My time as CEO has been wonderful. When I was asked to take on that role, I did not feel especially qualified. Oh, sure, I had held leadership roles before. And I had been a producer, host, and head writer of a kids’ show. But none of these positions was quite the same as running the world’s largest independent space interest society. But the board had faith in me, and so I had faith I could do it. And here we are, 15 years on.
Over those years, I came to understand that we have a chance to change the world. Like millions of people, I was inspired by the vision of our founders. Carl Sagan, Louis Friedman, and Bruce Murray could state the reason The Planetary Society exists with clarity. I hear Bruce’s words every day: “There are two questions we all ask: Where did we come from? And are we alone in the Cosmos?” Those are the big ideas that every human on Earth has pondered at some time in their life.
Along with the two big questions, there are three things that have perpetually motivated me. I want to explore other worlds because we don’t know what we’re going to find. Ice on the Moon’s south pole? Microbes under the sands of Mars? Aquatic creatures swimming around under the ice on Europa? Something extraordinary in the plumes shot into space by the jostling of the icy crust of Enceladus? The mind boggles.
The next thing: I don’t want Earth to get hit with a seriously sizable asteroid. I like to tell every member of Congress and every member of their staff that an asteroid impact is the only preventable natural disaster. Such is not the case with an earthquake, volcanic eruption, hurricane, or twister. If it’s an asteroid, with planning and international cooperation, we could do something.
The third thing that has kept me going and will keep going as long as I live: I want to find evidence of life — better yet, something still alive out there in the Cosmos. I referred to possibilities on Mars, Europa, and Enceladus. What about Titan? Or the cool clouds in the Venusian atmosphere? What about an exoplanet? A discovery of life would, dare I say it, change the world. Everyone on Earth would feel something profound — something new, strange, and important about being alive in the Cosmos.
I’ve been immensely proud to lead an organization that pursues the answers to these questions. And under Jennifer Vaughn’s leadership, we will keep building on our successes. We’re going to continue to invest in all of our science and technology programs. We’re going to continue to develop and expand our educational outreach efforts. And we’re going to keep showing up in the U.S. Congress both in person and through emails, letter-writing campaigns, and petitions. With the help of our members and supporters, we’re going to keep up the pressure to protect NASA’s science programs, and we’re going to keep advocating for international cooperation in the scientific exploration of space. No other organization in space science advocacy matches our reach, our credibility, or our impact.
This has truly been the honor of a lifetime.