Planetary Society - e-mail on Mars

Bill White · 2004-03-17 08:09:27

Some of you appreciate my posting Mars Society e-mails. Here is an e-mail I received from the Planetary Society.

Dear Member,
If humans are to go to Mars in our lifetimes...
then the real work must begin NOW!
We are launching our global AIM FOR MARS! CAMPAIGN - a
massive undertaking for which we need your immediate help.
I am asking you to bring your passion for exploration...
your vision for the future...and your drive for knowledge
and discovery to help meet this challenge.

We are, of course, overjoyed that the initial goal we all
worked so hard for -- a public commitment by President
Bush to a human exploration goal for the U.S. space
program -- has been achieved. And you deserve a good
measure of the credit for this groundbreaking
development.
But as welcome as the Presidential space initiative is,
there is a problem: It was developed behind closed
doors -- without building the necessary political
rationale or public backing. Cynics and naysayers in
the media and in Congress are already attacking it.
You see, even though the President says, "Make it so,"
this is no guarantee we will see immediate and decisive
action toward a humans-to-Mars goal.
To achieve real progress, the U.S. and the rest of
the world must unite in a coordinated international
effort to convince citizens, their governments and
decision-makers that human exploration of Mars is a
desirable, inspiring, achievable goal in which all
the spacefaring nations must cooperate and share their
resources -- financial, technical and human.
We can make this happen! Let me tell you what, with
your help, we need to accomplish:
* We must educate, inspire and mobilize a politically
sensitive U.S. Congress and public who are concerned
about the budgetary implications of this initiative to
swing their support behind the humans-to-Mars goal.
* We must make sure that the space station, new vehicles,
lunar activity and other initiatives cited in the policy
really do aim for Mars...not bog us down for another 30
years in Earth orbit.
* We must drive home the importance of cooperating
with other international space agencies. This is an
endeavor for all of humanity, sharing the brainpower
and the cost.
* We must gather experts from around the globe --
space scientists, engineers and others -- who can help
find solutions and make recommendations that will help
put those first footprints on the Red Planet.
These are huge challenges...but they must be undertaken.
That's why you and your fellow Planetary Society Members
must band together to act. Only The Planetary Society
has the vision of extending human presence into the
solar system. And only The Planetary Society, because
of our members, has the power to turn this vision
into a popular cause.
I'm asking you to make an urgently needed contribution
to this Campaign. AIM FOR MARS! will be a massive effort,
employing grassroots mobilization and high-power advocacy,
coordinated global cooperation, scientific and technical
studies, and more. We must immediately raise at least
$100,000 -- so we need you to help us today. Your
emergency gift will help ensure that we can effectively
achieve our goals for human exploration of Mars.
Support AIM FOR MARS! at:
[https://planetary.org/donations.html]https://planetary.org/donations.html

A visionary, targeted, adequately funded goal for human
exploration of Mars will reap untold scientific rewards,
unite humankind in a noble and farsighted endeavor, and
help us become a true, multi-planet species.
But believe me, this is going to be an uphill battle.
In the weeks following the President's announcement,
I gave interviews and commentary to the international
media and Congressional staff nearly non-stop.
Alarmingly, 75% of their questioning was cynical and
hostile to the whole idea.
Our AIM FOR MARS! CAMPAIGN -- with your generous
support and dedicated participation -- will help
counter these naysayers with the TRUTH about sending
humans to Mars.

What's more, the cynics and naysayers who claim that
space exploration should not be funded because the needs
are greater elsewhere must understand that NASA spends
"less than 1% of the entire federal budget on the science
and technology that NASA employs for exploration
objectives" according to Administrator Sean O'Keefe.
Space ventures cost a small fraction of national budgets,
and a minuscule part of national resources.
You can see that our AIM FOR MARS! CAMPAIGN is going to
be a demanding undertaking, one that will require
considerable resources to see it through to completion.
But it's a goal The Planetary Society is uniquely
positioned and qualified to carry out. We must make
sure our course aims for Mars!
Help us meet the considerable costs of this first
crucial phase of our AIM FOR MARS! Campaign. Please,
send the Society the most generous contribution
you can afford, today.
Believe me, there is no time to waste. The future of
all the world's space programs and of humankind's
exploration of worlds beyond our own is at stake.
Donate online at:
[https://planetary.org/donations.html]https://planetary.org/donations.html
Sincerely,
Louis Friedman
Executive Director

Josh Cryer · 2004-03-17 10:06:25

I've always considered the Planetary Society the most sensible, least biased, space-oriented organization. Then again, they're called the Planetary Society, so they could potentially be biased against moons, asteroids, comets, or just planetoids.

Thanks for the mail, Bill. I'll see if I can't throw a buck or two their way.

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#1 2004-03-17 08:09:27

Re: Planetary Society - e-mail on Mars

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Re: Planetary Society - e-mail on Mars

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