INTO
PRACTICE COULD BE TRICKY.

PUSHING AN ASTEROID
RATHER THAN BLOWING IT UP...

THAT'S THE WAY TO GO.

BUT, YOU KNOW, USING BOOSTER ROCKETS...

THAT'S VERY EXPENSIVE
HAULING ALL THAT ROCKET FUEL,

AND IT'S ALSO QUITE DANGEROUS

LANDING ON THE SURFACE OF AN ASTEROID.

THERE'S GOT TO BE ANOTHER WAY

THAT'S CHEAPER AND EASIER TO BUILD.

I'VE GOT AN IDEA.

IF I CONCENTRATE ENOUGH
HEAT ONTO AN OBJECT,

I CAN GET IT TO CHANGE
DIRECTLY FROM A SOLID TO A GAS.

THIS TRAIL OF GAS PRODUCES
A TINY AMOUNT OF FORCE

THAT PUSHES AGAINST THE
SURFACE OF THE SOLID MATERIAL.

SCALED UP, IT MIGHT JUST BE ENOUGH

TO NUDGE AN ASTEROID.

SUNLIGHT... MAYBE THAT'S THE SOLUTION.

YOU SIMPLY CONCENTRATE SUNLIGHT

ON A SINGLE POINT OF THE ASTEROID,

VAPORIZE ITS SURFACE,
CREATE A JET OF HOT GASES,

WHICH THEN PUSH THE
ASTEROID OUT OF THE WAY.

MAKING IT WORK IN REALITY...

THAT'S GONNA TAKE SOME
HEAVY-DUTY ENGINEERING.

I'D BUILD A 100-MILE-WIDE MIRROR

TO COLLECT AND CONCENTRATE
THE SUN'S RAYS INTO A BEAM.

THE MIRROR TRACKS THE
ASTEROID FOR A DECADE,

FOCUSING THE BEAM ON THE SURFACE

ITS HEAT PRODUCES ENOUGH GAS
TO PUSH THE ASTEROID OFF COURSE.

BUT I'M NOT DONE YET.

ASTEROIDS AREN'T THE ONLY DANGER OUT THERE.

REMEMBER "DEEP IMPACT"?

THE KILLER ROCK IN THAT
MOVIE WAS A COLOSSAL COMET.

BUT ASK THE AVERAGE SCI-FI FAN,

AND THEY'RE COMPLETELY
UNAWARE OF THIS THREAT.

WELL, THEY'RE PRETTY TO LOOK AT.

YOU CAN MAKE A WISH ON
IT THAT NEVER COMES TRUE.

COMETS SEEM VERY NICE. I
LIKE TO WATCH THEM IN THE SKY.

I JUST DON'T SEE THEM AS TRYING TO KILL ME.

I KNOW THAT COMETS GO
REALLY FAST THROUGH SPACE,

AND THEY MAKE PRETTY LIGHTS IN THE SKY

EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, SO, YEAH.

THESE GUYS HAVE NO IDEA.

IS A COMET A FRIENDLY,
LOVELY, CUDDLY THING?

WHAT DO YOU THINK?!

IT'S A GREAT, BIG, FREAKING
BALL OF ROCK AND ICE!

AT LEAST HE'S DONE HIS HOMEWORK.

THIS BALL OF ROCK AND ICE
IS ONE HECK OF A MENACE.

Dr. Kaku: A DEFENSE SYSTEM

THAT ONLY PROTECTS US
AGAINST ASTEROIDS IS NOT ENOUGH.

IF THE EARTH IS TO SLEEP EASY,

MY DESIGN HAS TO TACKLE A
POTENTIAL COMET CATASTROPHE.

THERE ARE THOUSANDS
OF ROCKS IN OUTER SPACE,

ANY ONE OF WHICH COULD
DESTROY LIFE ON EARTH.

I THINK I'VE DEALT WITH
THE ASTEROID THREAT,

BUT NOW I HAVE TO FACE
AN EVEN BIGGER DANGER.

AT FIRST GLANCE, COMETS
LOOK KIND OF PRETTY.

BUT DON'T LET LOOKS DECEIVE YOU.

Man: HURTLING THROUGH THE SOLAR SYSTEM,

A SPECK OF COSMIC DUST...

IN 1908, A SPACE ROCK
AROUND 300 FEET ACROSS

EXPLODED IN THE SKY OVER TUNGUSKA, SIBERIA.

THE SHOCK WAVE FLATTENED
800 SQUARE MILES OF PINE FOREST.

Man: ...A 20-MILE AREA
AROUND THE VAST CRATER

IS STILL SEARED AND BATTERED.

SCIENTISTS ARE SPLIT,

BUT THERE'S A STRONG POSSIBILITY

THE DEVASTATION WAS CAUSED BY A COMET.

Man: ...LITERALLY A
CATASTROPHE FROM OUTER SPACE.

Dr. Kaku: IF THE ROCK THAT
DESTROYED TUNGUSKA

WERE TO HIT NEW YORK CITY,

THE DEVASTATION WOULD BE INCREDIBLE.

EVERY BUILDING IN THE
GREATER METROPOLITAN AREA

WOULD BE EITHER FLATTENED OR VAPORIZED.

PROPERTY DAMAGE, CASUALTIES
WOULD BE BEYOND COMPREHENSION.

PERHAPS THE SCARIEST THING

IS THE TUNGUSKA ROCK WAS A SMALL ONE.

THERE ARE COMETARY NUCLEI

THAT ARE 20, 30, MAYBE
EVEN 50 KILOMETERS ACROSS.

SOMETHING AS BIG AS THAT
WOULD BE VERY DANGEROUS.

BRIAN MARSDEN OF THE
HARVARD-SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE

HAS STUDIED COMETS FOR OVER 50 YEARS.

IF YOU SPOT A CIVILIZATION-ENDING BOULDER

HEADING FOR EARTH, YOU GO TO HIM.

AND HE CLAIMS HE CAN GET
ME UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

WITH THIS DEADLIEST OF SPACE ROCKS.

HERE WE GO. [ GRUNTS ]

SO, IT'S NOT EVERY DAY WE MAKE A COMET.

COMETS ARE MADE FROM THE
LEFTOVER BUILDING BLOCKS

OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

OKAY, THE FIRST INGREDIENT... WATER.

I'LL DISH THE DIRT IN HERE. YES. MM-HMM.

AND WHAT ELSE DO WE HAVE?

AN ORGANIC MATERIAL. AH.

SOME CORN SYRUP.

AND NOW WE'RE GONNA PUT
SOME NOXIOUS CHEMICAL...

NOXIOUS. MMM... LIKE AMMONIA.

GOOD OLD NH3.

NOW WE MIX THE WHOLE BREW TOGETHER.

OUT IN SPACE, THE TEMPERATURE CAN BE AS LOW

AS ONLY 3 DEGREES ABOVE ABSOLUTE ZERO.

SO THE COMET IS FROZEN SOLID.

NOW, THE MISSING INGREDIENT.

YES. SOMETHING TO CHILL IT.

AH, WITCH'S BREW.

LET IT FREEZE.

SHALL WE HAVE A LOOK AT OUR LABORS?

YEAH, I THINK IT'S BEEN
COOKING LONG ENOUGH IN THERE.

YEAH, I THINK IT PROBABLY HAS.

LET'S SEE WHAT WE HAVE. YES.

OH, LOOK.

THE RESULT IS A GIANT DIRTY SNOWBALL.

LOOK AT THAT. OH, ISN'T THAT GRAND?

VOILà. VOILà.

NOW, IMAGINE THAT THING COMING AT YOU

AT 40,000 MILES PER HOUR.

I'LL TRY NOT TO. OH.

[ LAUGHS ]

THESE COLOSSAL BALLS OF ICE AND DIRT

ARE FORMED ON THE
EDGES OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

THEY'RE PULLED TOWARD
THE SUN BY ITS GRAVITY,

THEN SLINGSHOT AROUND
BEFORE HEADING OFF INTO SPACE.

IF WE MET ONE COMING THE OTHER WAY,

IT WOULD BE ONE OF THE
DEADLIEST HEAD-ON COLLISIONS

IN THE GALAXY.

AND WITH OUR CURRENT
DETECTION TECHNOLOGIES,

THERE'S A CHANCE WE'LL NEVER
EVEN SEE DOOMSDAY COMING.

THE SURVEYS THAT WE MAKE OF THE SKY

CONCENTRATE ON THE AREA OPPOSITE THE SUN...

DARK PART OF THE SKY.

WE GO IN MODERATELY CLOSE TO THE SUN,

BUT WE DON'T GO EXCESSIVELY CLOSE.

YOU CAN'T DO IT.

IF SOMETHING WERE TO COME AT
US FROM THE DIRECTION OF THE SUN,

WE'D HAVE NO NOTICE.

IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF
MONTHS OR WEEKS OR EVEN DAYS

BEFORE THEY COULD GET US.

THIS IS REALLY BAD NEWS.

WHAT HOPE HAVE I GOT OF STOPPING A COMET

WHEN, BY THE TIME WE SEE
IT, IT'S ALREADY TOO LATE?

IF WE HAD JUST A FEW MONTHS'
WARNING OF A KILLER COMET,

OUR MIGHTIEST WEAPONS ON THE EARTH

MIGHT BE LIKE A PEASHOOTER.

A NUCLEAR BOMB ON A GIANT
COMET 20 TO 50 MILES ACROSS

WOULD HARDLY MAKE A DENT.

AND BURNING A HOLE TO CREATE A JET...

I MEAN, COME ON.

THAT COULD TAKE YEARS.

I NEED TO BUY SOME TIME.

INSTALLING A RING OF SENSOR
SATELLITES CLOSE TO THE SUN

WOULD ALERT US TO AN APPROACHING COMET.

BUT I STILL NEED A WEAPON TO DEAL WITH IT.

I BUILD A GIANT LASER ON THE MOON

A BILLION TIMES MORE DESTRUCTIVE

THAN ANYTHING AROUND TODAY.

THE SECOND A COMET IS DETECTED,
THE LASER LOCKS ON AND FIRES.

THE BEAM IS SO POWERFUL,

IT COMPLETELY VAPORIZES THE KILLER COMET.

BLASTING HUGE CHUNKS OF
SPACE ROCK WITH LASERS...

NOW, THAT'S WHAT I CALL SCI-FI.

BUT I THINK I CAN GO EVEN FURTHER.

I CAN'T HEAR YOU. JOHN, HOLD IT!

I DON'T WANT TO END UP LIKE
THOSE SCIENTISTS IN THE MOVIES,

ALWAYS SCRAMBLING TO FIND A SOLUTION

EVERY TIME SOMEONE SPOTS A ROGUE ROCK.

SIR, I'M LOSING CONTACT!

I'VE GOT TO STOP THE DANGER PERMANENTLY.

THAT MEANS GOING TO THE
SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM

AND PREVENTING IT FROM
DEVELOPING IN THE FIRST PLACE.

FOR EARTH'S LONG-TERM SECURITY,

I GOT TO TAKE THE FIGHT TO THE SPACE ROCKS.

TO FIND OUT MORE, GO TO...

MY BLUEPRINT

FOR EARTH'S ASTEROID
AND COMET DEFENSE SHIELD

IS ALMOST COMPLETE.

NOW IS THE TIME TO GO ON THE OFFENSIVE

AND FIGHT THE SPACE ROCKS
IN THEIR OWN BACKYARD.

65 MILLION YEARS AGO, A
KILLER ROCK STRUCK EARTH.

IT PLUNGED THE PLANET INTO NUCLEAR WINTER

AND WIPED OUT THE DINOSAURS.

WE LIVE IN THE MIDDLE OF A
COSMIC SHOOTING GALLERY.

THERE COULD BE ANOTHER
ROCK WITH OUR NAME ON IT

IN OUTER SPACE.

IF IT HITS THE EARTH, WE'RE HISTORY.

WE COULD GO THE WAY OF THE DINOSAURS.

WE THINK THAT A COLLISION
IN THE ASTEROID BELT

MIGHT HAVE HURLED THAT TRILLION-TON BOULDER

TOWARDS EARTH.

IMAGINE THOUSANDS OF PIECES
OF ROCK FLOATING IN OUTER SPACE,

SOMETIMES COLLIDING
WITH OTHER PIECES OF ROCK,

CREATING SHOWERS OF UNPREDICTABLE DEBRIS.

I MEAN, JUST THINKING ABOUT
IT GIVES ME A HEADACHE.

HOW CAN I MANAGE TRILLIONS OF TONS OF ROCK

IN A RING OVER A BILLION MILES LONG?

I THINK "STAR WARS" MIGHT HAVE THE ANSWER.

AN ADVANCED CIVILIZATION
COULD CREATE A BATTERY,

A DEATH-STAR-LIKE LASER BATTLE STATION.

THEY WOULD PLACED STRATEGICALLY
ALONG THE ASTEROID BELT,

AND AT THE VERY FIRST HINT
OF A ROGUE METEOR OR COMET

ENTERING THE INNER SOLAR SYSTEM,

THESE ROCKS WOULD BE VAPORIZED

BY AN INTENSE BARRAGE OF
ENERGY INTO FINE SPACE DUST.

I THINK SCI-FI FANS WILL LIKE THE IDEA

OF HARNESSING THE
GALAXY'S MOST FEARED WEAPON

FOR THE FORCES OF GOOD.

DEATH BY SPACE ROCK
NEED NEVER WORRY US AGAIN.

WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO SCRAMBLE FRANTICALLY

WITH LAST-DITCH MEASURES

EVERY TIME WE SEE A COMET
OR METEOR IN OUTER SPACE.

WE WOULD BECOME MASTERS OF OUR DESTINY.

WELL, THE MOMENT OF
TRUTH HAS FINALLY ARRIVED.

AFTER MEETING THE EXPERTS
AND PUTTING TOGETHER THE DESIGN,

IT'S TIME TO FACE THE FANS.

WE DON'T HAVE TO NECESSARILY
DESTROY WHAT'S COMING AT US.

WE JUST HAVE TO MOVE IT.

LASER TECHNOLOGY IS ALWAYS GOOD.
PROTON PACKS COULD DO THE JOB.

DEFLECT IT FROM A VERY FAR DISTANCE AWAY.

WE'D LIKE TO FIND OUT ANY NEW TECHNOLOGIES

THAT'LL HELP STRENGTHEN THE EMPIRE.

THERE ARE THREE WORDS

WHICH STRIKE FEAR IN THE
HEARTS OF EVERY SCIENTIST,

INCLUDING MYSELF, AND THOSE WORDS ARE,

"YOU FORGOT SOMETHING."

YOU KNOW, ASTEROIDS, COMETS,

THEY COME IN ALL SHAPES AND VARIETIES.

MAYBE THERE'S ONE
SCENARIO THAT I OVERLOOKED.

BUT, HEY, WE'VE TALKED
TO THE TOP SCIENTISTS.

WE'VE LOOKED AT ALL
DIFFERENT POSSIBILITIES,

AND I'M GONNA PUT MY CARDS ON THE TABLE.

I'M GONNA PRESENT A PERMANENT SOLUTION

TO THE KILLER SPACE-ROCK PROBLEM.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION.

HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE SEEN
THE MOVIE "ARMAGEDDON"?

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

AND HOW MANY OF YOU WOULD VOLUNTEER

TO GO WITH BRUCE WILLIS TO SAVE THE EARTH?

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

TODAY WE'RE GONNA TALK
ABOUT A PERMANENT SOLUTION...

NOT JUST A TEMPORARY SOLUTION...

A PERMANENT SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM.

THERE ARE THREE BASIC LINES OF DEFENSE...

FIRST, THE ASTEROID THREAT.

SENSORS DETECT A KILLER
ASTEROID HEADING FOR EARTH.

A SOLAR-GATHERING SATELLITE
IS DISPATCHED TO INTERCEPT.

ONCE IN RANGE, IT DIRECTS AN
INTENSE BEAM OF SOLAR ENERGY

ONTO THE ASTEROID, VAPORIZING ITS SURFACE.

THAT WOULD CAUSE A GAS
TO BE EMITTED LIKE A JET,

AND THAT WOULD PUSH IT OUT OF THE WAY.

SO INSTEAD OF USING A STICK
OF DYNAMITE TO BLOW IT UP,

WE USE A BASEBALL BAT TO FLING
IT OUT OF THE BASEBALL PARK.

HOWEVER, THERE'S AN EVEN BIGGER DANGER,

AND THAT IS COMETS.

SENSORS SPOT A FAST-MOVING COMET

APPROACHING FROM BEHIND THE SUN.

WITHIN SECONDS, A HUGE LASER
ON THE MOON SPRINGS TO LIFE.

ON THE MOON, THERE'S NO
ATMOSPHERE TO WORRY ABOUT.

YOU HAVE A CLEAR SHOT AT A COMET.

IT TAKES AIM AND FIRES.

THE BEAM OF LIGHT ENERGY

BLASTS THE COMET INTO ICE CUBES.

AND THEN, LASTLY, WHAT WE NEED NOW

IS A PERMANENT DEFENSE OF THE PLANET EARTH.

56 MILLION MILES FROM EARTH,

HUNDREDS OF DEATH-STAR SPACE STATIONS

WATCH THE ASTEROID BELT.

A COLLISION SENDS A GIANT ASTEROID

HURTLING INTO THE INNER SOLAR SYSTEM.

IF YOU CRACK AN ASTEROID,

WELL, YOU GET BABY
ASTEROIDS COMING AT YOU, OKAY?

AND THESE BABY ASTEROIDS
COULD DO MORE DAMAGE

THAN THE ORIGINAL ASTEROID.

SO WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE

THAT WE PULVERIZE THE
ASTEROID INTO SPACE DUST.

THE SPACE STATIONS TRACK THE ASTEROID

AND SIMULTANEOUSLY OPEN FIRE WITH LASERS,

BLASTING THE TRILLION-TON ROCK INTO ATOMS.

SO, THERE WE HAVE IT...

A PERMANENT SOLUTION TO
THE SPACE-ROCK PROBLEM.

HOW ABOUT THAT?

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

I THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD PLAN.

I THINK IT'S SOMETHING WE SHOULD
ACTUALLY BE WORKING ON NOW.

WHERE BETTER TO BASE IT THAN
WHERE THE ASTEROIDS ARE LYING?

JUST WATCH THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

IT'S NICE, SIMPLE, ELEGANT.

I THINK IT COULD ACTUALLY PROTECT A PLANET

FROM THAT SORT OF DISASTER.