A MEETING WITH THE UNIVERSE
Chapter 7-8
The View Ahead
From our new vantage point, the universe
awaits us, still holding the answers
to unexplored questions. What
are the mechanisms that sustain the
tremendous energy sources that we
have found in space? What is the
surface of Venus like, and why is it
apparently so different from those of
the other terrestrial planets? How will
the Sun affect our weather and climate
in the future? What are we doing
to our own atmosphere, and what are
the consequences? Is there life on
Mars? Or elsewhere? Can people live
and work permanently in space?
Finding the answers to these
questions depends on us. We see no
technical barriers to going further into
space or to living there. How we proceed
depends on our purpose, our
will, and on economic, political, and
cultural factors that are beyond scientific
calculation. The lesson of space
explorations so far is simple: We can
go on if we want to. The future is in
our hands.
