People - Dr. Carl Sagan

Overview

Quotations

Publications

Dr. Carl Edward Sagan was a teacher (a highly respected professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences) who loved sharing knowledge, particularly that which expressed his enormous fondness for science, most notably in the areas of astronomy and the inner workings of the universe.  He was well-suited to his role as Director of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University, and was also an integral advisor to NASA where his many duties included briefing Apollo astronauts prior to their trips to The Moon.

Presenting complex topics in a manner that makes them easy for everyone to understand, regardless of their level of education, was one of Dr. Sagan's most important talents, and his teachings inspired deep and far reaching interests in the sciences for people throughout the world.  By educating the world in the fundamentals of science, Dr. Sagan built an important, rational, visionary foundation that had an enormous impact on the world, and promises to encourage progress amidst a wide range of scientific discovery for many generations to come.

His contributions and accomplishments, such as where he solved a number of cosmic mysteries for NASA, earned him an impressive array of prestegious awards, medals, and other such forms of recognition, of which some of those more notable include:

Twenty-two honourary degrees from various colleges and universities Two NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement medals NASA Distinguished Public Service medal NASA Apollo Achievement award Asteriod 2709 Sagan honorary naming The American Astronautical Society's John F. Kennedy Astronautics award The Explorers Club's 75th Anniversary award The Soviet Cosmonauts Federation's Konstantin Tsiolkovsky medal The American Astronomical Society's Masursky award The National Academy of Sciences' Public Welfare medal The Pulitzer Prize for his book The Dragons of Eden: Speculations of the Evolution of Human Intelligence Emmy award for the Cosmos television series Peabody award for the Cosmos television series The National Science Foundation's posthumous award