The effort to contact extraterrestrial life causes humans around the world to think of themselves as one community, with an identity and purpose that transcends borders:  Space exploration fosters a general sense of internationalism. For example, in no endeavor have scientists from around the world more readily worked together than in the development of the International Space Station and other space-related enterprises. Looking beyond the Earth serves to unite humanity in a way nothing else can1. When the Apollo astronauts first transmitted images of the Earth back to the waiting masses, the sight of that tiny blue-white marble suspended in the vast void profoundly changed the way many people viewed themselves. There was for the first time a sense of oneness, of citizenship of this island Earth. In the transmissions beamed into space in hopes of contacting extraterrestrials, the messages are emissaries of the entire human race. In this way space exploration actually gives mankind a transcendent purpose, promoting peace and understanding among nations that no amount of conventional diplomacy can create. Further to this, in seeking to be representative of all humanity, the formers of messages to be sent into space must actively ask the question of what it is to be human. In seeking an answer, people foster greater understanding of one another and of the oneness of human existence.  1 Van de Hulst, H. 1961. "International Space Cooperation". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 17(5).