Dreams Are Maps: Exploration and Human Purpose

An Essay by Carl Sagan

Editor's Note: Former Planetary Society President Carl Sagan died on December 20, 1996 o !ne"monia ater a
!rolonged illness# $%is essay is re!rinted rom t%e Se!tember&'ctober 1992 iss"e o $%e Planetary (e!ort#
) *no+ +%ere ) +as +%en t%e S!ace ,ge began# )n early 'ctober 19-., ) +as a grad"ate
st"dent at t%e /ni0ersity o C%icago, +or*ing to+ard a doctorate in !lanetary astronomy# $%e
!re0io"s year, +%en 1ars +as t%e closest it e0er gets to Eart%, ) %ad been at t%e 1cDonald
'bser0atory in $e2as, !eering t%ro"g% t%e telesco!e and trying to "nderstand somet%ing o
+%at o"r neig%boring +orld is li*e# 3"t t%ere %ad been d"st storms on bot% !lanets, and 1ars
+as 40 million miles a+ay# 5%en yo"'re st"c* on t%e s"race o Eart%, t%ose ot%er +orlds,
%o+e0er tantali6ing, are inaccessible#
) +as s"re t%at someday s!acelig%t +o"ld be !ossible# ) *ne+ somet%ing abo"t t%e ,merican
roc*et !ioneer, (obert 7oddard, and 892 roc*ets, Pro:ect 8ang"ard and e0en So0iet
!rono"ncements earlier in t%e 19-0s abo"t t%eir "ltimate intentions to e2!lore t%e !lanets#
3"t des!ite all t%at, S!"tni* 1 ca"g%t me by s"r!rise# ) %adn't imagined t%at t%e So0iets +o"ld
beat t%e /nited States to Eart% orbit, and ) +as startled by t%e large !ayload ;+%ic%, /S
commentators claimed, m"st %a0e been re!orted +it% a mis!laced decimal !oint<# =ere t%e
satellite +as, bee!ing a+ay, eortlessly circling t%e Eart% e0ery 90 min"tes, and my %eart
soared99beca"se it meant t%at +e +o"ld be going to t%e !lanets in my lietime# $%e dreams o
0isionary engineers and +riters99>onstantin $siol*o0s*y, 7oddard, 5ern%er 0on 3ra"n, =#7#
5ells, Edgar (ice 3"rro"g%s99+ere abo"t to be "lilled#
S!"tni* 1, in 19-., +as t%e irst artiact o t%e %"man s!ecies to orbit Eart%# 1ariner 2, in 1962,
+as t%e irst s!acecrat to e2!lore anot%er !lanet, 8en"s# $%ese t+o ac%ie0ements99one So0iet,
t%e ot%er ,merican99mar* a ne+ age o e2!loration, a ne+ direction or o"r s!ecies: t%e
e2tension o t%e %"man !resence to ot%er +orlds#
5e %a0e al+ays been e2!lorers# )t is !art o o"r nat"re# Since +e irst e0ol0ed a million years or
so ago in ,rica, +e %a0e +andered and e2!lored o"r +ay across t%e !lanet# $%ere are no+
%"mans on e0ery continent99rom !ole to !ole, rom 1o"nt E0erest to t%e Dead Sea99on t%e
ocean bottoms and in residence 200 miles "! in t%e s*y#
$%e irst large9scale migration rom t%e 'ld 5orld to t%e Ne+ %a!!ened d"ring t%e last ice
age, aro"nd 11,-00 years ago, +%en t%e gro+ing !olar ice ca!s s%allo+ed t%e oceans and
made it !ossible to +al* on dry land rom Siberia to ,las*a# , t%o"sand years later, +e +ere in
$ierra del F"ego, t%e so"t%ern ti! o So"t% ,merica# ?ong beore Col"mb"s, !eo!le rom
3orneo settled 1adagascar, o t%e ,rican coast@ )ndonesians in o"trigger canoes e2!lored t%e
+estern Paciic@ and a great leet o oceangoing :"n*s rom 1ing Dynasty C%ina crisscrossed
t%e )ndian 'cean, establis%ed a base in Aan6ibar, ro"nded t%e so"t%ern ti! o ,rica and
entered t%e ,tlantic 'cean# )n t%e 1Bt% and 19t% cent"ries, ,merican and ("ssian e2!lorers,
traders and settlers +ere racing +est and east across t+o 0ast continents to t%e Paciic# $%is
e2!loratory "rge %as clear s"r0i0al 0al"e# )t is not restricted to any one nation or et%nic gro"!#
)t is an endo+ment t%at t%e %"man s!ecies %olds in common#
,t :"st t%e time +%en Eart% %as become almost entirely e2!lored, ot%er +orlds bec*on# $%e
nations t%at %a0e !ioneered t%is ne+ age o e2!loration are t%e ormer So0iet /nion and t%e
/S99moti0ated nationalistically, o co"rse, b"t ser0ing as +ell as t%e 0ang"ard o o"r s!ecies in
s!ace# $%eir combined ac%ie0ements are t%e st" o legend# 5e %"mans %a0e sent robots,
t%en animals and t%en o"rsel0es abo0e t%e bl"e s*ies o Eart% into t%e blac* inter!lanetary
0oid# $%e oot!rints o 12 o "s are scattered across t%e l"nar s"race, +%ere t%ey +ill last a
million years# 5e %a0e lo+n by some 60 ne+ +orlds, many o t%em disco0ered in t%e !rocess#
'"r s%i!s %a0e set gently do+n on scorc%ing 8en"s and c%illy 1ars, ret"rning images o t%eir
s"races and searc%ing or lie# 'nce abo0e o"r blan*et o air, +e %a0e t"rned o"r telesco!es
into t%e de!t%s o s!ace and bac* on o"r small !lanet to see it all as one interconnected and
interde!endent +%ole# 5e %a0e la"nc%ed artiicial moons and artiicial !lanets, and +e %a0e
sent o"r s!acecrat on t%eir +ay to t%e stars#
From t%e stand!oint o a cent"ry ago, t%ese accom!lis%ments are breat%ta*ing# From a longer
!ers!ecti0e, t%ey are myt%ic# ) +e manage to a0oid sel9destr"ction, so t%at t%ere are "t"re
%istorians, o"r time +ill be remembered in !art beca"se t%is +as +%en +e irst set sail or
ot%er +orlds# )n t%e long r"n, as +e straig%ten t%ings o"t do+n %ere, t%ere +ill be more o "s
"! t%ere# $%ere +ill be robot emissaries and %"man o"t!osts t%ro"g%o"t t%e solar system# 5e
+ill become a m"lti!lanet s!ecies#
5e are not moti0ated by gold or s!ices or sla0es or a !assion to con0ert t%e %eat%en to t%e
'ne $r"e Fait%, as +ere t%e E"ro!ean e2!lorers o t%e 1-t% and 16t% cent"ries# '"r goals
incl"de e2!loration, science and tec%nology, ed"cation, national !restige and a recognition
t%at t%e "t"re is calling# $%ere is a 0ery !ractical reason as +ell: 5e can ta*e better care o
Eart% ;and its in%abitants< by st"dying it rom s!ace and by com!aring it +it% ot%er +orlds#
3"t +%ate0er o"r reasons, +e are on o"r +ay# 5e ad0ance by its and starts@ t%ere are deto"rs
and ail"res o ner0e# )n t%e long r"n, it's getting c%ea!er and easier to go into s!ace, and
t%ere is !rogressi0ely more or "s to do t%ere#
'nly a %and"l o nations %a0e access to s!ace at t%e moment, b"t t%eir n"mber is increasing#
France and C%ina are no+ liting commercial !ayloads or a !roit# Ca!an and t%e E"ro!ean
S!ace ,gency, in 19B6, m"stered t%eir irst, e2tremely s"ccess"l missions into inter!lanetary
s!ace# $%ere +ill be ot%er s!acearing nations in t%e ne2t e+ decades# 't%ers may lose t%eir
determination and t%eir 0ision, as did Port"gal, +%ic% trailbla6ed t%e great sailing9s%i!
0oyages o disco0ery and t%en grad"ally san* into obsc"rity#
5it% t%e com!etiti0e im!et"s o t%e Cold 5ar o0er, t%e So0iet /nion %a0ing nearly
disintegrated and t%e /S acing gra0e iscal and ot%er domestic !roblems, it is concei0able
t%at t%ose nations t%at !ioneered t%e early e2!loration o s!ace +ill not be engaged in t%e
enter!rise +%en its real r"its begin to be %ar0ested# 3"t t%is need not be t%e case, and +it% a
real dedication to international coo!eration99trimming costs and !ooling reso"rces99) belie0e
t%at t%e %"man s!ecies +ill be "lly able to contin"e its e2!loring#
)t %as been my good ort"ne to %a0e !artici!ated, rom t%e beginning, in t%is ne+ age o
e2!loration@ to %a0e +or*ed +it% t%ose glistening 1ariners, ,!ollos, Pioneers, 8i*ings and
8oyagers in t%eir :o"rneys bet+een t%e +orlds, a tec%nology t%at %armed no one, t%at e0en
,merica's ad0ersaries admired and res!ected@ to %a0e !layed some !art in t%e !reliminary
reconnaissance o t%e solar system in +%ic% +e li0e# ) eel t%e same :oy today in t%ese
e2!loratory tri"m!%s t%at ) did +%en S!"tni* 1 irst circ"mna0igated Eart%, +%en o"r
e2!ectations o +%at tec%nology co"ld do or "s +ere nearly bo"ndless#
3"t since t%at time, somet%ing %as so"red# $%e antici!ation o !rogress %as been s"!!lanted
by a oreboding o tec%nological r"in# ) loo* into my c%ildren's eyes and as* mysel +%at *ind
o "t"re +e are !re!aring or t%em# 5e %a0e oered t%em 0isions o a "t"re in +%ic%99
"nable to read, to t%in*, to in0ent, to com!ete, to ma*e t%ings +or*, to antici!ate e0ents99o"r
nation sin*s into let%argy and economic decay@ in +%ic% ignorance and greed cons!ire to
destroy t%e air, t%e +ater, t%e soil and t%e climate@ in +%ic%, +it% o0er -0,000 n"clear +ar%eads
still in e2istence, +e !ermit a n"clear %oloca"st# $%e 0isions +e !resent to o"r c%ildren s%a!e
t%e "t"re# )t matters +%at t%ose 0isions are# 'ten t%ey become sel9"lilling !ro!%ecies#
Dreams are ma!s#
) do not t%in* it irres!onsible to !ortray e0en t%e direst "t"res@ i +e are to a0oid t%em, +e
m"st "nderstand t%at t%ey are !ossible# 3"t +%ere are t%e alternati0esD 5%ere are t%e dreams
t%at moti0ate and ins!ireD 5%ere are t%e 0isions o %o!e"l "t"res, o times +%en tec%nology
is a tool or %"man +ell9being and not a g"n on %air trigger !ointed at o"r %eadsD '"r
c%ildren long or realistic ma!s o a "t"re t%ey ;and +e< can be !ro"d o# 5%ere are t%e
cartogra!%ers o %"man !"r!oseD
Contin"ing, coo!erati0e !lanetary e2!loration cannot sol0e all o"r !roblems# )t is merely one
com!onent o a sol"tion# 3"t it is !ractical, readily "nderstood, cost9eecti0e, !eace"l and
stirring# ?i*e $om Paine, ) belie0e it is o"r res!onsibility to create a "t"re +ort%y o o"r
c%ildren, to "lill t%e !romise made decades ago by S!"tni* 1 and 1ariner 2, to o!en "! t%e
"ni0erse to t%ose intre!id e2!lorers rom !lanet Eart%#
Carl Sagan, t%e Da0id D"ncan Proessor o ,stronomy and S!ace Sciences and Director o t%e ?aboratory or
Planetary St"dies at Cornell /ni0ersity, is a reci!ient o t%e E2!lorers Cl"b .-t% ,nni0ersary ,+ard Eor
ac%ie0ements in "rt%ering t%e s!irit o e2!loration#E
Co!yrig%t 19B. by Carl Sagan# (e!rinted rom Parade#
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Format&PDF&$orrent by Dodeca%edron ;2009<#