About
Carl Sagan was an American astrophysicist and science communicator. A professor at Cornell, he advised NASA on the Mariner, Viking, Voyager, and Galileo missions, and designed the Pioneer plaques and the Voyager Golden Record. He theorized the greenhouse effect on Venus and co-developed the nuclear winter hypothesis. His book 'The Dragons of Eden' won the Pulitzer Prize in 1978. He wrote and hosted the TV series 'Cosmos' (1980), watched by hundreds of millions. He also published the novel 'Contact' (1985).
* 1934-11-09 — † 1996-12-20
Major works
- The Dragons of Eden (1977)non-fiction
- Cosmos (1980)non-fiction
- Contact (1985)novel
- Pale Blue Dot (1994)non-fiction
- The Demon-Haunted World (1995)non-fiction
Key milestones
- 1968Becomes professor of astronomy at Cornell University and director of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies.
- 1980Hosts the TV series 'Cosmos: A Personal Voyage', watched by over 500 million people in 60 countries.
- 1980Co-founds The Planetary Society, the world's largest space-interest organization.
Themes
Science communicationSpace explorationCosmologyScientific skepticismHumanity's place in the universe
Sources: npg.si.edu · olinuris.library.cornell.edu · nmspacemuseum.org
