I remember the stories my grandfather told me about the challenges of preparing the Viking landers for their mission to Mars - striking out into the unknown where everything has to go right the first time, millions of miles away. Humanity has come a long way since the 70s, but not far enough. We need to follow our robotic pioneers, advancing ourselves into a multi-planetary civilization, and once again boldly striking out into the unknown to discover a brighter future. I would like to see this future manifest within my life time and will pursue that goal wholeheartedly.