Dr. Kaku: A JOURNEY OF TRILLIONS OF MILES TO THE STARS AND BEYOND.
ENGINES WITH UNIMAGINABLE POWER HURTLING ACROSS THE GALAXY
ON A MISSION TO BUILD A GALACTIC EMPIRE.
I'M DR. MICHIO KAKU.
I'M A THEORETICAL PHYSICIST AND A SCIENCE-FICTION FAN.
JOIN ME AS I SHOW YOU HOW TO MAKE SCI-FI SCIENCE.
George: CANCEL ALL REST PERIODS.
THE SHIP MUST BE READY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
I MUST GO TO BASE 12 ON MARS.
I LOVE THOSE OLD SCI-FI MOVIES
WHERE INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL IS TAKEN FOR GRANTED.
THEY MAKE IT LOOK OH-SO-EASY
AS THEY SHOOT OFF TO OTHER WORLDS.
SOMETIMES IT'S DIFFICULT TO REMEMBER THAT WE EARTHLINGS
HAVE ONLY ACTUALLY MADE IT AS FAR AS OUR OWN MOON.
YET TODAY, THERE'S MORE REASON THAN EVER TO THINK BIG.
ASTEROIDS OR THE DEATH OF OUR OWN SUN
COULD MAKE EARTH UNINHABITABLE.
IN ORDER TO SURVIVE AS A SPECIES,
WE HAVE TO FIND A SECOND HOME AMONG THE STARS.
WE MUST BUILD A STARSHIP.
AND ANY STARSHIP WORTHY OF SCIENCE FICTION
HAS TO DO AT LEAST THREE THINGS.
OUR STARSHIP MUST PROTECT ITS HUMAN CREW
FROM THE DANGERS OF SPACE TRAVEL.
IT MUST BE ABLE TO TRAVEL THE ENORMOUS DISTANCES
NECESSARY TO REACH PLANETS SUITABLE FOR COLONIZATION.
AND WE MUST HAVE A FUEL SUPPLY
THAT IS POWERFUL, EFFICIENT, RELIABLE, AND PORTABLE.
FIRST OFF, I NEED TO DECIDE
ON MY STARSHIP'S PROPULSION SYSTEM,
AND THAT'S MORE DIFFICULT THAN IT SOUNDS.
ONE THING'S FOR SURE --
CONVENTIONAL ROCKETS WILL NOT TAKE US TO THE STARS.
GIGANTIC BOOSTER ROCKETS AND THIS TOY ONE
HAVE THE SAME TWO LIMITING FACTORS --
FUEL AND THRUST.
THEY'RE LIMITED BY THE AMOUNT OF FUEL THEY CAN CARRY
AND HOW LONG IT'LL LAST.
THEY'RE ALSO LIMITED BY THE AMOUNT OF THRUST
YOU CAN EXTRACT FROM THIS FUEL --
IN THIS CASE, FROM PRESSURIZED AIR.
CHEMICAL ROCKETS, LIKE THESE, ARE ALSO HIGHLY INEFFICIENT.
95% OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE'S PAYLOAD IS FUEL
JUST TO LEAVE THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.
TO REACH THE STARS,
IT WOULD NEED FUEL IN PLANET-SIZE QUANTITIES.
IF WE'RE GONNA FIND A SECOND HOME AMONG THE STARS,
WE HAVE TO ABANDON CHEMICAL ROCKETS COMPLETELY
AND FIND A NEW, RADICAL PROPULSION SYSTEM
THAT DOESN'T DEPEND
ON THE BURNING OF VAST AMOUNTS OF ROCKET FUEL.
THE WORLD OF SCI-FI HAS ALREADY GOT THIS COVERED.
IN "BATTLESTAR GALACTICA," THEY HAVE LIGHT-SPEED ENGINES.
[ Amplified ] STARSHIPS DO HAVE SOME KIND OF NUCLEAR-FUSION ENGINES.
GALAXIES ARE MILLIONS OF LIGHT-YEARS
DISTANT FROM WHERE WE ARE.
SO YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOME SORT OF ENGINE
THAT CAN GO VERY, VERY FAST.
INSTEAD OF GOING FOR A TRIP TO FLORIDA,
WE CAN GO TO THE ALPHA CENTAURI GALAXY.
ALPHA CENTAURI IS OUR NEAREST STAR.
IT'S AN AMBITIOUS GOAL.
A CHEMICAL ROCKET
WOULD TAKE MORE THAN 50,000 YEARS TO GET THERE.
BUT IT TURNS OUT SCOTTY ISN'T THE ONLY ONE
WORRYING ABOUT HOW TO POWER A STARSHIP.
THIS EERIE GLOW MAY NOT LOOK VERY IMPRESSIVE,
BUT IT'S PRODUCED
BY A MAGNETO-PLASMA-DYNAMIC THRUSTER --
A PLASMA ENGINE.
THE TECHNICIANS BUILDING IT HERE AT PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
ARE CONVINCED THAT IT'S THE PASSPORT
TO LONG-RANGE SPACE FLIGHT.
I WANTED TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK,
BUT THE FUEL IT USES IS LITHIUM HYDROXIDE --
HIGHLY TOXIC.
AND THE FLAME ITSELF IS AS HOT AS THE SURFACE OF THE SUN.
I HAD TO WAIT FOR A SYSTEM SHUTDOWN.
Choueiri: WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS A VACUUM TANK
IN WHICH WE SIMULATE THE VACUUM OF SPACE.
SO, LITHIUM COMES INTO THE TUBES
AND THEN IS FIRED UP INSIDE THE ENGINE.
EXACTLY.
SO, THEN INSIDE THE ENGINE, IT WILL BE TURNED INTO A PLASMA,
AND THEN IT BECOMES 30,000 DEGREES.
PLASMA IS WHAT LIGHTNING IS MADE FROM.
IF YOU TAKE GAS AND HEAT IT TO A HIGH TEMPERATURE
AND THEN PASS A CURRENT THROUGH IT, YOU GET PLASMA.
THIS FUEL IS LIGHTWEIGHT AND DOESN'T TAKE UP MUCH SPACE.
THIS IS THE BACK OF THE ENGINE.
THIS IS WHERE THE PLASMA COMES OUT.
THIS CAN BE FIRED FOR MANY MONTHS,
AND OVER THE MONTHS, IT CAN ACCUMULATE SPEED
AND TAKE YOU TO PLACES YOU CANNOT GET TO
WITH CHEMICAL ROCKETS.
A PLASMA ENGINE MAKES LONG-DISTANCE SPACE TRAVEL
PRACTICAL FOR THE FIRST TIME.
I'M REALLY EXCITED BY THE PLASMA ENGINE.
IT'LL SOLVE TWO OF THE MAIN PROBLEMS WITH CHEMICAL ROCKETS.
FIRST, IT'S VERY FUEL-EFFICIENT.
AND SECOND, IT'LL BE ABLE TO GO VAST DISTANCES
WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE.
I CALCULATE A STARSHIP WITH A PLASMA ENGINE
COULD GET ME TO SATURN IN LESS THAN FIVE YEARS.
THAT'S TWO YEARS FASTER THAN THE SPACE PROBE CASSINI.
HOWEVER, THERE IS A PROBLEM, AND THAT IS SPEED.
EVEN IF I REALLY STEP ON THE GAS,
THIS STARSHIP WOULD TAKE 70 YEARS
TO REACH THE OUTER REACHES OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.
MY FELLOW ASTRONAUTS AND I WOULD BE DEAD,
SO THE CREW WOULD HAVE TO BE MULTI-GENERATIONAL.
OUR KIDS COULD TAKE OVER.
BUT I WANT TO SEE ALPHA CENTAURI FOR MYSELF.
TO DO THAT, I'M GONNA HAVE TO DESIGN A SHIP
MORE POWERFUL THAN ANYTHING WE'VE SEEN BEFORE.
I WANT TO ESCAPE PLANET EARTH
IN A STARSHIP STRAIGHT OUT OF SCIENCE FICTION.
THE PROBLEM IS, NO ENGINE YET INVENTED
HAS THE POWER TO GET ME TO ANOTHER STAR SYSTEM
WITHIN MY LIFETIME.
Announcer: ASSIGNMENT: OUTER SPACE.
Peterson: THE EDITOR OF MY PAPER
ASSIGNED ME TO COVER A ROUTINE CHECK
OF INFRA-RADIATION FLUX ON GALAXY M-12.
THE SCI-FI MOVIES I LOVED TO WATCH AS A CHILD
MADE INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL LOOK EASY.
THE HEROES JUST JUMP INTO THEIR SPACESHIPS
AND WHOOSH! -- THEY'RE IN ANOTHER STAR SYSTEM.
BUT IT'S NOT THAT SIMPLE.
THE DISTANCES INVOLVED ARE ASTRONOMICAL -- LITERALLY.
WHEN YOU COMPARE THE JOURNEY MY STARSHIP WILL MAKE
WITH THE SCALE OF OUR OWN SOLAR SYSTEM,
YOU BEGIN TO GET SOME IDEA.
LET'S SAY THAT FROM HOME PLATE TO FIRST BASE
IS EQUIVALENT TO THE DISTANCE BETWEEN EARTH TO MARS --
MORE THAN 34 MILLION MILES.
AND FROM THE HOME PLATE TO JUST OUTSIDE THE BALLPARK
IS THE DISTANCE FROM EARTH TO JUPITER --
MORE THAN 370 MILLION MILES.
AND ALPHA CENTAURI, OUR NEAREST STAR SYSTEM,
IS 24 TRILLION MILES AWAY.
TO GET THERE,
THE BALL WOULD HAVE TO TRAVEL AROUND THE EARTH 10,000 TIMES.
BUILDING A STARSHIP WORTHY OF SCIENCE FICTION
REQUIRES ENGINEERING ON A DIFFERENT SCALE
FROM ANYTHING WE'VE DONE BEFORE.
SCI-FI FANS HAVE THEIR OWN SOLUTIONS.
IT HAS TO BE A RENEWABLE POWER SOURCE,
'CAUSE OTHERWISE, IT WOULD JUST BE TOO BIG.
[ Amplified ] MINE'S MOSTLY POWERED ON NUCLEAR-POWERED FUEL.
THE U.S.S. ENTERPRISE
WORKS BY HARNESSING VAST ENERGIES
THAT ARE CONTROLLED THROUGH A SUBSTANCE CALLED "DILITHIUM."
NONE OF THE MANMADE FUELS WE'VE LOOKED AT
HAVE THE ENERGY TO TAKE US TO THE STARS.
BUT INSTEAD OF BRINGING OUR OWN FUEL,
WHAT IF WE CAN EXPLOIT AND HARNESS
THE POWER OF SOMETHING THAT OCCURS IN NATURE?
THIS IS THE PLUM BROOK SPACE FACILITY
IN CLEVELAND, OHIO.
IT'S WHERE NASA TESTS NEW SPACE-FLIGHT TECHNOLOGY.
Johnson: THIS IS THE LARGEST VACUUM CHAMBER IN THE WORLD.
IT'S ABOUT 100 FEET ACROSS,
AND FROM THE MIDDLE TO THE VERY TOP IS 122 FEET.
WOW.
IT'S ESSENTIALLY THE SIZE OF A 12-STORY BUILDING.
Dr. Kaku: SO, YOU CAN SIMULATE THE CONDITIONS OF OUTER SPACE
RIGHT HERE ON THE EARTH.
THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
WE PUMP ALL THE AIR OUT OF IT,
AND IT'S USED TO TEST OUR SPACE SYSTEMS
IN THE SIMULATED VACUUM OF SPACE
BEFORE WE ACTUALLY LAUNCH THEM INTO SPACE.
HERE, A NEW PROPULSION TECHNOLOGY
HAS ALREADY BEEN PUT THROUGH ITS PACES.
IT COULD BE PERFECT FOR MY STARSHIP.
IT'S A GIANT SAIL THAT'S POWERED BY SUNLIGHT.
WHEN LIGHT REFLECTS OFF OF SOMETHING, IT PUSHES IT.
AND WHEN YOU'RE IN SPACE
AND AWAY FROM THE EARTH'S GRAVITY,
THIS PRESSURE WILL MAKE YOUR SPACECRAFT
START MOVING FASTER AND FASTER.
SO YOU'RE SAILING ON SUNLIGHT.
THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
AND TO DO THAT, YOU NEED A PRETTY UNIQUE SAIL.
IT'S MADE USING CP-1,
A LIGHTWEIGHT ALUMINUM-COATED FABRIC
THINNER THAN A HUMAN HAIR THAT'S ENGINEERED TO WITHSTAND
THE EXTREME TEMPERATURES IN SPACE.
IT'S VERY EFFECTIVE AT TURNING SUNLIGHT INTO POWER.
THIS MATERIAL REFLECTS ABOUT 96% OR MORE
OF THE VISIBLE LIGHT THAT HITS IT.
SO AS THE LIGHT COMES IN AND REFLECTS FROM IT,
IT GIVES IT A PUSH, AND IT PUSHES IT IN THAT DIRECTION.
IT'S A VERY, VERY FAINT PRESSURE,
SO YOU MUST HAVE HUGE SAILS.
THAT'S RIGHT, AND SAILS THAT WE THINK OF
ARE TYPICALLY VERY, VERY LARGE --
SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET IN THE FIRST GENERATION,
POTENTIALLY MILES LARGE IN FUTURE GENERATIONS.
WHAT'S GREAT ABOUT THE SOLAR SAIL
IS THAT IT USES SOMETHING
THAT'S NATURALLY AVAILABLE IN SPACE --
SUNLIGHT.
THE SUN IS ALWAYS SHINING.
AND JUST LIKE THE EARLY EXPLORERS ON THE EARTH
TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE WINDS WHEN WE INVENTED SAILBOATS
TO CARRY US ACROSS OCEANS, WE'RE GOING TO EXPLORE SPACE
USING THE WIND IN SPACE -- IN THIS CASE, IT'S SUNLIGHT --
TO PUSH OUR SAILS TO THE PLANETS AND BEYOND.
OF COURSE, IN DEEP SPACE, THERE'S NOT MUCH SUNLIGHT.
YOU'RE SIMPLY TOO FAR AWAY FROM ANY STARS.
BUT THERE'S A SOLUTION.
BATTERIES OF LASERS BACK ON THE MOON
COULD BE FIRED AT THE SAIL, GIVING IT THAT EXTRA PUSH.
WITH THAT, YOU'D BE CONTINUING TO PUSH IT
WELL BEYOND WHAT THE SUN COULD DO.
AND I COULD ENVISION
GETTING TO THE NEAREST STAR IN PERHAPS 100 YEARS.
THIS IS STARTING TO GET REALLY EXCITING.
IF MY SOLAR SAIL WERE GIVEN AN ADDED BOOST
BY A BANK OF LASERS ON THE MOON,
ALPHA CENTAURI WILL BE WITHIN MY REACH.
BUT THE PROBLEM IS, TO POWER A MANNED STARSHIP,
I'D NEED A HUGE SAIL.
IT MIGHT HAVE TO BE HUNDREDS OF MILES WIDE.
ONCE I GOT IT GOING, IT WOULD BE HARD TO SLOW DOWN.
I'D NEED TO MANEUVER THE SAIL TO FACE INTO THE LIGHT
COMING FROM THE STAR I WAS HEADED FOR.
OTHERWISE, I'D JUST KEEP ON GOING FOREVER.
THE IDEA OF USING A SAIL TO PROPEL ME THROUGH SPACE
IS A GOOD ONE,
BUT I CAN'T DEPEND ON THE SOLAR SAIL ALONE.
I COULD FIT MY SHIP WITH A PLASMA ENGINE,
BUT IT JUST WOULDN'T BE POWERFUL ENOUGH
IF I GOT STRANDED FAR FROM HOME.
SO, THE BOTTOM LINE IS FUEL.
WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS FIND A NATURALLY OCCURRING SUBSTANCE
THAT WHEN HARNESSED
WOULD GIVE US UNIMAGINABLE AMOUNTS OF ENERGY.
THAT'S GONNA BE THE KEY TO STAR TRAVEL.
I'M BUILDING A SPACESHIP THAT CAN TRAVEL THROUGH THE GALAXY.
I NEED TO FIND A FUEL SOURCE WITH IMMENSE POWER.
AND THESE SCIENTISTS MAY HAVE JUST WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR.
THEY'VE MANAGED TO PRODUCE A SUBSTANCE
THAT'S QUITE EXTRAORDINARY.
IT COULD BE MY PASSPORT TO THE STARS.
INSIDE THIS GIANT UNDERGROUND LABORATORY
AT FERMI LAB OUTSIDE CHICAGO,
SCIENTISTS INVESTIGATE THE ORIGINS OF OUR UNIVERSE
AND WHAT IT'S MADE FROM.
IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF "FLASH GORDON,"
BUT THIS STRANGE CONTRAPTION IS WHERE IT ALL BEGINS.
ELECTRICITY IS FED INTO THIS AMPLIFIER
AND THEN MIXED WITH SUBATOMIC PROTONS.
THEN, AT ALMOST THE SPEED OF LIGHT,
THE PROTONS ARE FIRED 'ROUND THIS 4-MILE TUNNEL
AND SMASHED INTO A METAL PLATE, EXPLODING THEM
INTO EVEN SMALLER SUBATOMIC PARTICLES.
THESE COLLISIONS PRODUCE A SUBSTANCE CALLED ANTIMATTER.
IT'S THE MOST POWERFUL FUEL KNOWN TO MAN.
AND I THINK IT COULD BE JUST WHAT WE NEED
TO POWER MY STARSHIP.
IMAGINE THAT THIS BALL REPRESENTS A PARTICLE OF MATTER.
IT CARRIES AN ELECTRIC CHARGE, EITHER POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE.
NOW, FOR EVERY PARTICLE OF MATTER,
THERE'S A TWIN PARTICLE MADE OUT OF ANTIMATTER,
WITH THE OPPOSITE CHARGE.
WHAT'S EXCITING IS WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN ANTIMATTER COLLIDES WITH MATTER --
AN EXPLOSION OF PURE ENERGY.
WHEN YOU USE ANTIMATTER AND IT COLLIDES WITH MATTER,
100% GOES INTO MAKING ENERGY.
THERE'S NO OTHER FUEL IN THE WORLD THAT DOES THAT.
IT COMPLETELY TURNS THAT INTO, BASICALLY, ON THE ORDER OF --
A GRAM OF MATTER AND A GRAM OF ANTIMATTER
IS ON THE ORDER OF THE BOMB THEY DROPPED AT HIROSHIMA.
AS A FUEL SOURCE, ANTIMATTER SOUNDS PROMISING,
BUT THERE'S ONE BIG DRAWBACK -- IT'S A LITTLE PRICY.
THE POWER BILL ALONE IS 24,000 TRILLION DOLLARS AN OUNCE,
OR ABOUT 20,000 TIMES THE GNP OF THE UNITED STATES,
TO MAKE ONE OUNCE OF ANTIMATTER.
ONE SCIENTIST HASN'T LET
THAT LITTLE FINANCIAL DETAIL DETER HIM.
HE'S SPENT SIX YEARS
DESIGNING A STARSHIP POWERED BY ANTIMATTER.
Jackson: WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO SHOW
IS THAT WITH 17 GRAMS OF ANTIMATTER,
WE COULD REACH THE NEAREST STAR, ALPHA CENTAURI,
IN 40 YEARS, REACHING 10% OF THE SPEED OF LIGHT.
THAT'S AN ABSOLUTELY MIND-BOGGLING
19,000 MILES PER SECOND.
I THINK EVEN HAN SOLO MIGHT BE IMPRESSED.
THE ASTONISHING POWER OF ANTIMATTER
MEANS THAT MY STARSHIP CAPTAIN CAN REALLY STEP ON THE GAS.
BUT HE CAN ALSO DO SOMETHING JUST AS IMPORTANT.
WE'RE CONVINCED THAT ANTIMATTER IS REALLY THE ONLY TECHNOLOGY
THAT WILL GET YOU UP TO THE SPEEDS YOU NEED
AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, TO ACTUALLY ALLOW YOU
TO SLOW DOWN AND STOP ONCE YOU GET TO YOUR DESTINATION.
INSTEAD OF AN ENGINE, GERALD'S DESIGN USES A SAIL,
BUT THIS ONE'S NOT POWERED BY THE SUN.
IT'S COATED IN URANIUM.
ANTIMATTER IS FIRED INTO THE SAIL,
WHERE IT REACTS WITH THE URANIUM,
EXPLODES, AND PRODUCES ENORMOUS THRUST.
IMAGINE THE THRILL OF SPEEDING THROUGH SPACE
USING THE EXTRAORDINARY POWER OF ANTIMATTER.
I REALLY COULD REACH THE NEAREST STAR SYSTEM
IN LESS THAN A HUMAN LIFETIME.
INCREDIBLY, ALL THE FUEL I NEED
WOULD WEIGH LESS THAN FOUR SUGAR CUBES.
SO, THIS IS IT.
ANTIMATTER IS OUR TICKET TO THE STARS.
IT'S THE KEY TO FINDING A SECOND HOME IN OUTER SPACE.
ANTIMATTER IS 100% FUEL-EFFICIENT
IN CONVERTING MATTER INTO ENERGY,
AND IT DOESN'T GET BETTER THAN THAT.
I HAVE A FUEL SOURCE,
BUT THERE ARE STILL BIG PROBLEMS TO DEAL WITH.
HOW ARE MY CREW GOING TO SURVIVE THE PERILS OF SPACE
ON A 40-YEAR JOURNEY TO THE STARS?
Man: WE WON'T BE ABLE TO MAKE IT!
ONE OF MARS' SATELLITES IS CROSSING OUR PATH.
IN THE HALF CENTURY SINCE THESE SCI-FI MOVIES WERE MADE,
WE'VE DISCOVERED THAT SPACE IS WAY MORE DANGEROUS
THAN EVEN HOLLYWOOD SCRIPTWRITERS IMAGINED.
I COULD FREEZE IN THE VACUUM OF DEEP SPACE
OR BE FRIED BY BURSTS OF DEADLY GAMMA RAYS.
I COULD BE PULVERIZED IN THE ASTEROID BELT.
EVEN A TINY PARTICLE OF DEBRIS
COULD CRIPPLE MY SHIP AND WIPE OUT MY CREW.
JUST ORBITING THE EARTH CAN BE EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS.
THESE PICTURES FROM NASA
SHOW ACTUAL IMPACT HOLES IN SPACECRAFT
MADE BY MICRO-METEOROIDS.
MY SHIP WILL HAVE TO BE FITTED WITH A POWERFUL FORCE FIELD
THAT COMBINES A LASER LATTICE
AND A SUPERSTRONG NANOTUBE SACK.
IT'LL PROTECT ME AND MY CREW
FROM COSMIC DEBRIS AND LETHAL RADIATION.
BUT A MISSION THAT COULD LAST YEARS
GIVES ME ANOTHER BIG PROBLEM.
ZERO GRAVITY MAY LOOK FUN,
BUT IT'S CERTAINLY NOT GOOD FOR YOU.
PROLONGED WEIGHTLESSNESS DESTROYS RED BLOOD CELLS
AND DAMAGES THE MUSCLES, INCLUDING THE HEART.
AFTER SIX MONTHS OF BEING IN OUTER SPACE,
IT MAY TAKE YEARS TO RECOVER.
AFTER ONE YEAR OF WEIGHTLESSNESS,
SOME OF THE HARMFUL EFFECTS COULD BE PERMANENT.
HOWEVER, IF I CAN CREATE ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY
FOR MY STARSHIP CREW,
THEN I CAN COUNTERACT THOSE LIFE-THREATENING PROBLEMS.
GRAVITY IS THE UNIVERSAL FORCE OF ATTRACTION
BETWEEN ANY TWO OBJECTS IN THE UNIVERSE.
FOR EXAMPLE, THIS PAIL OF WATER IS ATTRACTED TO THE EARTH
AT EXACTLY 32 FEET PER SECOND PER SECOND.
NOW, IF I SPIN THE PAIL OF WATER,
I CAN CANCEL THE EFFECT OF GRAVITY.
WATCH.
THE WATER NEVER FELL.
THIS MEANS THAT IF I SPIN A STARSHIP IN OUTER SPACE,
I CAN CREATE AN ARTIFICIAL
32-FEET-PER-SECOND- PER-SECOND GRAVITY,
AND THE ASTRONAUTS WOULDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT THEY'RE IN A STARSHIP.
THAT'S THE WAY TO COMBAT
THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF WEIGHTLESSNESS.
AND IT LOOKS LIKE SCI-FI GOT THERE ALREADY.
A ROTATING SPACESHIP IS NOTHING NEW.
I HAVE MY PROPULSION SYSTEM.
AND NOW I HAVE A PLAN TO ENSURE MY CREW STAYS HEALTHY
ALL THE WAY TO ALPHA CENTAURI.
TIME TO UNVEIL THE DESIGN.
TODAY I PRESENT TO YOU, FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION,
THE STARSHIP.
FIRST, I'M GONNA FUEL MY STARSHIP WITH ANTIMATTER.
100% CONVERSION OF MATTER INTO ENERGY.
NOTHING ELSE GIVES AS MUCH BANG FOR YOUR BUCK,
BUT I'LL USE ANTIMATTER ENGINES,
NOT AN ANTIMATTER SAIL.
I'LL SHOOT BEAMS OF ANTIMATTER INTO A CHAMBER,
WHERE IT WILL ANNIHILATE MATTER,
CREATING HUGE EXPLOSIONS.
I'LL DIRECT THE BLAST OUT OF THE CHAMBER,
CREATING MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF THRUST.
WE'LL SOON REACH 50% OF THE SPEED OF LIGHT.
OUT IN THE VACUUM OF SPACE, WE'RE TOTALLY ON OUR OWN.
IF THE ENGINES MALFUNCTION, THERE'S NO BACKUP.
SO MY STARSHIP ALSO HAS VAST SOLAR SAILS.
THEY'RE BLINDINGLY BRIGHT
AS THEY CAPTURE THE ENERGY OF THE SUN.
THE SAIL, IN PRINCIPLE, COULD BE HUNDREDS OF MILES ACROSS.
IT'S MADE OUT OF VERY SPECIAL PLASTIC, METALLIC FIBERS.
ALL THE LIFE-SUPPORT SYSTEMS WE NEED
ARE IN THE ROTATING DOUGHNUT-SHAPED CAPSULE.
WEIGHTLESSNESS IS NO SUNDAY PICNIC.
SO WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO? SPIN THE SPACECRAFT.
WE DON'T EVEN FEEL AS IF WE'RE SPINNING.
BUT THANKS TO THE ROTATION,
THE CREW LIVE IN EARTH-LIKE GRAVITY
AND SO STAY HEALTHY RIGHT THROUGH THE 40-YEAR JOURNEY.
NEXT, WE HAVE A FORCE FIELD.
WE HAVE TO HAVE A FORCE FIELD AROUND THE SPACECRAFT
TO PROTECT YOU FROM MICRO-METEORITES.
50 MILLION MILES OUT,
WE MUST TRAVERSE THE DEADLY ASTEROID BELT,
WHERE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PIECES OF DEBRIS
ARE HURTLING THROUGH SPACE.
ANYTHING BIGGER THAN A PINHEAD COULD PROVE FATAL.
BUT OUR FORCE FIELD DOES ITS JOB,
AND WE SURVIVE, UNSCATHED,
TO CONTINUE MAN'S FIRST STAR TREK.
SO, THERE IT IS.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, OUR GRANDKIDS MAY HAVE A TICKET TO THE STARS.
THE STARSHIP DESIGN WAS PARTICULARLY AWESOME.
I THINK THE COOLEST THING ABOUT THE STARSHIP DESIGN
WAS THE GENERATION OF THE ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY.
IT WAS INTERESTING, BUT I DEFINITELY THINK
IT'S A LITTLE TOO SMALL FOR A PERSON LIKE ME TO USE.
I JUST LIKE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. IT JUST LOOKED SO COOL.
[ Amplified ] YEP, I CAN SAY THAT WAS AN AWESOME SHIP.