ASHLEY: SPIRIT AIRLINES.
STUART: I THOUGHT SO.
CONVENIENCE.
>>> YOU HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE ON
THE SHOW, THAT ROCKET, THAT
RIGHT THERE, THAT IS THE ROCKET
SHIP THAT WILL TAKE HUMANS ONE
DAY TO MARS.
I DON'T KNOW WHETHER IT BRINGS
THEM BACK OR NOT.
THAT IS WHERE THE DESIGN IS.
LEROY CHOW, A FORMER NASA
ASTRONAUT.
HE JOINS US THIS MORNING.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW.
GOOD TO SEE YOU, SIR.
>> GOOD TO BE HERE, THANK YOU.
STUART: IS IT TRULY REALISTIC
FOR A HUMAN TO GO TO MARS?
I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT IT WOULD
TAKEN YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS?
I'M NOT SURE YOU CAN COME BACK?
>> WELL THE TECHNOLOGY IS
MATURED.
THE FACT WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY
TO BE ABLE TO PUT TOGETHER A
MARS MISSION.
YOU KNOW, IT IS NOT A MATTER OF
COMPUTERS.
IT IS NOT A MATTER OF PROPULSION
OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
IT'S A MATTER HAVING MONEY,
RESOURCES, THE WILL TO GO AHEAD
AND DO THAT.
ELON MUSK I THINK IS PUTTING ALL
OF THAT TOGETHER.
THAT IS VERY EXCITING.
WHAT YOU SAW WAS A PROTOTYPE
WITH WOULD BECOME HIS STARSHIP
SPACECRAFT HE IS WORKING ON.
HE AMBITIOUS GOAL TO BE SURE.
WHAT I LEARNED NOT TO COUNT HIM
OUT.
STUART: HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE?
>> IF YOU ASK ELON MUSK IT WILL
TAKE FIVE YEARS.
FROM NOW UNTIL FIVE YEARS BEFORE
HE LAUNCH THIS IS MISSION.
VERY AMBITIOUS.
STUART: HOLD ON A SECOND, ONCE
YOU LAUNCH THIS THING, I DON'T
KNOW WHETHER YOU WOULD BE IN IT
OR NOT, ONCE YOU'RE OFF AND
RUNNING HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO
GET TO MARS?
>> ONCE THE PLANETS ARE ALIGNED,
WE HAVE OF COURSE, DIFFERENT
ORBITS.
ONCE WE'RE ALIGNED, THE DISTANCE
BETWEEN EARTH AND MARS IS THE
SHORTEST, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 6
TO 8 MONTHS ONE WAY.
STUART: OH.
>> IT IS ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING
ON INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
THESE DAYS.
THAT IS NOT A COINCIDENCE.
WE'RE LOOKING AT EFFECTS ON THE
HUMAN BODY FOR THE TRANSIT TIME
BETWEEN THE EITHER AND MARS.
STUART: SO THIS IS FEASIBLE?
THAT IS FASCINATING.
I THOUGHT IT WAS YEARS AND YEARS
AND YEARS TO GET ALL THE WAY OUT
THERE TO THE RED PLANET.
APPARENTLY NOT.
BEARING IN MIND YOUR EXPERIENCE
OF BEING IN SPACE, WOULD YOU GO
TO MARS?
>> I WOULD GO TO MARS TO
EXPLORE, I DEFINITELY WANT TO
COME BACK.
I ENJOY LIVING HERE ON THE
EARTH.
ELON MUSK WANTS TO LIVE ON MARS.
HE HAS A PLAN TO COMIZE MARS.
STUART: YOU SPENT A LONG TIME IN
SPACE.
WHAT WAS THE IMPACT ON YOU AND
YOUR BODY?
>> A LOT OF BIOMEDICAL EFFECTS
HAPPEN TO THE U.S. BODY IN
SPACE.
NONE OF THEM ARE GOOD.
WE WERE EXPOSED TO HIGHER LEVELS
OF RADIATION.
WE WON'T KNOW UNTIL IF THAT HAS
AN EFFECT YEARS DOWN THE ROAD.
LESS IMPORTANT THINGS HAPPENED,
ONE OF THE THINGS BEEN IN THE
NEWS SEVERAL YEARS, ASTRONAUTS
COMING BACK WITH CHANGES IN THE
EYESIGHT, IN SOME CASES
PERMANENT DAMAGE TO THEIR EYES.
WE DON'T HAVE A FULL HANDLE WHAT
IS IT GOING ON.
WE HAVE GOOD IDEAS.
THAT IS ONE EXAMPLE OF THINGS
THAT HAPPEN AS WE FLY LONGER
MISSIONS IN SPACE, FARTHER AWAY
FROM THE EARTH.
WE FIND BIOMEDICAL PROBLEMS WE
HADN'T ANTICIPATED.
STUART: I FIND IT FASCINATING.
