Sci Fi Science: Physics of the Impossible (2009–…): Season 2, Episode 4 - A New Solar System - full transcript

THE LAWS OF PHYSICS ARE A DEATH
WARRANT FOR THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

Dr. Kaku: WHEN OUR SUN BURNS OUT,

EVERYTHING WE KNOW WILL BE DESTROYED.

BUT I'VE GOT A PLAN TO SAVE US.

WAHOO!

THE SCI-FI FANS HELP ME ON MY QUEST...

PLANT ROCKETS ON THE PLANET.

...TO CREATE AN ENTIRE SOLAR
SYSTEM FROM THE GROUND UP.

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.

IN THE FUTURE, THE SUN WILL DIE.

THE SKY WILL BE ON FIRE,
THE OCEANS WILL BOIL,

THE MOUNTAINS WILL MELT, AND THE
EARTH WILL GO BACK INTO THE SUN.

AND THERE'S ALMOST
NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT.

LIKE THE FEARLESS SPACEMEN IN THE MOVIES,

TO ENSURE OUR SURVIVAL,

THE WHOLE OF HUMANITY WILL NEED TO FIND

A NEW PLACE TO LIVE AMONG THE STARS.

MY PLAN IS TO DEVISE A
BLUEPRINT SO I CAN TAKE

A PIECE OF GALACTIC PROPERTY
AND MAKE IT INTO A NEW HOME.

MY MISSION IS TO CREATE

AN ENTIRELY NEW SOLAR SYSTEM FROM SCRATCH.



THIS IS SERIOUS,
HEAVY-DUTY SCIENCE FICTION.

MAYBE THE SCI-FI FANS

CAN GIVE ME SOME ADVICE ON WHERE TO START.

SO, HERE'S THE QUESTION...

HOW WOULD YOU CREATE
AN EARTHLIKE SOLAR SYSTEM

OUT OF AN ALIEN SOLAR SYSTEM?

ANY IDEAS?

USE THE FORCE. "USE THE FORCE." OF COURSE.

THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE SOMETHING ABOUT IT

THAT PROVIDES US WITH LIGHT OR SOMETHING

TO KEEP THE PLANETS FROM
COLLIDING INTO EACH OTHER...

GRAVITY, I GUESS.

IT WOULD HAVE TO BE

NOT TOO HOT OR TOO COLD
THAT HUMAN LIFE COULDN'T EXIST.

BUILDING YOUR OWN SOLAR
SYSTEM? I DON'T KNOW.

THAT JUST SEEMS KIND OF
BIZARRE AND IMPLAUSIBLE.

IT KIND OF SEEMS LIKE A GODLY THING TO DO.

I WANT MY DESIGN TO BE TRUE TO SCI-FI.

BUT IT'S WILDLY AMBITIOUS.

I THINK I SHOULD SET OUT SOME OBJECTIVES.

THE SUCCESS OF MY SOLAR
SYSTEM DEPENDS ON THREE THINGS.

FIRST, IT MUST HAVE THE RIGHT
CONDITIONS TO SUSTAIN LIFE.

SECOND, IT MUST BE STABLE
FOR BILLIONS OF YEARS,

'CAUSE AFTER ALL, THIS
IS HUMANITY'S NEW HOME.

AND THIRD, IT MUST BE
SUFFICIENTLY IMPRESSIVE

TO SIGNAL THAT WE'VE
BECOME A GALACTIC CIVILIZATION.

THE FIRST THING MY SOLAR
SYSTEM NEEDS IS A STAR.

IT'S FUNDAMENTAL.

WITHOUT ONE, THERE
WOULD BE NO LIGHT OR HEAT.

I NEED ONE TO SIT AT
THE CENTER OF MY DESIGN.

BUT WHICH ONE SHOULD I CHOOSE?

OUR GALAXY CONTAINS SO MANY STARS.

BUT UNFORTUNATELY, MANY OF THEM
ARE UNSUITABLE TO SUPPORT LIFE.

IF YOU HAVE A GIANT RED STAR, FOR EXAMPLE,

CHANCES ARE IT'S UNSTABLE.

ONE DAY, IT'LL EXPLODE
IN A GIGANTIC SUPERNOVA,

MAYBE EVEN A BLACK HOLE.

AND THEN YOU HAVE TINY,
LITTLE RED DWARF STARS

THAT ARE VERY COMMON,
EXCEPT THEY EMIT SO LITTLE LIGHT.

AND THEN YOU HAVE YELLOW, HYDROGEN-BURNING,

MAIN-SEQUENCE STARS JUST LIKE OURS.

AND THEY ARE RIGHT ON THE BUTTON.

THEY ARE SUITABLE TO
SUSTAIN LIFE AS WE KNOW IT.

LUCKILY, THERE ARE BILLIONS

OF YELLOW, HYDROGEN-BURNING
STARS IN OUR GALAXY.

BUT IT'S NOT AS EASY AS
CHOOSING ONE AND MOVING IN.

SCIENTISTS THINK THE SPACE AROUND STARS

IS SWARMING WITH GIANT
ASTEROIDS AND DEADLY COMETS.

SET UP HOME HERE, AND
WE COULD BE WIPED OUT.

BUT THERE IS HOPE.

I CAN TAKE A TIP FROM OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

IT HAS A SECRET WEAPON

IN THE FIGHT AGAINST KILLER SPACE ROCKS.

AND THAT IS THE PLANET JUPITER.

JUPITER IS 2 1/2 TIMES THE MASS

OF ALL THE OTHER PLANETS IN
OUR SOLAR SYSTEM COMBINED.

ALL THIS MASS GIVES IT ENORMOUS GRAVITY.

OVER BILLIONS OF YEARS, THIS
CLEANED UP THE SPACE ROCKS

AND THINNED OUT THE ASTEROID BELT.

TO BE SAFE FOR HABITATION,

MY SOLAR SYSTEM MUST COME
WITH A JUPITER-LIKE GAS GIANT.

BUT HOW CAN I FIND ONE ORBITING A STAR?

I THINK THIS GUY CAN HELP.

PAUL BUTLER OF THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION

HAS THE JOB OF FINDING STRANGE, NEW WORLDS

ORBITING DISTANT STARS.

OH, WOW.

BY STUDYING VARIATIONS IN
THE WAVELENGTH OF STARLIGHT,

HE CAN TELL IF A STAR
HAS A PLANET IN ORBIT.

AND HE MIGHT HAVE FOUND
WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR.

Dr. Kaku: SO, WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE?

THIS IS THE VELOCITY OF THE STAR,

MOVING BECAUSE THE PLANET
IS GRAVITATIONALLY TUGGING IT

AS IT ORBITS.

VERY REGULAR, RIGHT?

IF THIS WAS AN ACCIDENT, IT
WOULD BE IRREGULAR AND CHAOTIC.

ABSOLUTELY. PLANETS ARE
THE ORIGINAL CLOCKWORK.

AND IF YOU'RE GOING TO CLAIM
YOU'VE DISCOVERED A PLANET,

YOUR SIGNAL HAS TO BE ABSOLUTELY
CLOCKWORK. ABSOLUTELY CLOCKWORK.

Butler: ONE OF THE VERY FIRST
PLANETS THAT WE DISCOVERED

IS A GIANT PLANET ORBITING
THE STAR 47 URSAE MAJORIS

IN THE BIG DIPPER, AND
THIS IS A VERY SUNLIKE STAR.

LIKE THE SUN, IT'S ENRICHED
IN HEAVIER ELEMENTS,

AND IT'S GOT A PLANET,
A JUPITER-SIZE PLANET

THAT ORBITS THE STAR IN A
BEAUTIFUL CIRCULAR ORBIT

WITH A PERIOD OF ABOUT THREE OR FOUR YEARS.

SO, THIS IS THE SMOKING GUN.

I FOUND IT!

47 URSAE MAJORIS, IN THE BIG DIPPER.

THIS IS THE ALIEN SOLAR SYSTEM

AROUND WHICH I'M GONNA BUILD MY DESIGN.

REFUGEES FROM EARTH
COULD TRAVEL IN STARSHIPS

TO THIS ALIEN, JUPITER-LIKE PLANET.

BUT I'M GONNA HAVE A BIG PROBLEM

ACCOMMODATING BILLIONS OF PEOPLE.

IF YOU WERE TO LAND ON THIS JUPITER,

YOU'D SINK RIGHT TO THE BOTTOM
'CAUSE IT'S MADE OUT OF GAS.

THERE'S NO SOLID SURFACE.
PLUS, YOU WOULD CHOKE.

ITS ATMOSPHERE IS MADE
OUT OF HYDROGEN AND HELIUM.

AND ITS GRAVITY WOULD CRUSH YOU TO DEATH.

I COULD CONSTRUCT HABITABLE BIO-DOMES

ON THE ROCKY MOONS ORBITING THE GAS GIANT.

BUT THAT'S A RADICAL CHANGE OF ENVIRONMENT.

I'VE SEEN WHAT EARTH'S LIKE,

SO IF IT WAS A LITTLE
DIFFERENT, I'D BE ALL UP FOR IT.

I MEAN, I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE

WOULD PROBABLY FREAK
OUT AND BE DISAPPOINTED.

WHY NOT BUILD SOMETHING CLOSE TO HOME,

WHERE PEOPLE WOULD BE MORE COMFORTABLE?

IF I ARRIVED IN A NEW SOLAR SYSTEM,

I'M A REFUGEE, I'M LIVING IN A BIO-DOME,

I THINK I MIGHT WANT TO WALK OUTSIDE.

GOING FROM BLUE PLANET TO GREENHOUSE

WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR MY
SOLAR SYSTEM'S COLONISTS.

I NEED TO BUILD SOMEWHERE MORE FAMILIAR,

SOMEWHERE WHERE WE CAN CALL HOME.

I COULD USE A SPACESHIP'S GRAVITY

TO CAPTURE AND FIRE A
BARRAGE OF HUGE ASTEROIDS

AT THE GAS GIANT'S MOON.

THE GRAVITATIONAL EFFECT

WOULD NUDGE THE MOON
CLOSER AND CLOSER TO THE STAR,

WARMING IT UP.

THE MOON WOULD ORBIT THE STAR AS A PLANET.

IT'S A SOLUTION, BUT THE MOON
MIGHT NOT HAVE ENOUGH GRAVITY.

MAYBE I NEED TO THINK AGAIN.

NEXT UP, I DISCOVER A
REVOLUTIONARY MATERIAL...

YOU CAN'T GET BETTER THAN THAT.

...AND ATTEMPT TO GET THE
DREAM OF UNLIMITED ENERGY

OFF THE GROUND.

[ LAUGHTER ]

OH. SORRY. SORRY ABOUT THAT.

EVERYTHING IS NOW IN PLACE.

I'VE CREATED A NEW HOME
FOR US AMONG THE STARS.

I HAVE A NEW SUN, A JUPITER-LIKE PLANET,

AND A PROTO-EARTH GOING AROUND THE STAR.

BUT, I MEAN, WHY STOP THERE?
I WANT TO GO TRULY SCI-FI.

I WANT TO PUSH HUMAN
CIVILIZATION TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

THE LARGEST BARRIER
TO DOING THIS IS ENERGY.

WE STILL RELY ON FOSSIL
FUELS TO POWER CIVILIZATION.

TO ADVANCE, WE NEED TO
EXPLOIT ALL THE ENERGY OF A STAR.

BUT IT'S HERE I HIT A PROBLEM.

LET'S SAY THAT THIS REPRESENTS THE SUN,

RADIATING AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT
OF ENERGY INTO OUTER SPACE.

AND, BY CONTRAST, THIS WOULD BE THE EARTH,

A TINY, LITTLE PEPPERCORN.

NOW, WE ARE SO FAR AWAY
FROM THE SUN AND WE ARE SO TINY

THAT WE ONLY ABSORB

ABOUT A BILLIONTH OF
THE ENERGY FROM THE SUN.

I MEAN, WHAT A WASTE.

A BRITISH PHYSICIST NAMED
FREEMAN DYSON THOUGHT SO, TOO.

IN 1959, HE HAD A RADICAL IDEA...

WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO
COLLECT ALL OF A STAR'S ENERGY?

HIS SOLUTION SOUNDED LIKE

SOMETHING STRAIGHT OUT OF SCIENCE FICTION.

DYSON ENVISIONED A SWARM
OF SOLAR-COLLECTING SATELLITES

ORBITING AROUND A STAR.

THEY WOULD BE POSITIONED
ABOUT 90 MILLION MILES

FROM THE STAR... THE DISTANCE
FROM THE EARTH TO THE SUN.

AND THEY WOULD COLLECT A
COLOSSAL AMOUNT OF SOLAR ENERGY,

ALL OF WHICH WOULD BE WIRELESSLY
BEAMED BACK TO THE PLANET EARTH.

IT WAS A MARVELOUS IDEA...
SIMPLE, CLEAN, AND ELEGANT.

JUST THINK... ONCE IN PLACE,

YOU COULD COLLECT VAST AMOUNTS
OF SOLAR ENERGY ALMOST FOR FREE.

[ LAUGHTER ]

Dr. Kaku: OH. SORRY. SORRY ABOUT THAT.

NASA IS ALREADY DEVELOPING
SOLAR-COLLECTING SAILS

TO PROPEL SPACESHIPS BEYOND THE
BOUNDARIES OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

I COULD SCALE THESE UP
TO THE SIZE OF A CONTINENT

AND PUT THOUSANDS OF
THEM IN ORBIT AROUND MY STAR.

OUR ENERGY RESERVES WOULD
INCREASE BY OVER A BILLION.

BUT BUILDING A STRUCTURE
THAT ENCIRCLES A STAR...

THAT SOUNDS LIKE A
BIG TASK, EVEN FOR SCI-FI.

LET'S TRY TO CALCULATE

PRECISELY HOW MUCH
MATERIAL IT WOULD REQUIRE

TO BUILD A DYSON SWARM.

DYSON IMAGINED HIS SWARM
FORMING A SHELL AROUND OUR SUN.

THEN IF I DO THE MATH, I CAN
NOW CALCULATE THE AREA.

EACH SATELLITE WOULD BE MADE

FROM CONVENTIONAL MATERIALS LIKE STEEL

AND BE ABOUT 10 FEET THICK.

AND, BINGO.

I CAN NOW CALCULATE
APPROXIMATELY THE TOTAL VOLUME

OF ALL THIS SWARM AROUND THE SUN.

AND IT IS ABOUT 250 QUADRILLION...

CUBIC MILES.

THAT'S A BIG PROBLEM.

EVEN IF I MINED ALL THE
PLANETS IN MY SOLAR SYSTEM,

THERE'S NOT ENOUGH RAW MATERIALS

TO BUILD SOMETHING
WITH A VOLUME THAT LARGE.

AND THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING,
BECAUSE HERE IS A NEAT IDEA...

UNLIMITED POWER, ALMOST
FOR FREE ONCE IT'S IN PLACE,

AND YET THERE'S SIMPLY NOT
ENOUGH STUFF IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM

TO CREATE THIS BEAUTIFUL IDEA.

BUILDING DYSON'S VISION OUT
OF A CONVENTIONAL MATERIAL

IS IMPOSSIBLE, BUT I'M NOT GONNA GIVE UP.

WHAT I NEED IS A REVOLUTIONARY
NEW BUILDING MATERIAL.

Dr. Kaku: I'M ON A MISSION TO
BUILD A NEW SOLAR SYSTEM.

IT WAS ALWAYS GONNA BE A PRETTY TALL ORDER.

BUT NOW MY DESIGN HAS HIT A BIG PROBLEM.

I'D HAVE TO MINE AN ENTIRE SOLAR SYSTEM

TO BUILD A DYSON SWARM

OUT OF A CONVENTIONAL MATERIAL LIKE STEEL.

I NEED A SUBSTANCE THAT'S
HUNDREDS OF TIMES LIGHTER

AND ALSO HUNDREDS OF TIMES STRONGER.

AND I'VE HEARD THIS GUY'S MAKING ONE.

IN HIS LAB AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY,

PROFESSOR JAMES HONE

PASSES CARBON-RICH METHANE
GAS OVER A HEATED COPPER SHEET

TO MAKE GRAPHENE, A TYPE OF
CARBON WITH AMAZING STRENGTH.

IF GRAPHENE WERE THE SAME
THICKNESS AS THIS PLASTIC WRAP,

INSTEAD OF BEING ABLE TO POKE
THROUGH JUST WITH MY HAND,

I WOULD REQUIRE ABOUT 2 TONS OF FORCE.

THE SECRET TO GRAPHENE'S STRENGTH

IS THE ATOMIC STRUCTURE
IT FORMS INSIDE THE OVEN.

IT'S TOO SMALL TO SEE WITH THE NAKED EYE,

SO PROFESSOR HONE HAS SCALED IT UP.

LET'S BUILD SOME GRAPHENE.

YEAH, LET'S GO FOR IT.

IN THE HOT OVEN,

THE METHANE LANDS ON
THE SURFACE OF THE COPPER,

HYDROGEN GOES AWAY, AND WE
HAVE THESE SINGLE CARBON ATOMS

THAT NOW LIKE TO JUST WANDER AROUND

ON THE SURFACE OF THIS COPPER.

AND WHEN IT FINDS ANOTHER
CARBON ATOM, THEY MAKE A BOND.

AUTOMATICALLY?

AUTOMATICALLY. THAT'S WHAT THEY LIKE TO DO.

AND UNDER THE RIGHT CONDITIONS,
ALL OF THESE ATOMS JOIN IN

TO MAKE A VERY NICE LATTICE OF GRAPHENE.

AND, CERTAINLY, IF YOU'RE ONLY TALKING

ABOUT AN ATOMICALLY THIN SHEET OF CARBON,

THAT'S GONNA BE A VERY,
VERY EFFICIENT WAY TO GO.

YOU CAN'T GET BETTER THAN THAT. NO.

YOU CAN'T GET THINNER THAN ONE ATOM THICK.

IMPOSSIBLY THIN

AS WELL AS HUNDREDS OF
TIMES STRONGER THAN STEEL,

GRAPHENE IS A GENUINE MIRACLE MATERIAL.

IT'S PERFECT FOR MY DESIGN.

I DON'T HAVE TO SCAVENGE
AN ENTIRE SOLAR SYSTEM

TO CREATE MY SWARM.

I ONLY NEED GRAPHENE BECAUSE
IT IS ONLY ONE ATOM THICK.

SO YOU WOULD ONLY HAVE TO HAVE

PERHAPS AN ASTEROID-SIZE
OR A SMALL-PLANET-SIZE

BALL OF CARBON IN ORDER
TO CREATE MY DYSON SWARM.

AND PUTTING THE STRUCTURE TOGETHER

IS JUST AN ENGINEERING PROBLEM.

ROBOTIC STARSHIPS COULD
SCOUT MY SOLAR SYSTEM

FOR CARBON-RICH PLANETS.

GIANT FACTORIES WOULD THEN
TURN THEM INTO GRAPHENE PANELS.

WORKER ROBOTS COULD ASSEMBLE THESE PANELS

INTO THOUSANDS OF GIANT SOLAR
COLLECTORS TO MAKE A SWARM.

BUT I THINK I CAN DO BETTER.

IF I JOINED ALL THE PANELS TOGETHER,

I COULD MAKE A DYSON SPHERE

THAT WOULD CAPTURE
100% OF THE STAR'S ENERGY.

AND THAT'S GIVEN ME ANOTHER THOUGHT.

YOU KNOW, THINKING ABOUT IT...
IF WE HAVE THIS GIGANTIC SPHERE

THAT CAPTURES ALL THE
SUNLIGHT FROM THE SUN,

THEN WHERE DO WE LIVE?

MAYBE WE SHOULD LIVE INSIDE THE SPHERE.

I MEAN, WHY DO WE HAVE TO LIVE ON A PLANET

WHICH IS VERY INEFFICIENT

AND IS A BY-PRODUCT OF OUR
EVOLUTION ON THE SOLAR SYSTEM?

WHY NOT LIVE ON THE
INSIDE OF A DYSON SPHERE?

I MEAN, AS LONG AS WE'RE NOT
BEING TORCHED BY THE SUN, SURE.

BUT STILL, IF SOMEBODY TOLD ME
THAT WE WERE INSIDE SOMETHING,

IT MIGHT STILL SUBCONSCIOUSLY
KIND OF FREAK ME OUT.

THE SPHERE IS NICE, BUT IF
THE SUN DIES OR EXPLODES,

I MEAN, WE'RE ON THE RECEIVING END OF IT.

OKAY. SO, THE RISKS
MAKE THE IDEA A HARD SELL.

BUT COME ON!

BIG IDEAS AND TAKING RISK
IS WHAT SCI-FI IS ALL ABOUT.

LIVING ON THE INNER SKIN OF A DYSON SPHERE

MORE THAN MATCHES THE AMBITION

OF THOSE SCI-FI MOVIES I LOVED AS A KID.

IMAGINE AN ENTIRE SOLAR
SYSTEM PLACED WITHIN THIS GLOBE.

THIS COULD REPRESENT

A NEW STAGE IN OUR
EVOLUTION AS A CIVILIZATION...

FROM A PLANETARY CIVILIZATION
TO A TRULY STELLAR CIVILIZATION.

I'M GONNA RUN WITH IT.

BUT I CAN SEE A BIG PROBLEM... GRAVITY.

WITHOUT IT, ANYTHING ON THE
INNER SURFACE OF THE SPHERE

WILL FALL INTO THE STAR.

FOR MY CRAZY PLAN TO WORK, I'VE GOT TO FIND

A WAY TO KEEP EVERYONE'S
FEET FIRMLY ON THE GROUND.

TO FIND OUT MORE, GO TO...

HERE'S THE PROBLEM... MY DYSON SPHERE

DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH MASS
TO CREATE ITS OWN GRAVITY.

BUT, YOU KNOW... MAYBE
THAT'S NOT A PROBLEM.

MAYBE I CAN CREATE MY OWN.

WAHOO! [ LAUGHS ]

WHEN THIS FAIRGROUND RIDE SPINS,

THE CHAIRS ARE FLUNG
OUT BY CENTRIPETAL FORCE

AWAY FROM THE CENTER OF ROTATION.

WELL, IT'S JUST LIKE WHAT EINSTEIN SAID...

ACCELERATION IS INDISTINGUISHABLE

FROM THE EFFECTS OF GRAVITY.

SO WHAT I'M EXPERIENCING
HERE IS ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY.

MY BODY GOES INTO A STATE
OF CONSTANT ACCELERATION.

EVEN THOUGH I'M 20 FEET IN THE AIR,

I DON'T FALL TOWARDS THE GROUND.

INSTEAD, THE CENTRIPETAL FORCE

PUSHES ME HORIZONTALLY INTO MY SEAT.

WELL, I SHOULD HAVE SIGNED
UP FOR ASTRONAUT SCHOOL

RATHER THAN THEORETICAL PHYSICS.

CENTRIPETAL FORCE

WILL KEEP EVERYTHING STUCK
TO THE INNER SKIN OF MY SPHERE.

BUT HOW CAN I SPIN SOMETHING THAT BIG?

PERHAPS IF I ATTACH GIANT
ROCKETS TO THE OUTSIDE,

THEN THE SPHERE WOULD REVOLVE

AT THE RIGHT SPEED TO
IMITATE EARTH'S GRAVITY.

BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A TRADE-OFF.

YOU SEE, CENTRIFUGAL FORCE POINTS

AWAY FROM THE AXIS OF ROTATION.

BUT THE DYSON SPHERE IS
ROUND, CIRCULAR, AND SMOOTH.

ANYTHING ALONG THE INSIDE OF THE SPHERE

WOULD BE SLIDING GRADUALLY
AND COLLECT ALONG THE EQUATOR.

IF I ALTERED THE DESIGN
TO A SERIES OF RINGS,

THEN CENTRIPETAL FORCE WOULD ACT

ON THE VERTICAL WALLS OF EACH RING.

ANYONE STANDING ON THE INSIDE OF THEM

WOULD BE KEPT FIRMLY ON THE GROUND.

WELL, THE MOMENT OF
TRUTH HAS FINALLY ARRIVED.

AFTER MEETING THE EXPERTS
AND PUTTING TOGETHER THE DESIGN,

IT'S TIME TO FACE THE FANS.

YOU KNOW, WE SCIENTISTS CAN
SEE A LITTLE BIT INTO THE FUTURE.

BUT WHEN YOU START TO TALK

ABOUT THOUSANDS, MILLIONS
OF YEARS INTO THE FUTURE,

THAT'S WHEN OUR CRYSTAL BALL
STARTS TO GET A LITTLE FUZZY.

NOW, I'M CONFIDENT THAT
MY DESIGN IS CONSISTENT

WITH ALL THE KNOWN LAWS OF PHYSICS.

BUT, HEY, LET'S BE HONEST. IT IS A RISK.

IT IS ALWAYS UNCERTAINTY...

CAN YOU PROJECT THAT FAR INTO THE FUTURE?

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION...

HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE
SEEN "BATTLESTAR GALACTICA"?

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ] YEAH!

AND DO YOU BELIEVE THAT ONE
DAY WE WILL LIVE AMONG THE STARS?

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

WELL, OF COURSE, WE DON'T
WANT TO BE CHASED BY THE CYLONS.

INSTEAD OF SEARCHING
FOR A NEW HOME IN SPACE,

WHY NOT BUILD ONE?

AND TODAY I'M GONNA SHOW YOU HOW.

ROBOTIC STARSHIPS ARRIVE
AT THE STAR 47 URSAE MAJORIS

AND START LOOKING FOR RAW MATERIALS.

WE WANT TO HAVE CARBON.

CARBON IS THE STUFF OF NANOTECHNOLOGY.

AND THERE'S A NEW SUBSTANCE CALLED GRAPHENE

THAT CAN BE PAPER-THIN, ONE MOLECULE THIN.

IT IS POTENTIALLY THE TOUGHEST
MATERIAL KNOWN TO SCIENCE.

MINING MACHINES BEGIN EXTRACTING CARBON.

FACTORIES OPERATING NONSTOP

TRANSFORM IT INTO GRAPHENE PANELS,

WHICH SWARMS OF SELF-REPLICATING ROBOTS

STITCH TOGETHER AROUND THE STAR

TO MAKE A TIERED MEGASTRUCTURE
180 MILLION MILES ACROSS.

BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM,
AND THAT IS... YOU FLOAT.

THERE'S NO GRAVITY.

GIANT BOOSTER ROCKETS

SPIN EACH TIER TO CREATE CENTRIPETAL FORCE.

THE EQUATOR SPINS SLOWEST.

TOWARD THE NORTH POLE, IT SPINS FASTEST.

AND THAT'S HOW YOU MAINTAIN

PEOPLE LIVING ON THE INSIDE OF THE SPHERE.

ALONG THE VERTICAL SECTIONS OF EACH TIER,

THE INTERIOR IS TERRAFORMED,
READY FOR HABITATION.

SETTLER SHIPS FROM EARTH ARRIVE

TO DISCOVER A BRAVE NEW
WORLD WITH LIMITLESS ENERGY.

SO, THERE YOU HAVE IT...

A NEW STAGE OF HUMAN EVOLUTION IN SPACE.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

YOU'VE GOT A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT
OF ENERGY AND A RIDICULOUS AMOUNT

OF SPACE TO LIVE ON,
SO IT'S A PERFECT IDEA.

JUST MARVELOUS IN TERMS OF THE EXECUTION.

NANOTECHNOLOGY WAS VERY GOOD.

YES, WE USE NANOTECHNOLOGY.

ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY.

BUT HE STEAL THIS FROM
"BABYLON 5," WE KNOW.

A BALL THE SIZE OF OUR SOLAR
SYSTEM ALL THE WAY AROUND.

THAT WOULD BE A SIGHT TO SEE.