The China-US space race, God, aliens on Earth, and why it’s our duty ‘to live life to its fullest’ – astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson opens up
- The US and China are ‘frenemies’ in their space race, Tyson says. As with the USSR in the 20th century, competition could yield better results than cooperation
- The astrophysicist weighs in on souls and the afterlife, UFO sightings, flat Earth theory, and how everyone on the planet is alive against ‘stupendous odds’
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‘China is a frenemy’: Neil deGrasse Tyson on space race | Talking Post with Yonden Lhatoo
For decades China and the United States have been embroiled in political tensions, stemming from issues such as trade, climate change, technology and Taiwan.
Naturally, this complex relationship extends to outer space, where the two countries are locked in a race to be the first to establish a base on the moon, for example.
A recipient of the Nasa Distinguished Public Service Medal and currently the director of New York’s Hayden Planetarium, Tyson is known for combining wisdom and wit to explain complex scientific concepts to everyday people.
“Competition stirs innovation,” says the 64-year-old. “Having other countries compete in a technological space, no pun intended, can have multiple outcomes. It could stimulate even more innovation – because you don’t want to be beat by somebody else – in ways that cooperation might not.”
