and many close friends and colleagues, he started the most watched science television show of the time. It had some of the newest equipment for filming including the blue screen. This helped make it an instant hit in a time where space exploration soared with multiple space craft missions to the planets of our solar system. Demonstrating his ability to relate everyday objects to the complex universe we live in, Carl Sagan said, “‘If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe’”. Even those not versed in science were captivated by his show as they were able to relate to him easily. Later, in Cosmos, Sagan discussed the aftermath of nuclear war and wrote a book about it called A Path Where No Man Thought. The time at which Cosmos broadcasted was a time when nuclear war was an everyday possibility. Carl was so passionate about nuclear war that he wrote books on it, talked about its implications on his show, and developed the idea of the nuclear winter. Carl Sagan petitioned that countries should abandon their nuclear weapons programs. In the certain sense of nuclear war, Cosmos made Sagan passionate about this throughout his whole life. The show also made Carl Sagan known to the world and changed him in the sense that he focused more on teaching the public. Cosmos was a show that brought together scientists and the public through Carl Sagan’s excellent cosmic lessons.
NASA/JPL
NASA/JPL
The plaque that is carried by both the Pioneer 10 and 11 probes.