The Planetary Society and me

"The cosmos is within us. We are made of star stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself."

These words of wisdom from Carl Sagan during the very first episode of "Cosmos" have inspired me all my life.

That show was one of the reasons I fell in love even more with science, and developed a lifelong belief in technology for good.

And I know that kid would be thrilled to know that while he didn’t end up becoming a scientist, he is still playing a role in space exploration as a member of The Planetary Society, the world’s largest and most effective space advocacy movement.

Yup, I'm a proud card-carrying member of The Planetary Society, which he co-founded. The current CEO is Bill Nye The Science Guy.

Actually, I’ve been a member since 2018. But I joined again to get a new card and a new shirt. I’ve lost 70 lbs since last year because of a rare cancer called MEITL, so I really need a smaller one.

The Planetary Society was founded in 1980 with the mission of "empowering the world’s citizens to advance space science and exploration".

Here’s the story of The Planetary Society:

"Our story begins with an observation. Planetary Society founders Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray, and Louis Friedman saw that people of all walks of life are fascinated by the cosmos—yet space exploration budgets waned. This disconnect sparked the idea for a movement that would unite and represent people from around the world in support of space science and exploration.

"This is how The Planetary Society came to be.

"For nearly 4 decades, our members have made strides in advancing planetary exploration, planetary defense, and the search for life beyond Earth. We have delivered tens of thousands of petitions to the United States Congress. We have funded groundbreaking technological advancements in solar sailing. We have united researchers from around the world to work together on asteroid defense. Today we are the world’s largest and most influential independent space-interest organization."

The Planetary Society’s efforts to demonstrate the viability of solar sailing, through the crowdfunded project called LightSail, is a perfect example of how the organization is bringing space exploration to the grassroots and making ordinary people part of a global movement.

I joined The Planetary Society in 2018, and was ecstatic when LightSail 2 launched on 25 June 2019. This wasn’t just any spacecraft — this was one that I and thousands of other members and supporters around the world had contributed to making a reality.

We are made of star stuff. It's time for us to venture forth to the stars.