Quotes from Michio Kaku

It was Johannes Kepler who first noticed the effect when he realized that, contrary to expectations, comet tails always point away from the sun. Kepler correctly surmised that pressure from sunlight creates these tails by blowing dust and ice crystals in comets away from the sun.

Goddard murió en 1945 y no vivió lo suficiente para ver la disculpa escrita por la dirección del The New York Times después de que el Apolo llegara a la Luna en 1969: «Ha quedado definitivamente demostrado —escribieron— que un cohete puede operar en el vacío y no solo en una atmósfera. El Times lamenta el error».

El agua, a su vez, se puede descomponer en oxígeno e hidrógeno (que son los principales elementos del combustible para cohetes). Esto podría convertir la Luna en una gasolinera cósmica.

the Deep Space Gateway, which will act as a refueling and resupply station for missions to Mars and the asteroids. It will be the basis for a permanent human presence in space. Construction of this lunar space station will begin in 2023 and it will be operational by 2026. Four SLS missions will be required to build it.

Graphene consists of a single molecular layer of carbon atoms tightly bonded to form an ultra-thin, ultra-durable sheet. It is almost transparent and weighs practically nothing, yet is the toughest material known to science—

Lunar tourism and exploration could become popular recreational activities as people discover the wonders of an alien landscape. Given the low gravity, hikers would be able to trek over long distances without tiring. Mountain climbers would be able to rappel down steep mountainsides with little effort.

we will look ahead to a time when we will be able to move beyond the solar system and explore the nearby stars. Again, this mission surpasses our current technology, but fifth wave technologies will make it possible: nanoships, laser sails, ramjet fusion machines, antimatter engines.

To do this, we will have to exploit the fourth wave of science, which consists of artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and biotechnology.

The first people on the historic mission to Mars are probably alive today, perhaps learning about astronomy in high school.

In part 2, we will look ahead to a time when we will be able to move beyond the solar system and explore the nearby stars. Again, this mission surpasses our current technology, but fifth wave technologies will make it possible: nanoships, laser sails, ramjet fusion machines, antimatter engines. Already, NASA has funded studies on the physics necessary to make interstellar travel a reality.

Back in the 1980s, there was enormous enthusiasm about gene therapy, i.e., repairing broken genes. There are at least 10,000 known genetic diseases afflicting the human race. There was a belief that science would enable us to rewrite the code of life, correcting the mistakes of Mother Nature. There was even talk that gene therapy might be able to enhance the human race as well, improving our health and intelligence at the genetic level.

Perhaps the loss of aging will be one more in that series, where, like all the other supercentenarians, we will dance and make love and ski, sharp-eyed, right to the edge of the still inevitable cliff.

In many ways, we actually know more about the surface of Mars than the surface of the Earth. About three-quarters of the Earth is covered by the oceans, while Mars has no oceans.

Stapledon gives us another possibility as he writes, "Some of these pre-utopian worlds, not malignant but incapable of further advance, were left in peace and preserved, as we preserve wild animals in national parks, for scientific interest.")

I've started to interact with geologists around the world, scientists who've dedicated their lives to studying glaciers and ice fields, and it's tough for all of us to realize that we're studying a system in decline, the demise of the cryosphere, that frozen part of the world.

If the moon comes any closer, it is literally torn apart by the gravity of Saturn. Using Newton's laws, astronomers can calculate the distance of the tipping point, which is called the Roche limit.

Titan could become an important gas station in space.

A Dyson sphere is a gigantic sphere around a star, designed to harvest the energy from its massive amounts of starlight.

The most complex object in the known universe, brain, only uses 20 watts of power. It would require a nuclear power plant to energise a computer the size of a city block to mimic your brain, and your brain does it with just 20 watts. So if someone calls you a dim bulb, that's a compliment.

Using the total energy consumption of the planet Earth, we find that we are currently a Type 0.7 civilization.

It is easy to calculate how much sunlight falls on a square foot of land on Earth. Multiplying this by the surface area of the Earth illuminated by the sun and one immediately calculates the approximate energy of an average Type I civilization. (We find that a Type I civilization harnesses the power of 7 x 1017 watts

Thanks to the Human Connectome Project, which will map every neuron in the human brain, one day we may be able to send our connectomes into outer space on giant laser beams, eliminating a number of problems in interstellar travel. I call this laser porting, and it may free our consciousness to explore the galaxy or even the universe at the speed of light, so we don't have to worry about the obvious dangers of interstellar travel.

There is also the danger that someone could create a doomsday weapon by bioengineering some existing disease—Ebola, HIV, avian flu—and making it more lethal or causing it to spread more quickly and easily.

NASA officials did not know that commander Alan Shepard had secretly smuggled a six-iron golf club into the space capsule. They were surprised when he proceeded to take out the club and hit a golf ball two hundred yards on the lunar surface.