Carl Sagan (1934-1996) was an influential astronomer and popularizer of science. At the time of writing Pale Blue Dot, he was a Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences, Director of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies, and Associate Director of the Center for Radiophysics and Space Research at Cornell University, as well as a long-time consultant for NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He was in high demand in the 1950s, when very few other scientists were working across astronomy, chemistry, and biology. By 1960, he began working with NASA and became involved with the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Soon he earned a research reputation for exobiology and atmospheric chemistry.

Sagan played a major role in NASA’s Mariner, Viking, and Voyager missions and contributed to the Apollo and Galileo missions. His most notable discoveries at NASA include his work on the greenhouse effect on Venus, the methane atmosphere on Titan, and the climate effects of dust on Mars. The last of which led to his highly publicized participation in the “nuclear winter” debates in the 1980s. Sagan also cofounded the Planetary Society in 1980 to promote space exploration, and he was an influential

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