Would not a rational society spend more on understanding and preventing, than on preparing for, the next war? - Carl Sagan

The dangers that we face are part of the process, now well underway, of the unification of the planet — in language, culture, science, and commerce. They are both driven by the identical technological advances — this critical and delicate time coincides with the widespread availability of nuclear weapons. At the present rate of change, it seems likely that in the period between now and 2061, the turning point for the human species will have been reached.

If we survive until then, our passage to the next apparition of Halley's Comet should be comparatively easy. That perihelion passage will be in March 2134, when the comet will make an unusually close encounter with the Earth. It will come as close as 0.09AU or 14 million kilometers, less than half the distance of the 1910 encounter. It will then be brighter than the brightest star. If there are those to do the commemorating, the years 2061 and 2134 should be celebrated for the courage, intelligence, and common purpose of a species forced by urgent necessity to come to its senses.

Apart from a thin film of life at the very surface of the Earth, an occasional intrepid spacecraft, and some radio static, our impact on the Universe is nil. It knows nothing of us.

Wahana-wahana ini telah mengajarkan kita tentang keajaiban dunia lain, tentang keunikan dan kerapuhan dunia kita sendiri, tentang awal dan akhir. Keduanya memberikan kita akses ke sebagian besar Tata Surya — baik dari segi jangkauan maupun massa. Keduanya adalah wahana pertama yang menjelajahi tempat yang mungkin akan menjadi kampung halaman keturunan kita di masa depan yang jauh.