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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\u2019 show. But none of these positions was quite the same as running the world\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s words every day: \u201cThere are two questions we all ask: Where did we come from? And are we alone in the Cosmos?\u201d Those are the big ideas that every human on Earth has pondered at some time in their life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Along with the two big questions, there are three things that have perpetually motivated me. I want to explore other worlds because we don\u2019t know what we\u2019re going to find. Ice on the Moon\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
The next thing: I don\u2019t 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\u2019s an asteroid, with planning and international cooperation, we could do something.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The third thing that has kept me going and will keep going as long as I live: I want to find evidence of life \u2014 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 \u2014 something new, strange, and important about being alive in the Cosmos.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been immensely proud to lead an organization that pursues the answers to these questions. And under Jennifer Vaughn\u2019s leadership, we will keep building on our successes. We\u2019re going to continue to invest in all of our science and technology programs. We\u2019re going to continue to develop and expand our educational outreach efforts. And we\u2019re 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\u2019re going to keep up the pressure to protect NASA\u2019s science programs, and we\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n
This has truly been the honor of a lifetime.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n