Science communicator Bill Nye’s remark that “we cannot leave the Earth” referred to disposal of the planet’s trash, not - as online posts taking his words out of context suggest - that human space travel is impossible.
In the shortened video clip, Nye, CEO of the Planetary Society, says that the Earth is a “closed system,” adding that “we cannot leave the Earth.”“There’s no place to go.
The student asked Nye about the ethical and practical implications of shooting trash into space to avoid putting it in landfills (timestamp 2.22s).
Nye first answers that it would be “too expensive,” adding that the Earth is a “closed system” in the context of handling trash.
Nye was responding to a question about why humans do not shoot trash into space; he was not suggesting that space travel is impossible.
Persons:
Bill, Nye, Big, you’ve, ” Nye, Read
Organizations:
Planetary Society, YouTube, Columbia University, Reuters, Thomson