"…I remember very clearly that during the exhibition, "Science in Art", presented at UNESCO in May 1997, the KEO model had captivated everybody's attention. According to me, the idea of presenting an archeological gift to our future descendants in the form of a satellite into space, carrier of our messages, describing the situation of our planet, seems very appropriate and timely. The mosaic of messages originating from every strata of society will effectively provide an unedited image of today's human community; by being accessible to all it will permit us to define and react on our common destiny. I confirm with great pleasure that UNESCO will associate itself with this beautiful initiative to which I grant patronage of the Organization (..)"