of space," as in, someone who really loves space? You know, Nancy, I really love space. Do you love space? Or what about your space? Do you love your space? Or what about my space? And no, I don't mean the social networking web site.
Daryl wheels his chair over and sits as close to her as possible, leans towards her, and stares intently at her.
Jake and his family laugh hard.
NANCY
Okay, I am DONE! Can someone please kick him off the reporter's desk for tonight?
DARYL
Nope. We just had a ratings spike. Ratings, not news, love.
Nancy can't help herself, and giggles, and smiles at him. Uh, what? Were those fireworks that just flashed between Nancy and Daryl?
VICKI
Oh my heck! Now all we need is to zoom in for a close-up two-shot and wait for them to kiss!
Nancy snaps out of the unexpected spell, and turns to the camera again. Daryl continues to stare at her.
NANCY
I think the ratings spike is possibly in anticipation of the news I'm about to share, not because you're being a class-act...um, weird guy.
She blanches.
NANCY
Uh, sorry, nice, weird guy. Oh my heck. Oh my HECK, this cannot get worse.
DARYL
That's entirely possible. I'll resign from the desk from the evening, or I'll take over, if you'd like.
Daryl wheels back to his side of the reporting desk.
NANCY
Today, Astronomers, scientists, and news writers who drank too much caffeine celebrated the most astonishing news that has emerged in the field of astronomy for a long time. Astronomers have confirmed the existence of two-earth-like planets orbiting a double star not far from our own solar system.
A visualization of two earth-like planets appears in the upper-right of the TV, then expands to full view. The planets spin around a common center of gravity, like two dancers. Behind them, two suns do the same. The binary planets follow a large circular orbit around the binary sun.
NANCY (V.O.)
This conceptual video shows what the orbit of these planets is like. Even more unusual or amazing is that a cluster of seven stars orbits the binary stars.
The seven stars emerge in the video presentation, in orbit between the binary star and binary planet. The visualization fades from view to reveal Nancy again.
NANCY
The best part of all of this, however, is that Astronomers are very confident that these two earth-like planets could be habitable, meaning that life could exist on them. Highly scientific readings--whatever that means--again, who wrote this?--okay, just insert techno mumbo-jumbo here. Scientists have ways of determining what the chemical and mass composition of any planet is--
DARYL
Did you just say that? I mean is that you speaking, or the dimwit who wrote this piece?
NANCY
That's me speaking.
DARYL
Wow, that's very clever of you. I wrote this piece, by the way. I guess I'll need some more work at news writing before I publish again.
The newsroom people laugh, and Nancy blanches. Jake and his family laugh.
NANCY
Oh, God, I am so sorry! Oh, God, I just took the Lord of the Name in vain in front of a million Utahns! Agh! I did it again!
DARYL
The Lord of the Name? Is that anything like the Lord of the Flies, or the Lord of the Rings?
The newsroom, Jake, and his family laugh hard.
NANCY
AAGH! Anyway. Sorry. And thank you for the compliment. And sorry for insulting your work.
DARYL
It was worth it to write badly just to invade your space.
The newsroom laughs again. She blushes, and clears her throat.
NANCY
So, uh...yeah, scientists can determine from a variety of factors what some distant planets and stars are made out of. And they are very sure that this binary Earth-analogue, or two planets like Earth--they are very sure that they are rocky planets with liquid water and oxygen-hydrogen atmospheres. They also orbit their stars at a distance which gives them a surface temperature very much like Earth's, so that Earth-like or other life could survive on these planets. If there is any other place in the universe besides Earth on which life could exist and thrive, this newly discovered binary world is the best candidate that Astronomers have ever found.
The newsroom, Jake and his family silently take in the weight of this announcement. Daryl speaks seriously, for a change.
DARYL
Wow. That's awesome.
NANCY
Mind-blowing. This is the coolest thing I've heard for a very long time. Oh! Also, it was a Utah man, an amateur Astronomer who lives in Utah, who had ideas which led to Astronomers making this discovery.
INT. KITCHEN--DAY
Jake pulls up the login for his blog via the PC, while Vicki reads a children's book to the kids, on the sofa.
JAKE
Wow! Four hundred thousand hits on my blog in the past hour! Four hundred thousand! This is beyond gangbusters! I'm going to rake in advertising money.
VICKI
Woohoo!
JAKE
But guess what else I'm going to do with my new-found power?
VICKI
Uh-oh.
JAKE
Yep. The same as nearly any man does when he acquires any power, as he supposes. Abuse it. I'm going to post a rant.
He types. The computer clock display says 2:21 PM. He scowls and types. It says 3:21 PM. He frowns and types. It says 4:32 PM. He beams. He looks at the time. His face says "what?!" He turns around to see Vicki and the children, who all play the game board "SORRY!"
JAKE
Did I really just type for two hours straight?
VICKI
Yep.
JAKE
Okay, here goes.
He moves the computer cursor to his blog's "POST" button, and clicks it.
EXT. SPACE--NIGHT
Twin suns spill their glorious, fiery white light over two Earth-like planets, which orbit each other. One quarter of the day side is visible on each planet, where visible are green, light brown, and white alien continents, blue oceans, and patchy, streaky blankets of clouds. The day side crescent wanes as we orbit toward the night side.
JAKE (V.O.)
Since I've helped discover binary Earth and Sun analogues, I've been asked to lobby for more NASA funding. I answer yes and no. Yes, because NASA has historically produced incredible educational and financial returns--never mind the pure gee-wiz wow factor--all on a relative shoestring budget.
INT. HOUSE ONE--DAY
A television set in a living room displays a news program. Protestors with signs which read "OCCUPY WALL ST." etc. fill the rabble-strewn streets amid skyscrapers.
JAKE (V.O.)
No, because I sympathize with the imposition of my government (which is twenty trillion dollars in debt), where it really can't provide much for NASA. Frankly, NASA seeks answers too expensive for any one superpower nation to fund.
INT. SCHOOLROOM--DAY
A giant poster spans a wall behind high-school-sized school desks. It is captioned: "HUBBLE DEEP SPACE PHOTOGRAPHY: THE EDGE OF OBSERVABLE SPACE." It has regional blowups of galactic and solar diagrams. A vertical dimension arrow spans one side, labeled "300 MILLION LIGHT YEARS." The main image of the poster is of super-clusters of thousands of galaxies.
JAKE (V.O.)
What's the price tag for the question "What is out there among the stars?"
EXT. SPACE--NIGHT
The night sides of two Earth-analogue planets rotate into full view. Our view adjusts to the dark, and dim lights appear from the surfaces of the planets. The lights grow not-so-dim. City-sized clusters and lines of light become visible for only a very brief moment--
CUT TO:
EXT. CANARY ISLANDS--NIGHT
Atop the peak of a grass-topped volcanic mountain, the giant dome of Roque de los Muchachos Observatory sp
lits open.
JAKE (V.O.)
A question which I believe we are at the precipice of answering is: are we alone in the universe?
EXT. SPACE--NIGHT
Our beloved Blue Marble, Earth, hangs in front of the Sun.
JAKE (V.O.)
Fittingly, however, to answer this question will require astronomical amounts of money. So let's front that money. You can donate to NASA--you just can't tell them what to do with the money. Suggestions, however, are allowed. May I suggest also that our politicians have ludicrously co-opted NASA for utter silliness, and that NASA desperately needs an extremely strong "money vote" like this to urge them back in the right direction.
EXT. SPACE--NIGHT
The Hubble Space Telescope orbits Earth.
JAKE (V.O.)
People of the world, I invite you to donate ten billion U.S. Dollars to NASA, and attach a note like this to your donations: "Please build a telescope big enough to capture detailed images of extrasolar planets. It is possible to build such a telescope, and it may be the only immediate way to discover life on other planets. You are aware, O Astronomers, that all evidence indicates that in a few billion years, the Sun will grow so large that it will destroy the Earth? I have no idea whether God intends for the Sun to consume our planet, and whether he expects us to wake up and get the hell off this rock by then. But we won't even be able to consider it unless we look for another place to live. So let's start looking. Ten billion dollars is nothing for a photograph of our potential new home in space.
INT. THE INTERNET--NIGHT
We see the crowd-funding web page where Jake's