If you were captivated by the pages of Odyssey Magazine as a child, if you dreamed of attending Space Camp, or if you exhilarated at the livestream of the Curiosity rover's historic landing on Mars in 2012, then you will surely be inspired by Dave Eggers’ recent visit to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). This visit brings the tantalizing prospect of extraterrestrial life closer than ever before.

At the heart of JPL's innovations is a delightful contrast between the intense focus of the Microdevices Lab and the effervescent personality of Siegler, NASA’s chief technologist for the exoplanet program. Unlike his colleagues, Siegler is loud, engaging, and has an infectious sense of humor. During the visit, he showcased a groundbreaking technology that, similar to the moon telescope advocated by the late Nancy Grace Roman, may not reach the stars but has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the universe if it does.

What he proposed is nothing short of extraordinary—a massive, origami-like space structure adorned with gold foil that, if realized, would be larger than a football field. Such an ambitious project could help us uncover the secrets of distant worlds and even search for signs of life beyond our solar system. The need to rally public support for this initiative is crucial; it deserves a massive write-in campaign to ensure its development.

Exploring other planets has never felt so achievable, and the efforts at NASA continue to propel humanity closer to the stars. With stars in our eyes and technology in our hands, who knows what discoveries await us in the coming decade? The pursuit of knowledge about our place in the cosmos is more than a mission; it's a collective dream that might just come to fruition if we advocate passionately for it!