The moderator, a short, round black man with a permanent smile, called for attention. "Good afternoon, gentlebeings. Today, we’ll be hearing from Lawrence Vienn—" Spontaneous cheering forced him to pause. "—who will talk about the technological and economic prerequisites to get interstellar probes into space. After that, Dr. Gerald Carlisle—" More cheers. "—will talk about the biology of extraterrestrial life. We’re looking forward to a great panel today. So, without further ado, I give you Mr. Vienn."