THE PLANETARY SOCIETY - 65 North Catalina Avenue Pasadena, California 91106

I am writing you today to make an exciting offer.

Along with Society co- founders Carl Sagan and Bruce Murray, I am pleased to extend to you an exclusive invitation to full Membership in The Planetary Society.

By responding right away, you will be seizing an opportunity to participate in one of the most important space missions of the decade: an extraordinary mission to Mars.

Dear Friend,

I do not exaggerate when I descrlie this as a remarkable opportunity.

You see, private citizens are rarely afforded the chance to directly participate in planetary exploration. But as a Member of The Planetary Society, you will indeed have this once- in- a- lifetime opportunity.

Let me explain how it is that I can make you this offer.

The Planetary Society is the largest and most important private space interest organization in the world. Since our founding 15 years ago, we have grown to more than 100,000 Members in 126 countries.

All this time, we have amassed a reputation for being able to do what governments cannot: to leap international borders, slash bureaucratic red tape, marshall the world's top scientists, and carry out small (but critical) projects in space science at a fraction of their normal cost.

It is precisely because of this reputation in the international space community that the Society was officially invited to participate in the testing and development of the Mars Balloon and Mars Rover...what we believe to_be1srxaial components for future Mars exploration.

Being invited to such unique events was a sure sign that national space agencies recognized the significance of a nonprofit, non- governmental, worldwide organization like the Society. It represented a turning point for international cooperation within the space community.

This participation is continuing even as I write...and you can become a part of it by joinlng us today!

With the Rover's design and mobility established, we have leapt forward to incorporate into it cutting- edge telerobotic and virtual reality technologies...innovations that promise to allow people well beyond the elite scientists within the space community a chance to directly experience planetary exploration in a "hands- on" manner.

It's an historic moment that did not happen accidentally. It happened thanks to our demonstrations, again and again over the past six years, of how a citizen- based space advocacy group can make unique, meaningful contributions to a planetary mission.

These contributions began with our help in developing and testing the innovative Mars Balloon with the French space agency - - more about this exciting new method of planetary exploration to come in a minute. Based on that work, the Russian scientists invited us to participate on the Mars Rover project.

And with that invitation - - with the recognition of the importance of continuing this kind of scientific collaboration - - we successfully advanced the ideal of international cooperation on such missions. We brought American industry and NASA itself into the development of the Rover.

Please understand: to be part of a Mars landing is something our scientific colleagues - - and, I believe, most of our Members as well - - had dreamed about for years.

After all, The Planetary Society was created specifically as a vehicle to enable citizens such as yourself to participate directly these kinds of explorations of the solar system. Nothing brings us closer to realizing this ideal than our work in helping to craft, test, and now upgrade the Mars Rover.

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We started our exploratory efforts when few cooperative engineering or hardware ventures existed between the U.S. and Russia in their planetary programs. That isn't how it should be...but it was a gap the Society was ideally positioned to help bridge.

For one thing, we move quickly WITHOUT high costs and red tape ...a talent mission planners know well and appreciate. They know that we, uniquely, are able to draw together on a minute's notice committed teams of volunteers comprised of scientists and engineers from research labs, universities, and industry...from places like the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, McDonnell- Douglas Corporation, Harvard University, and many more.

But even more important, the world's spacefaring nations know that we at the Society care passionately about planetary exploration.

The fact that the United States and Russia have agreed to work together on Mars missions at every launch opportunity (every 26 months) is due in large part to the Society's advocacy and leadership.

This international cooperation in Mars exploration not only involves the U.S. and Russia, but also France, Germany, other European countries and Japan. On a global level, the Society has helped support the organization of the International Mars Exploration Working Group to coordinate projects among many national agencies.

By accepting my invitation today, you, too, can be a part of our Mars team. And, again, let me emphasize: You will not just be a part

of the exploration of Mars...you will be playing an active role in the entire great enterprise of planetary exploration.

Dozens of Society projects now stand as proud testimony to the vital role citizens - - such as yourself - - can and should play in the world's space programs. For example:

* Before the Mars Rover, there was the Mars Balloon, which I mentioned earlier. We initiated the development of an instrumented guide- rope to permit an elegant method of sampling the soil and atmosphere of Mars at widely distant locations over only a few days. Our role in developing and testing this special technology with French engineers was the first instance of a private citizens' group directly assisting a planned planetary mission.

* Over the years we have sponsoret the largest ana most wellattended public events in the history of planetary exploration...most recently, a worldwide Jupiter Watch program enabling people around the world to share the excitement of the impact of Jupiter by Comet Shoemaker- Levy 9. We continue to use the program as a means to educate a new generation of citizens about the wonders beyond the bounds of Earth and prepare for the Galileo spacecraft's arrival at Jupiter.

* We may be best known for our research in SETI - - the Search tor Extraterrestrial Intelligence. For nine years we've operated the most powerful continuous SETI detection system on Earth: radio telescopes at Harvard, Massachusetts and in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Our Project META scans 8.4 million radio channels simultaneously, searching for possible signals from other civilizations. And within months, META will be replaced by Project BETA, which will scan 6 billion channels. All government programs have been stopped - - only The Planetary Society, on this planet, has a continually operational SETI observation program.

Each of these exciting programs, in its own way, fulfills key ~oriety goals: They further humanitY's understanding of the cosmos. And they advance our ability to explore whatever lies beyond our own Earth. Above all, they enable our Members to directly participate in planetary exploration...one of the most thrilling adventures in history!

Now that is a potent Membership "benefit." But by no means is it all.

As a Planetarv Societv Member YOU will al

informative, full- color magazine, The Planetary Report. This bimonthly publication is gorgeously illustrated and scientifically authoritative - - it will quickly prove to be your best source for upto- the- minute information on the latest discoveries and developments in planetary exploration and science.

Your Membership also entitles you to exclusive discounts on hardto- find space- related merchandise including books, videos, and posters.

And, of course, you will be invited to the many important conferences, lectures, meetings and other special events sponsored by the Society each year.

But beyond these benefits, I hope you see that it is the direct role you'll play in actively supporting planetary exploration that makes it so vital that you become a Member of the Society today.

The future of the Mars Rover project, with telerobotic operation and virtual reality feedback, is uncertain. Yet, it still represents the most stirring opportunity we have ever had to make a direct difference in a major space undertaking. It is an opportunity I refuse to miss...and an opportunity I hope you don't want to miss, either.

But it 1~ a project we must work to make happen. It requires the enthusiastic support of every person who cares about planetary exploration.

A day will come, when with your support, our televisions will light up with dazzling images of the Martian surface - - images nevez before seen by human eyes. On Mars, American and Russian rovers wi slowly cruise over red sands and rocks framed by pink skies. Their cameras will reveal a landscape of huge mountains and strange shapes...vast volcanos hundreds of miles wide and canyons thousands of miles long.

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And as you watch, you will know you made it all possible! That you played an integral role through your involvement in The Planetary Society.

For all of human history, human beings have turned their faces to the sky with wonder, fear, fascination, and yearning. But only OUR generation has actually had the opportunity to break from our earthly bonds and explore the worlds that exist beyond our own.

Please...choose to be more than a passive onlooker in this Era of Discovery. Please, join with The Planetary Society today as an active participant in the intrepid adventure of exploration.

Sincerely,

Louls D. Friedman

Executive Director

P.S. Be sure to send me your reply right away so that you won't miss any of the fast- breaking developments on the Mars Rover, or any of our other exciting projects. And to express our appreciation, we'll send you a special free gift as described on your Membership Enrollment form.