Going to the Kuiper Belt is like an archaeological dig into the history of the solar system.

The Kuiper Belt is the largest structure in the solar system. We used to think Pluto was a misfit.

The solar system is completely wide open. Almost anywhere we go, I'm sure we would learn a lot.

We're in the space exploration business, and the outer solar system is a wild, wooly place. We haven't explored it very well.

We're going to understand that there is life on other bodies in the solar system.

All of this got me thinking about the history of the westward expansion, and got me to wondering how the exploration of the Solar System would be changed if there were an indigenous presence out there.