Why We Should Go to Mars
Carl Sagan
Jonathan
Apr 26, 202629 October 1988Austin, TX — American Astronomical Society meeting
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Sagan's lecture at the American Astronomical Society Austin meeting, arguing a joint US-Soviet Mars mission could help avert global conflict; touches on H.G. Wells, Percival Lowell, and science fiction's framing of Mars.
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Summary
The speaker argues for a joint U.S.-Soviet Mars program as a unifying, technologically feasible, and historically transformative goal for NASA. He contrasts Mars with a lunar base, emphasizes international cooperation and public support, and frames space exploration as a path toward global hope and human advancement.
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