“We have created a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science and technology. This combustible mixture of ignorance and power will sooner or later blow up before us.” These are the words used by the famous astrophysicist Carl Sagan in one of his last interviews, in 1996, to describe the world’s dangerous ignorance of science and technology. He himself, although he had devoted a large part of his life to popular science, trying to communicate man’s knowledge of the universe and our planet, saw that there were many who still had a distorted picture of the world around us.
Carl Sagan was born in Brooklyn, New York in November 1934. His parents were Samuel Sagan and Rachel Molly Gruber, working-class people in the American metropolis. Both his parents were of Jewish origin and belonged to the circle of reform Jews. Growing up, Karl showed a strong interest in the study of nature, the earth, the sun, the stars, the planets. His parents helped him satisfy his desire for knowledge by issuing him a loan card to the local library and buying him books and various science tools for children (chemistry sets, etc.). In 1955 he received his BA in Physics, in 1956 his MA and in 1960 he received his PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago.
From 1960 to 1962 he worked as a fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, and from 1962 to 1968 he joined the staff of Harvard University and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. The early years of his research focused on the study of the conditions prevailing on the planets of our solar system, particularly the atmospheres of Venus and Jupiter. In addition, he showed a special interest in the possibility of life outside the Earth.
Since the time of writing his doctoral thesis, Sagan has been a consultant to NASA, contributing to the success of the lunar landing project in various ways. Sagan was actually the one who edited humanity’s first message, which was sent into space. This was a gold-plated plate, which was attached to the Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 spacecraft. An improved version of this plate was installed on Voyager in 1977.
Sagan is best known for his work on popular science, investing much of his life in improving the public’s understanding of science and defending its rational nature. In 1980 he co-founded the Planetary Society, an international non-profit organization for space exploration. In the same year he reached the height of his popularity as the originator and main narrator of the thirteen-episode television series “Cosmos: A Personal Voyage”. For ten years, Sagan’s series was the number one television show in the United States. The success of the series, however, was international, as it was shown in 60 countries. Along with the show, Sagan published the popular science book Cosmos, which quickly became a bestseller in the United States. Several other books followed, including the science fiction novel Contact (1985), which was adapted into a big screen hit in 1997, and Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space (1994).
Carl Sagan passed away at the age of 62 on December 20, 1996, leaving behind an enormous scientific work. His contribution to the general public’s understanding of the laws of nature and the universe is considered extremely important, as he inspired many young people to take up science.
Column editor: Myrto Katsigera, Vassilis Minakakis, Antigoni-Despina Poimenidou, Athanasios Syroplakis
