You may have heard or read that The Planetary Society recently received the largest gift in its history, $4.2 million. A donor, who wants to remain anonymous, joined us on-line earlier this year. For about a year, this person had watched us, and what we do, and decided to make this fantastic contribution. It will revolutionize the Society.
In the next few weeks we will be able to hire a number of new people, who will help us realize our potential and, as I so often remark, change the world. With this influx of funds, we can advance our mission: Empowering the world’s citizens to advance space science and exploration. People everywhere can know the cosmos and our place within it.
As the CEO, I cannot help but tell you all that this is a result of our dedicated membership and everyone here doing her and his job. Our bloggers produce first-rate journalism and informative pieces about space exploration. They tell you about the technical, political, and inspirational aspects of space with uncanny insight. Our projects fill much-needed niches – truly advancing space exploration. Our space advocacy work is unparalleled and becoming more effective everyday. Our anonymous donor noticed this good work and the smooth efficiency of the organization and wanted very much to support us. It’s just great news for all of us and for space exploration.
I’m looking forward to interviewing and hiring some new employees. I’m looking forward to doing more for our existing members and engaging new members. I’m excited about leading the space community and influencing planetary science policy. It’s easy to imagine expanding our educational work to benefit schools and the general public. With this gift, we can just do more of what we do to advance humankind’s exploration of outer space and our planetary neighbors.
