From the introduction: You were cast adrift among the stars, a shining beacon of humanity far f rom home and its comforts. You are a pioneer, you are a dream, a civilization’s crowning achievement. You have been sent out to learn, and discover, to take in the wild beauty of the universe, to see sights that have never been seen by any living creature, to bring all of wild creation into focus, to be the observer of the glory of existence. You are lonely.