We can both prevent asteroid impacts and address climate change. It's not either-or. Rusty Schweickart More Quotes by Rusty Schweickart More Quotes From Rusty Schweickart From the moon, the Earth is so small and so fragile, and such a precious little spot in that Universe, that you can block it out with your thumb. Then you realize that on that spot, that little blue and white thing, is everything that means anything to you — all of history and music and poetry and art and death and birth and love, tears, joy, games, all of it right there on that little spot that you can cover with your thumb. And you realize from that perspective that you’ve changed forever, that there is something new there, that the relationship is no longer what it was. Rusty Schweickart block mean art As you pass from sunlight into darkness and back again every hour and a half, you become startlingly aware how artificial are thousands of boundaries we've created to separate and define. And for the first time in your life you feel in your gut the precious unity of the Earth and all the living things it supports. Rusty Schweickart support space moon You almost wish you could turn off the COMM and just appreciate the deafening quiet. Rusty Schweickart appreciate space wish If we do our homework right, never again should an asteroid that can do damage on the ground impact the Earth. We're living in a time-with our technology-we have the capability to eliminate that major shaper of evolution . . . the evolution of life on this planet. Rusty Schweickart future impact technology By preventing dangerous asteroid strikes, we can save millions of people, or even our entire species. And, as human beings, we can take responsibility for preserving this amazing evolutionary experiment of which we and all life on Earth are a part. Rusty Schweickart responsibility earth people This whole issue of limits to growth, which provides a psychological, as well as a physical, cap on potential expansion of activity and awareness, has had a very depressing effect on many people.... I don't for a moment think that there's any concept which anyone's working with now which will be followed as a straightforward scenario. But the idea embodied in concepts such as space colonization or space industrialization, or availability of nonterrestrial resources, is fundamental, and it will change the way in which people look at the future. Rusty Schweickart availability depressing thinking We are now able to very slightly and subtly reshape the solar system in order to enhance human survival. Rusty Schweickart able survival order We need early warning systems, technologies to deflect an asteroid - and we need political preparedness as well. It needs to be clear who is to decide what, who launches the rockets, who presents which bills to its citizens. This is a planetary decision. We need to do this all together. Or it will not happen. Rusty Schweickart political technology decision So I just let go with one hand, and just sort of swung around, looked at the Earth below and the black space above and the sun over my shoulder. And, I mean, it was this incredible, spectacular view. Rusty Schweickart letting-go mean hands It is not enough to do a desktop exercise of a Beethoven symphony. You need to practice with an orchestra. The musicians need to read the notes. Otherwise it will be a disaster. Rusty Schweickart symphony practice exercise We not only need to train people, we also need to develop deflection technologies. Rusty Schweickart technology people needs Anytime we can save lives or prevent the destruction of property, we should do it. Rusty Schweickart save-a-life destruction should We could not wipe ourselves out with a nuclear war. I do not want so sound too positive. It would be a catastrophe, but it would not be a final one. We are not powerful enough for that. An asteroid could be that powerful. That is why we need to do our homework. Rusty Schweickart powerful would-be war Asteroids have hit the Earth millions of times. We can see them as shooting stars every night. When they get bigger, things get complicated. It is only a matter of time until a big one hits us. And since we can do something about it, we should. Rusty Schweickart shooting stars night While we didn't know the dinosaurs personally, we do know that they were wiped out by an asteroid impact. Rusty Schweickart asteroids dinosaurs impact Journalists often put things into either-or scenarios. Rusty Schweickart scenarios either-or journalist In the short term, some deadly virus might be more important, but in the long run there is hardly anything more important than asteroids. Rusty Schweickart important running long I am interested in climate change and other topics too. But this thing is so huge, in the worst case we are talking about the end of our civilization. Rusty Schweickart topics talking civilization For the first time in history, we have the chance to change the path of a celestial body. Let's realize what we're talking about here. We would be slightly changing the mechanics of our solar system to enhance our survival. That is gigantic! Rusty Schweickart survival would-be talking You see the Earth as a bright blue and white Christmas tree ornament in the black sky. It's so small and so fragile - you realize that on that small spot is everything that means everything to you; all of history and art and death and birth and love. Rusty Schweickart blue mean art
