To Venture on Wilder Seas

Abstract

We continue to dream of sailing wilder seas to ever-more distant shores and the skies above them. No longer do our robot explorers skirt our terrestrial harbor, but rather, venture to the outer reaches of our Solar System. History shows us that the natural outgrowth of robotic exploration is often human adventure. The Wood’s Hole research vessel Knorr discovered the wreck of the Titanic, and Robert Ballard’s team sent robots to journey across its decks, down its staircases, and over its debris fields. But once that was done, tourists ventured into the abyss to witness the site of the historic sunken ship. The Rangers, Lunas, and Surveyors stood as precursors to human lunar voyagers. Even the eighteenth-century Montgolfiers, with their crew of farmyard animals, set their sights on going up in a balloon themselves.