When NASA makes discoveries they are profound and they make headlines, everyone takes notice. It drives dialogue and, today, it would drive the blogosphere. It would drive the projects the kids do in school. So you wouldn't even need programs to try and stimulate curiosity. You wouldn't need programs to try to convince people that science literacy is good. Because they're going to want to participate on this epic adventure that we call space exploration.

Just before I said I wanted to be an astronomer I said I wanted to be a baseball player. I was quite athletic at the time, probably because I was bigger than other kids, and if you're bigger than other kids and you're 11 you win everything.

Access to science is greater than ever before. There are more vehicles out there that grant the public access to science. Not to mention the Internet.

If there's some kind of rock star status, would I be irresponsible if I didn't somehow use it for a continued greater good? I'm always involved in some way with reaching the public.

I'm often asked whether I believe in Global Warming. I now just reply with the question: "Do you believe in Gravity?"

Any astrophysicist does not feel small looking up at the universe; we feel large.

A state of negative energy means that you are essentially getting something for nothing.