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Date: Wed, 01 Dec 1999 03:15:11 -0500
To: info@thinkmars.net
From: Think Mars <info@thinkmars.net>
Subject: Think Mars invites you to sign the Mars Petition
On the eve of the Mars Polar Landing touchdown, show your support for the human exploration of Mars by signing the Mars Petition at http://thinkmars.net/petition.html
Our target is 1 million names by November 2000, so we need your help. You are welcome to pass this email on to friends, colleagues and family.
The Mars Petition
The time has come for humanity to journey to Mars.
Humanity yearns for a challenge, one that will let us exercise the limitless potential, now dormant, that lies waiting within ourselves. The prospects facing our generation have never been greater; with world peace, unprecedented economic growth, and extraordinary technological innovation, we find ourselves at the threshold of a new millennium of opportunity. The human exploration of Mars will be our generation's crowning achievement.
We must go for the knowledge of Mars. Finding evidence of life on Mars would demonstrate that the origin of life is not unique to the Earth, and, by implication, reveal a universe that is filled with life and most likely intelligence as well. This would be the most important scientific enlightenment since Copernicus' discoveries.
We must also go for the knowledge of Earth. Mars, the planet most like Earth, is believed to have had a wet climate and can help us understand the impact of climactic change on our home world. The knowledge we gain could be key to our survival.
We call upon the leaders of the world to commit to the immediate human exploration of Mars. It is our wish that, in the spirit of history's greatest explorers, the first humans will set foot on Mars by 2015, with the ultimate goal of developing a sustained presence. We urge our leaders to have the vision to provide for the citizens they represent a future without limits, one that matches our potential and our country's greatness, and is worthy of the dreams of our children.
Believing therefore that the exploration and settlement of Mars represent the greatest human endeavor of our time, I add my signature to the Mars Petition.
Sign the Mars Petition at http://thinkmars.net/petition.html