Launch of the Curiosity rover in 2011, heading for Mars
all across the solar system as you are standing there. So you will be seeing – depending on the time you walk in – data coming from the rovers on Mars, or from spacecraft around Saturn, or from spacecraft around Jupiter. As you are standing in that room... and it’s very humbling to see what humanity has accomplished by sending spacecraft across the solar system... People tell me I have the best job in the world, and I tell them you’re right, I do have the best job in the world – because every day we have a new discovery, every day we are doing something new, every day we are exploring... In a sense we are the
Phoenicians of the modern era. We are exploring the world and the universe which is around us, on your behalf, so you all will get to know the nature of the universe which is around us. About 10 months ago we landed a car-sized rover on Mars, called Curiosity. Let me tell you about the challenges of getting to Mars – one is the distance to be travelled. If a Phoenician ship was sailing towards Mars, it would take 10,000 years to get there... If I was driving in my car, like a typical Lebanese driver, at very high speed, not caring about the speed limit, it would take me 175 years to get to Mars... That will give you an idea of