The first successful interplanetary mission of the human species was the
Mariner 2 NASA spacecraft which flew by Venus in 1962. The Voyager 2 flyby of
Neptune occurred last year, that is 1989. In those 27 years the human species has
flown close by or orbited or landed on every one of the planets in the solar
system with the sole exception of the planet Pluto.
We humans have completed the preliminary reconnaissance of the solar system.
There's only one time in history when this happens. When, for the first time,
humans send their artifacts and themselves off the Earth and explore
their local neighborhood in space. It's our great privilege to be alive at that
first moment when ignorance is converted into knowledge. And speaking personally
it's a extraordinary experience to have participated in that preliminary reconnaissance.
