Explore Europa

by Gary Mitchell

November 26, 2012 | 0 comments

I think the next big thing we should do is explore Europa. From what we know so far, Europa is the only place within reach that has a good chance of harboring life--life that formed "elsewhere." Maybe there isn't anything there. Maybe there's only single-celled organisms. Or there could be something actually swimming around. How can we not go take a look? Compared to the amount of money we spend making war etc., the cost of exploring Europa is mere pocket change. A thousand years from now, people won't remember most of what we think is so important today. But ... more »

A United People

by David L. Richards

November 26, 2012 | 0 comments

Director, Hoover-Price Planetarium

I don't want to land on comets, asteroids, or moons that we haven't landed on before. I don't want to descend into canyons on Mars and peer inside lava tubes on the Moon. I don't want to hop around a comet and float on Titan's seas and dive into Europa's ocean.I do want to see the people of this great nation pull together in the same direction. A vast minority of our citizens can't accept a black man in the White House, almost 50 years after the Civil Rights Act. Until we come together as a united people ... more »

To Europa, on the double!

by John J. Corbin

November 26, 2012 | 0 comments

I believe we should explore Europa's oceans. In order for any future interplanetary exploration to be more feasible, the U.S. and its space partners should develop and produce a revolutionary fast rocket propulsion system.

Forward to infinity

by Hugo A. Durantini Luca

November 26, 2012 | 0 comments

There are many ways to deal with space exploration, with human presence or through robotic avatars. I think what both options are valid and important, for example robotics avatars enable future human presence thanks to their experiments but after you need genuine human ingenuity to take the next steps. Human exploration of our solar system can be made possible with enough work and constant dedication. I know what human interstellar travels are only a matter of science fiction right now, but again if we work hard enough future generations of humans, after colonization of the solar system maybe can take ... more »

The Search for Life

by Justin N Frost

November 26, 2012 | 0 comments

The most exciting part of space for me is the search for life. Consequently I would love to see missions to Europa to search the nature of the ocean there.

Androids

by John L Hank

November 26, 2012 | 0 comments

More and smarter robot landings, With a channel devoted to continuous video of all these robots, along with some BG commentary.

Footprints on Mars !

by Clint Kelly

November 26, 2012 | 0 comments

That's what I would like to see. I have faith that humans will get to Mars, and beyond, someday. Sadly, at 78 years of age, and counting, it is unlikely that I will live to watch a man or a woman walk on Mars.

Far Side of the Moon Exploration

by Craig Smith

November 26, 2012 | 0 comments

I would like to see exploration on the far side of the moon and also at the lunar poles where there is water. It has been a long time since we have sent humans to the moon. It is close and does not cost as much as other missions. Plus we can set up telescopes that have the noise blocked from earth. They could pick up new planets around the stars. We could also send a rover first which would cost less than the Mars rovers.

Life in our neighbourhood

by Enrique Soto

November 26, 2012 | 0 comments

I believe top priority should be finding if there is life in our neighbourhood, of which there are tantalizing cues both in Mars and some of the moons of Jupiter. I think that is important because it would have enormous implications for our understanding of the universe, whether life is frequent or not, or if panspermia is, and about life on Earth. The way I would do that would be with more robotic exploration of the Jupiter’s moons and with humans on Mars. I would bypass Earth’s moon entirely for the time being. Although I can see that a robotic ... more »

Venus, our Hellish Sister

by Hans Cummings

November 26, 2012 | 1 comments

I'm all for Mars exploration and the exploration of the myriad moons in our solar system, but I would love to see us try to adapt our deep sea exploration technology to further explore Venus. The planet that was once known as "Earth's Twin" seems to have been pushed to the wayside ever since the landings in the 70s when we discovered what a harsh, hellish place it is. But now, at the beginning of the 21st century, we should return to Venus and explore a world ravaged by a runaway greenhouse effect. What secrets lie beneath the clouds? Could ... more »

Looking at the sky

by Eric Lunan

December 18, 2012 | 0 comments

I was brought up surrounded by radios and airplanes. Looking up at the sky was normal. I can always remember looking for Sputnik and Echo. Then there were meteors. My father and older brother took me and my younger brother to see a solar eclipse. And we watched all the space shots: Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. I have never stopped looking at the sky. The wonder of our own planet has always fascinated me as well. We learn so much about here by looking out there...

Little girls dream of space.

by Sonja

December 2, 2012 | 0 comments

I was a child of the early '50s, had three sisters and while we didn't have much money - we had an acre of land. One of my favorite memories as a child is being outside on a summer night, lying on an old blanket with my family and looking at the stars. My mom would announce when Sputnik passed over and I was amazed that humans had an object in space that I could see from my backyard. Shooting stars were always a bonus sighting. My big sister and I would draw dials, fuel gauges and "space-rocket-control-panel stuff" out ... more »

Light years?

by Brian Steffek

December 7, 2012 | 0 comments

My interest was sparked when it was brought to my attention that the light I was seeing from the stars was taking YEARS to reach my eyes. The thought of so many galaxies with so many stars, which most likely includes so many undiscovered planets also keeps me tuned in to space exploration.

Life-long Hobby

by Linda JC Taylor

December 10, 2012 | 0 comments

My interest began as an adult and at this point I can't point to a single event. It was the early 70s; I lived in the countryside of Ohio, was a mathematics teacher, and Planetary Society was being born. I subscribed to various magazines with star charts and joined the Society. I thought it very un-intelligent of me to not know more about the universe around me. This led to reading books on the cosmos but it was always a hobby, not life work. I continued in the mathematics but always loved this diversion. Now I am back in the ... more »

Library Launch to the Cosmos

by Steve Frey

December 3, 2012 | 0 comments

In 1956, when I was five years old, my wonderful mother took me to the library to introduce me to the world of reading and books. There, we found a small book on stars. It had only hand-drawn, black-ink renderings of constellations and a basic discussion on stars, but it was enough to mesmerize me. I can still visualize that book! From that day onward, fascination with stars and the universe has energized my every day.

Learning about the cosmos, from childhood onward

by Robert Porter

December 10, 2012 | 0 comments

My learning about the cosmos has been a lifelong pursuit, sparked by countless events and encounters. I remember reading library books speculating on conditions on Venus and Mars in the late 1950's, my first views of the moon and Saturn through a telescope, watching orbiting satellites (Echo), following the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions on TV, viewing the images of Mars returned by the Mariner spacecraft and Viking missions, following the progress of the Voyager spacecraft from Jupiter to Saturn (and Uranus and Neptune by Voyager II), watching the Cosmos series in the 1980's, viewing Comet Halley on Christmas Eve ... more »

Latecomer to a passion for space

by Jim Livingston

December 2, 2012 | 0 comments

I've always had some interest in space, especially since Sputnik and Apollo. But I'm now 82, and it was reading the book Destination Mars this spring that ignited my current passion for the field. As a result, I've read other books and lots of websites, given three talks on Mars to local groups (including one group of young kids, one group of adults, and one group of senior citizens) and had four articles on space published in our local paper (the Patriot Ledger, published in Quincy, MA). I'm trying to spread the word!

July 20, 1969

by Lecia Elzig

November 29, 2012 | 0 comments

The first moon landing occurred while on my annual summer visit with my father. We rushed home from a family outing just in time to turn on the TV and watch Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon. I was 15 years old and had no interest in science up to that point. I was utterly captivated that such a feat could be accomplished. It was a life changing event for me and sparked an interest in astronomy and space discovery that has only grown over the years.

Jets, rockets, math & science

by Dave Lukaszewski

December 2, 2012 | 0 comments

As a kid, I loved to build model airplanes. Then, I experimented with model rockets. I was good at both math & science...and began to follow the space program. I ultimately became an aerospace engineer...& am now retired.

It's my Parents Fault.

by Carl Rustenbeck

November 29, 2012 | 0 comments

My passion for space started with my parents. My Dad was a scientist (Meteorologist) who instilled in all his children (five of us) a love and respect for all science. My Mom had the heart of an explorer and the soul of a poet who taught us to never stop learning and exploring. I was born in 1963 and my formative years were filled with my family's passion and enthusiasm for the early NASA Space Program. I was too young to comprehend the Gemini Program, however the Apollo Program still shines bright and clear in my memory. On a side ... more »