Space-how far we have come, how far there is to go

Abstract

Space systems are vital to our everyday activities, relaying communications and observing events and environments on Earth (even assisting in treaty verification), and greatly adding to our knowledge of distant regions of our universe. In 1996, the new U.S. space policy committed the nation to a stable space program, including the International Space Station, a new generation of launch vehicles, and a space science program involving robotic Mars investigations, comet, asteroid and planetary sample return missions, and long-term efforts to characterize planets orbiting other stars. As we begin the new millennium, we need courage and inspiration to continue explorations of our universe and push us onward to further adventures and discoveries in space, perhaps even taking us out toward the stars before the next millennium. Driven by curiosity, creativity, and restlessness, we may find in space the long-term future of our species.