Carl Sagan

Carl Sagan was a multifaceted scientist who left his mark in astronomy, astrophysics, Extra-Terrestrial Science, the space and natural sciences and cosmology. Sagan wrote several scientific papers and popular articles and edited many books. He was a great communicator and popularized science brilliantly. Sagan's scientific studies formed the base for the discovery of planet Venus's high surface temperatures. Carl was a visiting scientist to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory where his major contribution remains with the 'Mariner program' for Venus where Carl played an integral role in the design and management of the project.
Sagan received his graduation from Rahway High School in Rahway, New Jersey, in 1951. Sagan’s family lived a modest life in a mediocre apartment near the Atlantic Ocean, in Bensonhurst which was in the Brooklyn neighbourhood.

Sagan started his career working at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts from 1962 to 1968. Sagan continued with his research and gave lectures at Harvard University until 1968. It was after this that he moved his base to Cornell University in New York where he was appointed as the full time professor 1971. He was in Cornell when he started to direct the Laboratory for Planetary Studies. Sagan turned the Associate Director of the Center for Radio Physics and Space Research at Cornell which he served from 1972 to 1981.
Sagan was the initiator behind the first successful physical message that was sent into space - a gold-anodized plaque, attached to the space probe Pioneer 10, which was launched in 1972. Sagan continued with his designs of scripted messages sent along with the spacecrafts. He became successful in 1977 when he developed an elaborate message and helped in assembling the Voyager Golden Record that was sent out with the Voyager space probes in the same year.

Sagan had been vocal about the decisions to fund the Space Shuttle and Space Station which he felt were unnecessary as he felt further robotic missions held more importance and relevance. He taught at Cornell University where he had a course on critical thinking which he taught till he died in 1996 from pneumonia.

On 16 November 1974 Sagan helped Dr. Frank Drake write a radio message, Arecibo message which was sent into the space from the Arecibo radio telescope. The message was targeted at informing extraterrestrials about the existence of Earth.

Sagan had studied to find Earth objects that might impact the Earth. Sagan had become popular for his frequent appearances on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson’ for his role in ‘Cosmos’. Sagan was associated with the catch phrase “billions and billions” which he had denied of using, but he talked of “billions upon billions” in his book ‘Cosmos’. By billions on billions Sagan allegedly referred to the large cosmic quantities present in the universe which are the cause of wonder and the vastness arouses amazement.

Sagan suffered from myelodysplasia (a blood disease) for a long time. His suffering included three bone marrow transplants. Sagan died 20 December 1996 after suffering from pneumonia at the age of 62. He breathed his last at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington after which he was buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Ithaca, New York.