When it comes to space exploration, what constitutes the “pursuit of the extraordinary?” Is it exploring and colonizing Mars? No, said NASA astronaut Dr. Mae C. Jemison, Mars is not an “audacious” enough goal. We should be pursuing interstellar travel — shooting for another star — Jemison said in a lecture on Jan. 23 at the nonprofit RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California.

Jemison, who made history in 1992 as the first woman of color to go into space, delivered RAND's 11th Haskins Lecture on Science Policy. The endowed lecture series supports visits to RAND by prominent scientists and scientific entrepreneurs. Jemison's talk focused on the vital role science plays in our lives—from the technology that powers our smart phones to the algorithms used for medical imaging — and the importance of continued investment in research and technology.

"The way we move ahead is by doing bold things," said Jemison, who leads 100 Year Starship, a nonprofit initiative devoted to making human interstellar flight possible within the next 100 years. Society continues to benefit from the commitment made to science research and space exploration decades ago, she said. One example she gave of this was DNA sequencing performed in the 1950s and 1960s that enabled science's current biotechnology capabilities.

Read the full article about bold goals in space travel and how society can benefit by Sara Rouche at rand.org.