"...we are told that, although the arguments for planetary exploration are widely understood in government, they are not supported by the people. We are told that spending money on planetary exploration—on the discovery of where we are, who we are, what our history and fate may be—is unpopular, that it is a political liability to support such ventures.

And yet there is evidence of enormous support and enthusiasm for the exploration of the planets... In puzzling over this apparent paradox, it became clear to me and a number of my colleagues that the solution would be a non-profit, tax-exempt, public membership organization devoted to the exploration of the planets and related themes... If such an organization had a substantial membership, its mere existence would counter the argument that planetary exploration is unpopular."

—Carl Sagan, co-founder of The Planetary Society

The Adventure of the Planets, The Planetary Report, 1980