Why Man Explores

The question, "why explore?" pertains less to the Viking I expedition in particular than to the nature of the human mind in general, We are here to consider not just the phenomenon of a journey to Mars but the phenomenon of intelligence. The fact that we can conceive of the inconceivable, and comprehend the incomprehensible, is perhaps the highest exercise of the human brain, symbolized so dramatically by the exploration of Mars. Conference Proceedings on the topic of human exploration.

With:
Norman Cousins
Ray Bradbury
Jacques Cousteau
James Michener
Philip Morrison

16,460 words, original print: 1976