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Remembering Carl By Michelle Fawcett Around the planetary sciences office at Cornell University he was known as Carl. Around the world he was known as the man who brought the Cosmos to Earth. Carl Sagan, born Nov. 9, 1934, died on Dec. 20, 1996 from pneumonia after suffering with cancer since the spring of 1995. He played a leading role in the Mariner, Voyager, Viking and Galileo spacecraft expeditions to the planets, for which he received NASA medals for Exceptional Scientific Achievement and twice won for Distinguished Public Service. He also won the National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare medal and the Pulitzer Prize. Sagan was already a famous scientist when he did his Cosmos series for PBS, which made Carl a household name. He kept busy as a scientist, teacher, author and a spokesperson. He also served as a resource for many people, from the Vice President of the United States on space policy to a third grader at a local elementary school. The Masursky Award from the American Astronomical Society cites "his extraordinary contributions to the development of planetary science.... As a scientist trained in both astronomy and biology, Dr. Sagan has made seminal contributions to the study of planetary atmospheres, planetary surfaces, the history of the Earth, and exobiology. Many of the most productive planetary scientists working today are his present and former students and associates." One such associate is Gene McDonald, a Research Associate at Cornell University. McDonald had an educational background in chemistry when Sagan gave him the opportunity to work in planetary science. Sagan had a big influence on him as he learned quite a bit from him, said McDonald. The two scientists worked together on a variety of studies, including looking at organic chemistry in various environments in the solar system. McDonald said Sagan was very good at looking at topics, sorting out things and getting to the nitty gritty. He will remember Sagan best as a very good scientist, very rigorous worker and a critical thinker. "Carl had a good perspective on how science fits into the larger context of society," said McDonald. Maureen Bell, a Research Assistant on the Galileo project, shared an office with McDonald. Sagan influenced her, too. They only met three or four times because she started working after Sagan had left for Seattle. She said the first time she met Carl she was extremely nervous, but found he made her feel comfortable. "He was so used to 'stardom' that he did it with ease," said Bell. Both Sagan and Bell had sons in school together so much of their conversation centered around the kids. They also talked about ideas and theories regarding the Galileo project and what the next steps would be. Sagan continually expressed curiousity about the images coming back from as far out as Jupiter. He wanted to be aware of the information even though the chemotherapy had already made it difficult to keep focused on science, said Bell. Bell remembers Sagan best as always coming up with ideas. A particular memory still chokes her up. When they met at a conference in Hawaii, Sagan saw her holding her daughter. He reached over and patted her. He really loved kids, said Bell. Of course, everyone has their faults and Sagan is not without such negative characteristics. Bell said that though he was a good person, he had a limited ability to forgive people for their mistakes when he felt they had wronged him personally. The people Sagan worked with remember him as a person of great integrity. He once said, "I don't believe something because it makes me feel good. I believe something because it's true." The last course Sagan taught at Cornell was a seminar on Critical Thinking for juniors and seniors during the spring semester of 1994. He became ill the beginning of 1995 and never had the chance to teach again. It was very frustrating for him when he was sick because there was so much he could have been doing. He had waited all his life for the data coming from Jupiter through the Galileo project and he didn't live to take advantage of it, though he did fight to the end, said his assistant. Many people were unfluenced around the world by Carl Sagan as a result of his work. Some people who never even met him, thank him for changing their lives, evident in much of the fan mail Sagan received. One such fan, Michael Rapp, wrote on his web page devoted to the scientist: "Dr. Carl Sagan was greatly influential in many areas of my life and I attribute to him my love of astronomy and teaching. My greatest sorrow is that I never had the chance to thank him for all he has done for me and others." Michelle Fawcett is a senior film major at Ithaca College. |
