A letter from the new Chairman of the Board of the Planetary Society
Dear Members,
More often than not, an organization’s Board of Directors goes unnoticed, or simply unremarked upon by its members, who may not know, or may not care, what role the Board plays. Names come and go on the masthead, but the organization continues onward.
You may be surprised to learn, however, that while meetings of the full board are held only twice per year, the board’s executives (President, Vice President, Chairman, and Executive Director) talk to each other weekly via phone, and communicate almost daily via e-mail. We continuously float ideas as we share insights gleaned from our respective trips to symposia and space research centers in Russia, China, Europe, Japan, and India, as well as trips to the US Congress, to NASA headquarters, and its many centers, such as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. We also explore potential media opportunities, and at all times, attempt to measure the public’s sentiment for space exploration.
The best of these conversations, when blended with the pulse of The Planetary Society Membership, infuses the sights and goals of Society. The process continually shapes and tunes our mission.
Shortly after the death of Planetary Society co-founder Carl Sagan, I was asked to join the Board of Directors. I have now been voted by the Board to serve as its Chairman. I have accepted this position knowing that my own life’s trajectory greatly resonates with the dreams of the Planetary Society. The new American space initiative, which lays out a multi-decade exploration agenda for NASA and interested international partners, represents an entirely new landscape in which The Planetary Society can operate.
The vision calls for human and robotic exploration of the Moon, Mars, and the rest of the solar system, and a redoubling of the search for planets and life in the universe. NASA has already begun its reorganization to accomplish these goals, which includes phasing out the Space Shuttle, thereby freeing precious monies for this initiative.
While we can debate how fast the Space Shuttle should be retired, or which cosmic object to visit first (or next), or whether we send robots or people or both, or how much it will all cost, one thing is for certain, what a luxury it is to have a vision to debate!
When you factor the tandem forays into space by the European Space Agency, which has extended its reach to the Moon and Mars, while Japan, China, India, and other Nations are taking their first steps into the solar system, these international growth patterns affirm the belief of our Society’s founders-and now their successors-that space exploration is an adventure to be shared by all the peoples of Earth. From Mars to Pluto, from comets to near-Earth asteroids, and from Europa to Titan, all imaginable incarnations of the vision contain countless ways for our Society’s actions and activities to help advance the frontier of cosmic discovery.
Over and over again, Planetary Society Members have helped shape public discourse and the public policy that flows from it–a tradition we carry into the future. I am happy to invoke my professional standing, my growing public visibility, and my deepening political insights in support of the health and growth of your Society, The Planetary Society, the largest independent space advocacy group in the world.
Respectfully Submitted
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Chair, Board of Directors, The Planetary Society
Astrophysicist & Director, Hayden Planetarium
American Museum of Natural History
New York City
For more on Neil deGrasse Tyson go to: http://planetary.org/html/society/advisors/society-bio-tyson.html
