--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every person who went into the space…" description: "\"Every person who went into the space industry did so because they looked up at the sky and were fascinated by it - not because they wanted to make a mi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/trevor-paglen-4201_person_every-person-who-went-into-the-space-ind_2025416.png" --- # Every person who went into the space industry did so… ![“Every person who went into the space industry did so because they looked up at the sky and were fascinated by it - not because they wanted to make a military or commercial object.” quote by Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/trevor-paglen-4201_person_every-person-who-went-into-the-space-ind_2025416.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/trevor-paglen-4201_person_every-person-who-went-into-the-space-ind_2025416.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/trevor-paglen-4201_person_every-person-who-went-into-the-space-ind_2025416.png) > “Every person who went into the space industry did so because they looked up at the sky and were fascinated by it - not because they wanted to make a military or commercial object.” [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Space work stems from curiosity about the cosmos, not commercial or military aims. **In simple terms:** Space explorers are driven by awe of the sky. Key Takeaway Pursue curiosity over profit. Themes exploration curiosity motivation Mood inspirational contemplative Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career choices - educational outreach - policy making Key Concepts Astronomy human aspiration Questions to Reflect On - Why do you look up at the sky? - How can curiosity shape your work? A Different Perspective Funding often ties to strategic goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sky/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) ## Related quotes > [We humans have always looked to the sky as a sounding board for asking big questions about ourselves: Who are we? Where did we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/we-humans-have-always-looked-to-the-sky-as-a-sounding-board-for/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [What 'Industry' did was make me more sympathetic towards them. If I passed some bros on the street, I'd be like, 'ugh.' And now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myha-la/what-industry-did-was-make-me-more-sympathetic-towards-them-if-i/) [Myha'la](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myha-la/) > [I had pretty much done it all before I went into space. So when the opportunity came, I went along. It was that simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakesh-sharma/i-had-pretty-much-done-it-all-before-i-went-into-space-so-when-the/) [Rakesh Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakesh-sharma/) > [Patiently and with industry did I apply myself to study, for although I felt the impossibility of giving life to my productions, I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-james-audubon/patiently-and-with-industry-did-i-apply-myself-to-study-for-although/) [John James Audubon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-james-audubon/) > [In 2009 I went up on the space shuttle. I was in space for 16 days and docked at the space station for 11…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-marshburn/in-2009-i-went-up-on-the-space-shuttle-i-was-in-space-for-16-days-and/) [Thomas Marshburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-marshburn/) > [There were about six years when there was not one American who went into space. We shouldn't do that again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/there-were-about-six-years-when-there-was-not-one-american-who-went/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [I did not label myself 'plus size.' The fashion industry did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iskra-lawrence/i-did-not-label-myself-plus-size-the-fashion-industry-did/) [Iskra Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iskra-lawrence/) > [I was determined to be an actor and make a name in the industry, and hence, I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawazuddin-siddiqui/i-was-determined-to-be-an-actor-and-make-a-name-in-the-industry-and/) [Nawazuddin Siddiqui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawazuddin-siddiqui/) > [The first time I went into space was just so much more than you could imagine or prepare yourself for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-whitson/the-first-time-i-went-into-space-was-just-so-much-more-than-you-could/) [Peggy Whitson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-whitson/) > [My first mission was six and a half months. 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But I think they're still in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mayne/we-live-in-an-incredible-age-people-like-laney-get-it-so-do-some-of/) [Andrew Mayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mayne/) > [Given the role that the space industry plays in our state, it was important for me to speak with former Senator Bill Nelson and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-tuberville/given-the-role-that-the-space-industry-plays-in-our-state-it-was/) [Tommy Tuberville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-tuberville/) > [Whether or not people go into space or serve the space industry, they will have the sensitivity to those fields necessary to stimulate unending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/whether-or-not-people-go-into-space-or-serve-the-space-industry-they/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The commercial space industry owes a huge debt to Patti Grace Smith. There might not be a commercial spaceflight industry were it not for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-pittman/the-commercial-space-industry-owes-a-huge-debt-to-patti-grace-smith/) [Bruce Pittman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-pittman/) ## More by Trevor Paglen > [I believe that art can make relevant and progressive contributions to culture and society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/i-believe-that-art-can-make-relevant-and-progressive-contributions-to/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [Photography has become so fundamental to the way we see that 'photography' and 'seeing' are becoming more and more synonymous. The ubiquity of photography…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/photography-has-become-so-fundamental-to-the-way-we-see-that/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [I'm pretty cynical about the future, but I feel like that's not an ethical position for me to take. It's not okay for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/i-m-pretty-cynical-about-the-future-but-i-feel-like-that-s-not-an/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [Civilian law around aviation is much looser than those governing military. Civilian planes can basically fly wherever they want in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/civilian-law-around-aviation-is-much-looser-than-those-governing/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [I think the automation of vision is a much bigger deal than the invention of perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/i-think-the-automation-of-vision-is-a-much-bigger-deal-than-the/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [Many of the things that shape the way the world looks are, quite frankly, invisible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/many-of-the-things-that-shape-the-way-the-world-looks-are-quite/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [Geosynchronous spacecraft will be among civilization's most enduring remnants, quietly circling Earth until the Earth is no more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/geosynchronous-spacecraft-will-be-among-civilization-s-most-enduring/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [Traditionally, images have functioned as representations of something in the world, but we are quickly approaching the point where vast majority of images are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/traditionally-images-have-functioned-as-representations-of-something/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [Images can make realities out of people and struggles - the reality we give them. Images really matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/images-can-make-realities-out-of-people-and-struggles-the-reality-we/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [It's productive and fun to try interpreting cave paintings, but ultimately, they can't teach us anything beyond what we imagine them to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/it-s-productive-and-fun-to-try-interpreting-cave-paintings-but/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [Anything humans can do in space, robots can do better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/anything-humans-can-do-in-space-robots-can-do-better/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [Before Christianity became the Roman Empire's official religion in the 4th Century, 'mystery religions,' organized around a central canon of secret knowledge, were widespread.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/before-christianity-became-the-roman-empire-s-official-religion-in/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [When we look up into the starry night sky, we tend to see reflections of ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/when-we-look-up-into-the-starry-night-sky-we-tend-to-see-reflections/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [“The CIA, an agency designed to operate outside the law, was now free to pursue its vision of a new world, to create new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/the-cia-an-agency-designed-to-operate-outside-the-law-was-now-free-to/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) > [Once, I got lost in the middle of the desert and had to follow the North Star to find the dirt road where my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/once-i-got-lost-in-the-middle-of-the-desert-and-had-to-follow-the/) [Trevor Paglen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) [Explore all 114 Trevor Paglen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/) ## More Person quotes > [“Always resemble yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-white/always-resemble-yourself/) Cynthia White > [“They're threatened by you,' she said. 'You chose to do something they'd never have the gumption to choose for themselves. Being their own person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/they-re-threatened-by-you-she-said-you-chose-to-do-something-they-d/) [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) > [I think a person has to just be herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-nixon/i-think-a-person-has-to-just-be-herself/) [Pat Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-nixon/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [If you’re a person struggling to eat and stay healthy you might have heard about Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali, but you’ll never have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/if-you-re-a-person-struggling-to-eat-and-stay-healthy-you-might-have/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Sometimes, the person you trust most is the one who trusts you the least.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/sometimes-the-person-you-trust-most-is-the-one-who-trusts-you-the/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [I sound New York. I sound East Coast much more than a blonde person from L.A.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kavner/i-sound-new-york-i-sound-east-coast-much-more-than-a-blonde-person/) [Julie Kavner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kavner/) > [If you expect the worst from a person you can never be disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/if-you-expect-the-worst-from-a-person-you-can-never-be-disappointed/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [I always wanted to make sure that within my unit that I was never the weak person. So I made sure that my physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carmouche/i-always-wanted-to-make-sure-that-within-my-unit-that-i-was-never-the/) [Liz Carmouche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carmouche/) > [I'd love to talk to myself at 40 and see what I've achieved and what I feel... but I will just be the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/i-d-love-to-talk-to-myself-at-40-and-see-what-i-ve-achieved-and-what/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [I'm not the sort of person who would want to just lie on the sofa watching TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-kvitova/i-m-not-the-sort-of-person-who-would-want-to-just-lie-on-the-sofa/) [Petra Kvitova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-kvitova/) > [Just be what it is that you are, and that is just fine. You don't have to be what you're not in any way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/just-be-what-it-is-that-you-are-and-that-is-just-fine-you-don-t-have/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Be proud of who you are & who you represent.You are unique, there is no other exactly like you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/be-proud-of-who-you-are-who-you-represent-you-are-unique-there-is-no/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [“if you act (and dress) as if you have a fascinating inner life, you may soon find that you actually do—and that you feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/if-you-act-and-dress-as-if-you-have-a-fascinating-inner-life-you-may/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) Browse all 19,722 Person quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Every person who went into the space industry did so because they looked up at the sky and were fascinated by it - not because they wanted to make a military or commercial object.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Trevor Paglen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/every-person-who-went-into-the-space-industry-did-so-because-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Person" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/every-person-who-went-into-the-space-industry-did-so-because-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/trevor-paglen-4201_person_every-person-who-went-into-the-space-ind_2025416.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/trevor-paglen-4201_person_every-person-who-went-into-the-space-ind_2025416.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d16/trevor-paglen-4201_person_every-person-who-went-into-the-space-ind_2025416.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Every person who went into the space industry did so because they looked up at the sky and were fascinated…” — Trevor Paglen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Trevor Paglen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-paglen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Every person who went into the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/every-person-who-went-into-the-space-industry-did-so-because-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-paglen/every-person-who-went-into-the-space-industry-did-so-because-they/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```