The first mission to Mars did not expect to find craters and river valleys, and yet they did. The first mission to Jupiter didn't expect to find ocean worlds and volcano worlds, but they did.
When I started working with NASA in 1989 as part of a mission to send spacecraft to Pluto, I knew it would take at least 10-15 years to see results of my efforts.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of patience and long-term vision in achieving significant scientific goals.
Alan Stern's quote reflects the reality of scientific exploration, particularly in ambitious projects such as sending spacecraft to distant destinations like Pluto. It highlights that groundbreaking work, especially in fields like space exploration, often requires a prolonged commitment and the understanding that meaningful results may take years or even decades to materialize, underscoring the need for perseverance and dedication in the pursuit of knowledge.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a motivational speech to encourage students pursuing careers in STEM fields.
More from Alan Stern
All quotes →I can't imagine how many kids around the world will look at pictures of Pluto and think, 'I want to grow up to be a scientist.'
If two billion people wanted to watch a robot fly by Pluto, imagine what it will be like when the first humans step on Mars. It'll be the most unifying event anybody could ever put on.
We're going to find Marses and maybe Earths out in the solar system's attic of the Oort Cloud and the Kuiper Belt.
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The time has come when scientific truth must cease to be the property of the few, when it must be woven into the common life of the world.
Submit an agreement providing for the peaceful absorbtion of a celestial races in such a manner that our culture would remain intact with guarantee that their presence not be revealed." "One must consider the fact that mis-identification of these space craft for a intercontinental missile in a re-entry phase of flight could lead to accidental nuclear war with horrible consequences.
Theory-free science makes about as much sense as value-free politics.
There are many who would much prefer that the word 'climate' never be mentioned and that the issue be eliminated from our national conversation.
I think the media can be a very positive influence by essentially holding people to task about the importance of high quality medical care. And when the media is scrutinizing you, then I think that's a very good, positive thing for the field of medicine.
It has not escaped our notice that the specific pairing we have postulated immediately suggests a possible copying mechanism for the genetic material.