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Press Release

Bill Nye Storms Congress

Planetary Society Petitions Supporting Space Exploration Delivered
Nye Hosts Luncheon Briefing on “New World and New Discoveries”

Washington, D.C. -- Today, Bill Nye, Executive Director of the Planetary Society, delivered more than 20,000 signed petitions supporting space exploration to Congress and the White House. The signatures came from Planetary Society members and supporters around the world.

Click to enlarge > Bill Nye Delivers Petitions to Congress Sept. 9, 2011- Bill Nye, Executive Director of the Planetary Society, left thousands of petitions for the Senate in Washington, DC. The Planetary Society delivered more than 20,000 altogether. Credit: Planetary Society

The text of the petitions read:
“I implore you to support NASA in its primary mission of space exploration. Please take a stand against letting vested interests legislate how to build rockets, while precious opportunities to advance science, technology and space exploration pass us by. By pioneering space exploration, NASA creates scientific and economic value for the future of our world.”

The Planetary Society collected the signatures over a several-month-long campaign. Through letters and a web site, space-exploration supporters contributed their names as a demonstration to policy-makers that there is widespread popular support – in the United States and around the world -- for learning about our solar system and the universe around us.

Over 31 years, the Planetary Society has conducted many petition campaigns, including a call to save the mission to Pluto. After the U.S. Administration cancelled it twice, NASA claimed its budget couldn't cover it, and Congress cut its funding, Planetary Society members and supporters rallied to save the mission – and now the New Horizons spacecraft is on its way to visit Pluto and other denizens of the Kuiper Belt.

After delivering the petitions from this latest campaign, Bill Nye hosted a luncheon at the U.S. House of Representatives for congressmen and their staffs. Titled "New Worlds and New Discoveries in Planetary Science," the luncheon included presentations from leading scientists about amazing recent discoveries, upcoming missions to the Moon, Jupiter and the latest Mars rover, and a discussion of the challenges ahead of sustaining a vibrant and exciting planetary science program.

About the Planetary Society

The Planetary Society has inspired millions of people to explore other worlds and seek other life. Today, its international membership makes the non-governmental Planetary Society the largest space interest group in the world.  Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray and Louis Friedman founded the Planetary Society in 1980.  Bill Nye, a long time member of the Planetary Society's Board, is now the Executive Director.