David Kipping

How can it be a bigger question than that?

That's what I saw.

Yeah.

Maybe even better than that.

And when you see something like that, you realize that there's more to this life than just substance, of just staying alive for the sake of staying alive.

There are grander things than what we have on this planet.

Also...

Yeah, the inequality right now is so out of control in this country, in the world.

Yeah, it is kind of ridiculous that in astronomy, you know, we used to always be completely federally supported.

There was some private funding, but by and large, it was...

pushed and pulled by federal grants and federal money.

And I think that's generally healthy, right?

Because then everyone can apply for it.

It's not about being mates with Jeff Bezos or being friends with certain high-influenced people.

But we get into this stage increasingly where private money is having a big influence, even in astronomy and other fundamental sciences as well.

And then the people that succeed end up being not necessarily the Einsteins, the most brilliant people.

They're just the people that have the right connections and can pull the strings and

We're on the island at the right time.

That kind of stuff.

And that's just kind of gross.