--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first men who set out for Mars had…" description: "\"The first men who set out for Mars had better make sure they leave everything at home in apple-pie order. They won't get back to earth for more than tw..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4f/wernher-von-braun-11841_apple-pie_the-first-men-who-set-out-for-mars-had-b_158344.jpg" --- # The first men who set out for Mars had better make sure… ![“The first men who set out for Mars had better make sure they leave everything at home in apple-pie order. They won't get back to earth for more than two and a half years. The difficulties of a trip to mars are formidable. . . . What curious information will these first explorers carry back from…” quote by Wernher von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4f/wernher-von-braun-11841_apple-pie_the-first-men-who-set-out-for-mars-had-b_158344.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4f/wernher-von-braun-11841_apple-pie_the-first-men-who-set-out-for-mars-had-b_158344.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4f/wernher-von-braun-11841_apple-pie_the-first-men-who-set-out-for-mars-had-b_158344.jpg) > “The first men who set out for Mars had better make sure they leave everything at home in apple-pie order. They won't get back to earth for more than two and a half years. The difficulties of a trip to mars are formidable. . . . What curious information will these first explorers carry back from Mars? Nobody knows-and its extremely doubtful that anyone now living will ever know. All that can be said with certainty today is this: the trip will be made, and will be made . . . someday.” [Wernher von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Explorers must meticulously prepare for long, isolated missions because returning will be uncertain and information scarce. **In simple terms:** Prepare thoroughly for distant, lonely journeys. Key Takeaway Plan every detail before departure. Themes exploration preparation uncertainty future science Mood cautious inspired Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - space travel - long‑duration missions - scientific research Key Concepts mission planning risk management psychological resilience Questions to Reflect On - What can be done to mitigate unforeseen challenges? - How do we balance optimism with realistic risk assessment? A Different Perspective Even with perfect prep, unknown variables can jeopardize success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apple pie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apple-pie/) [Apples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apples/) [Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Explorers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explorers/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Mars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mars/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Pie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pie/) [Predictions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/predictions/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) ## Related quotes > [“Jeremy Mars knows a lot about the planet Mars, although he's never been there. He knows some girls, and yet he doesn't know much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/jeremy-mars-knows-a-lot-about-the-planet-mars-although-he-s-never/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) > [Science may carry us to Mars, but it will leave the earth peopled as ever by the inept.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/science-may-carry-us-to-mars-but-it-will-leave-the-earth-peopled-as/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) > [Is a one-way trip to Mars ever really seriously going to happen? Surely that's morally reprehensible. However old people are, however much they say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-sharman/is-a-one-way-trip-to-mars-ever-really-seriously-going-to-happen/) [Helen Sharman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-sharman/) > [Actually, we did a fun April Fools' thing with Google a couple of years ago, which we called Virgle. And we looked for volunteers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/actually-we-did-a-fun-april-fools-thing-with-google-a-couple-of-years/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [The trip to Mars can only be understood through Black Americans. I say, the trip to Mars can only be understood through Black Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/the-trip-to-mars-can-only-be-understood-through-black-americans-i-say/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [There is beauty in space, and it is orderly. There is no weather, and there is regularity. It is predictable. Just look at our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wernher-von-braun/there-is-beauty-in-space-and-it-is-orderly-there-is-no-weather-and/) [Wernher von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/) > [With God's help, I've not had a drink in nine and a half years. That's my whole story right there. And because of that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ringo-starr/with-god-s-help-i-ve-not-had-a-drink-in-nine-and-a-half-years-that-s/) [Ringo Starr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ringo-starr/) > [Directing takes a lot longer than acting. This was about seven years in development, and then two and a half years with pre-production, production,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-schwimmer/directing-takes-a-lot-longer-than-acting-this-was-about-seven-years/) [David Schwimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-schwimmer/) > [I am in favor of the European institutions being led for the next two-and-a-half years as they have been thus far. We need stability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-claude-juncker/i-am-in-favor-of-the-european-institutions-being-led-for-the-next-two/) [Jean-Claude Juncker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-claude-juncker/) > [ It was a wonderful opportunity. And so for two and a half years we lived with \[Bernard\] Leach. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/it-was-a-wonderful-opportunity-and-so-for-two-and-a-half-years-we/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [I still think of myself as the new kid, even though I've been on the air for two and a half years. But my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/i-still-think-of-myself-as-the-new-kid-even-though-i-ve-been-on-the/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [If I had means, I would like to spend half a year in Palestine in order to contemplate what has been, and half a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janusz-korczak/if-i-had-means-i-would-like-to-spend-half-a-year-in-palestine-in/) [Janusz Korczak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janusz-korczak/) > [“My heart tumbled in pieces at her feet as she chipped away at it with her wondrous ways, and it didn't form a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fisher-amelie/my-heart-tumbled-in-pieces-at-her-feet-as-she-chipped-away-at-it-with/) [Fisher Amelie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fisher-amelie/) > [When you look at our trade deals that are so bad. Our debt has doubled in seven and a half years to almost $20…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/when-you-look-at-our-trade-deals-that-are-so-bad-our-debt-has-doubled/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I spent 24 and a half years in prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-ben-bella/i-spent-24-and-a-half-years-in-prison/) [Ahmed Ben Bella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-ben-bella/) ## More by Wernher von Braun > [Can a physicist visualize an electron? The electron is materially inconceivable and yet, it is so perfectly known through its effects that we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wernher-von-braun/can-a-physicist-visualize-an-electron-the-electron-is-materially/) [Wernher von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/) > [What we will have attained when Neil Armstrong steps down upon the moon is a completely new step in the evolution of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wernher-von-braun/what-we-will-have-attained-when-neil-armstrong-steps-down-upon-the/) [Wernher von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/) > [I only hope that we shall not wait to adopt the program until after our astronomers have reported a new and unsuspected asteroid moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wernher-von-braun/i-only-hope-that-we-shall-not-wait-to-adopt-the-program-until-after/) [Wernher von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/) > [For me, the idea of a creation is not conceivable without invoking the necessity of design. One cannot be exposed to the law and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wernher-von-braun/for-me-the-idea-of-a-creation-is-not-conceivable-without-invoking-the/) [Wernher von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/) > [In 1492 Columbus knew less about the far Atlantic than we do about the heavens, yet he chose not to sail with a flotilla…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wernher-von-braun/in-1492-columbus-knew-less-about-the-far-atlantic-than-we-do-about/) [Wernher von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/) > [Although I know of no reference to Christ ever commenting on scientific work, I do know that He said, "Ye shall know the truth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wernher-von-braun/although-i-know-of-no-reference-to-christ-ever-commenting-on/) [Wernher von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/) > [There is beauty in space, and it is orderly. There is no weather, and there is regularity. It is predictable. Just look at our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wernher-von-braun/there-is-beauty-in-space-and-it-is-orderly-there-is-no-weather-and/) [Wernher von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/) > [Science and religion are not antagonists. On the contrary, they are sisters. While science tries to learn more about the creation, religion tries to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wernher-von-braun/science-and-religion-are-not-antagonists-on-the-contrary-they-are/) [Wernher von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/) > [It takes sixty-five thousand errors before you are qualified to make a rocket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wernher-von-braun/it-takes-sixty-five-thousand-errors-before-you-are-qualified-to-make/) [Wernher von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/) > [“Crash programs fail because they are based on the theory that, with nine women pregnant, you can get a baby a month.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wernher-von-braun/crash-programs-fail-because-they-are-based-on-the-theory-that-with/) [Wernher von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/) > [The same forces of nature which enable us to fly to the stars, enable us also to destroy our star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wernher-von-braun/the-same-forces-of-nature-which-enable-us-to-fly-to-the-stars-enable/) [Wernher von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/) > [With our present knowledge, we can respond to the challenge of stellar space flight solely with intellectual concepts and purely hypothetical analysis. Hardware solutions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wernher-von-braun/with-our-present-knowledge-we-can-respond-to-the-challenge-of-stellar/) [Wernher von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/) > [In this modern world of ours many people seem to think that science has somehow made such religious ideas as immortality untimely or old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wernher-von-braun/in-this-modern-world-of-ours-many-people-seem-to-think-that-science/) [Wernher von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/) > [ “It \[the rocket\] will free man from his remaining chains, the chains of gravity which still tie him to this planet. It will open… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wernher-von-braun/it-the-rocket-will-free-man-from-his-remaining-chains-the-chains-of/) [Wernher Von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/) > [“I have learned to use the world ‘impossible’ with the greatest caution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wernher-von-braun/i-have-learned-to-use-the-world-impossible-with-the-greatest-caution/) [Wernher von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/) [Explore all 57 Wernher von Braun quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/) ## More Apple pie quotes > [Positive thinking is so firmly enshrined in our culture that knocking it is a little like attacking motherhood or apple pie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/srikumar-rao/positive-thinking-is-so-firmly-enshrined-in-our-culture-that-knocking/) [Srikumar Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/srikumar-rao/) > [Of emotions, of love, of breakup, of love and hate and death and dying, mama, apple pie, and the whole thing. It covers a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-cash/of-emotions-of-love-of-breakup-of-love-and-hate-and-death-and-dying/) [Johnny Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-cash/) > [“New Rule: Americans must realize what makes NFL football so great: socialism. That's right, the NFL takes money from the rich teams and gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-americans-must-realize-what-makes-nfl-football-so-great/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [“In short, when it comes to colonial America, religious persecution—in the sense of persecution both based in religion and aimed at religion—was as American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-corvino/in-short-when-it-comes-to-colonial-america-religious-persecution-in/) [John Corvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-corvino/) > [I've read hundreds of cookbooks. Most of those cookbooks don't even tell you how to get a steak ready, how to bake biscuits or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colonel-sanders/i-ve-read-hundreds-of-cookbooks-most-of-those-cookbooks-don-t-even/) [Colonel Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colonel-sanders/) > [“She brushes a lock of hair back from her face and winces when she tugs through a snag. “Oh, my gosh. I must look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-falkner/she-brushes-a-lock-of-hair-back-from-her-face-and-winces-when-she/) [Tammy Falkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-falkner/) > [You'll see a movie about someone you hate or someone you love. Will you see a movie about grandma making apple pies? No, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcafee/you-ll-see-a-movie-about-someone-you-hate-or-someone-you-love-will/) [John McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcafee/) > [I could make apple pie every single day. You need to be super precise in order for it to be perfect. I'm such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-michaels/i-could-make-apple-pie-every-single-day-you-need-to-be-super-precise/) [Julia Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-michaels/) > [The rest of the world loves soccer. Surely we must be missing something. Uh, isn't that what the Russians told us about communism? There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-weir/the-rest-of-the-world-loves-soccer-surely-we-must-be-missing/) Tom Weir > [The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-greatest-enemy-of-hunger-for-god-is-not-poison-but-apple-pie-it/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Scapegoating is as American as apple pie. 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You brought apple pie,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-had-a-dream-about-you-flowers-were-overflowing-in-the-cemetery-so/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [The poor folks hate the rich folks, and the rich folks hate the poor folks. All of my folks hate all of your folks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/the-poor-folks-hate-the-rich-folks-and-the-rich-folks-hate-the-poor/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) [Browse all 178 Apple pie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apple-pie/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The first men who set out for Mars had better make sure they leave everything at home in apple-pie order. They won't get back to earth for more than two and a half years. The difficulties of a trip to mars are formidable. . . . What curious information will these first explorers carry back from Mars? 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