Carl Sagan

Hello! My name is Carl Sagan, and I want to tell you my story. It all began on November 9th, 1934, when I was born in Brooklyn, New York. Even as a little boy, I was fascinated by the stars twinkling in the night sky. I would ask my parents and librarians endless questions: What are stars? Are there people on other planets? I visited the 1939 New York World's Fair and was amazed by the futuristic exhibits, which made me dream about what science could achieve. I also loved reading science fiction books that took me on adventures to distant galaxies, sparking a lifelong passion for understanding our place in the cosmos.

My curiosity led me to the University of Chicago, where I studied the subjects I loved most. In 1960, I earned my Ph.D. in astronomy and astrophysics. Soon after, I began working with NASA on some of the very first missions to explore our solar system. In the 1960s, I was part of the team for the Mariner missions that flew by Venus and Mars. Many people thought Venus might be a lush, tropical world, but based on my calculations, I predicted its surface was incredibly hot—and I was right! In 1968, I became a professor at Cornell University. I loved teaching and sharing the wonders of the universe with my students, encouraging them to ask big questions just as I had.

I always wondered if we were alone in the universe. This question led me to help create some of humanity's first messages to the cosmos. In the early 1970s, I helped design a golden plaque for the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft. It was like a greeting card, with drawings of a man and a woman and a map showing our location in the galaxy. In 1976, I was involved in the Viking missions that landed on Mars to search for signs of life. But my most famous message was the Voyager Golden Record in 1977. I led a team that created a record for the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft, which were heading for the outer solar system and beyond. We filled it with sounds and images from Earth—music from around the world, the sound of a baby crying, pictures of animals, and greetings in 55 languages. It was our way of saying, 'This is who we are.'

I believed that science belonged to everyone, not just scientists. In 1980, I helped create and hosted a television series called 'Cosmos: A Personal Voyage.' I wanted to take viewers on a journey through space and time, to show them how connected we are to the universe. Millions of people watched, and it was one of the proudest moments of my life. That same year, I co-founded The Planetary Society, an organization for anyone who loves space and wants to support exploration. In 1990, I had an idea. I asked NASA to turn the Voyager 1 spacecraft's camera around and take one last picture of Earth from four billion miles away. In the photo, our home is just a tiny speck of light, a 'pale blue dot.' It showed me how precious our world is and how important it is for all of us to take care of it, and each other.

I spent my life encouraging people to be curious, to think critically, and to look up at the stars with a sense of wonder. I lived to be 62 years old, passing away on December 20th, 1996. Though my time on Earth ended, my message continues. The Voyager spacecraft are still traveling through interstellar space, carrying their Golden Records into the unknown. I hope I am remembered for helping people understand the universe a little better and for reminding everyone that we are all, in the most literal sense, made of stardust. The cosmos is within us, and we are a way for the cosmos to know itself.