Lasting Legacy from page 38
was cool and a member of the youth
culture. That was a big part of the
show's appeal:'
Cornell University's press release
at the time of Sagan's 1996 death,
at age 62, called him the world's
greatest popularizer of science as he
reached millions of people through
newspapers, magazines and television
broadcasts.
Cosmos seen by more than 500
million people in 60 countries —
became the most watched series in
public-television history. The accom-
panying book, Cosmos (1980), was on
the New York Times bestseller list for
70 weeks and was the best-selling sci-
ence book ever published in English.
"Carl was a candle in the dark!'
said Yervant Terzian, chairman of
Cornell's astronomy department. "He
was the 20th century's best science
educator in the world. He touched
hundreds of millions of people and
inspired young generations to pursue
the sciences!'
Sagan predicted that the surface of
Venus was 900 degrees Fahrenheit,
a finding confirmed by the Mariner
2 robotic space probe, launched in
1962.
"He was the architect of the green-
house-effect model of Venus' atmo-
sphere!' Poundstone said. "Sagan's
model was a radical thing at the time,
but it was dramatically confirmed by
the first NASA space probe. It was an
incredible achievement.
"Sagan probably couldn't have
dreamed at the time that the green-
house effect would be important in
the current debate we're having about
whether human-produced carbon
dioxide is changing our climate. His
work was important to that:'
Promoted as a program that shows
how matter, over billions of years,
transforms into consciousness, the
past and present versions of Cosmos
(the new version is subtitled: A
Spacetime Odyssey) speak to the joy
one can find in nature, science and
perhaps — as Sagan believed — the
search for intelligent life in space.
Sagan was enthusiastic about send-
ing messages to possible extrater-
restrials.
The Pioneer Plaques were a pair
—
Carl Sagan (sitting, center); from
left, clockwise: Bruce Murray and
Louis Friedman, the founders of the
Planetary Society, at the signing of
papers that formally incorporated
the organization, and Pulitzer Prize-
winning journalist Harry Ashmore, a
Planetary Society enthusiast.
of gold anodized aluminum plaques
placed on board the 1972 Pioneer
10 and 1973 Pioneer 11 NASA space
probes, featuring a pictorial message
in case either was intercepted by
extraterrestrial life.
The plaques show the nude figures
of a human male and female along
with several symbols designed to pro-
vide information about the origin of
the spacecraft.
The Voyager Golden Record, a
much more complex and detailed
message using state-of-the-art media,
was attached to the Voyager space-
craft launched in 1977.
"The Voyager Golden Record is
often credited with spurring the
degree of interest we have in world
music!' Poundstone said.
"They compiled this wonderful
sampler of all the world's musical
traditions, which was something you
didn't get so much then, but you do
now:'
Poundstone identifies three ele-
ments that define Sagan's legacy.
"He was a great, poetic writer, and
he was able to communicate that on
screen!' he said.
"Second, he tends to be underrated
as a scientist, but he did incredible
things, including the greenhouse
effect on Venus and a lot of work on
Mars. He was the first to show that
the dark areas were high mountains
and not low seas.
Third, he was a great advocate
of the skeptic movement, the idea
that you have to have evidence for a
claim:'
❑
BY JON ROBIN BAITZ
Directed by David Wolber
A holiday reunion provides the oxygen for this play set in the desert home of actor and former Ambassador Lyman
and his wife Polly Wyeth in Palm Springs. CA. As a special treat, their daughter Brooke comes home bearing her
manuscript of a memoir about things her parents want to forget; a true case of emotional blackmail.
Playwright Baitz looks deeper and more clearly into Mom and Dad than he ever has before.
Co-produced with Performance Network Theatre
JET is a professional,
Actors Equity Association theatre
that performs in the Aaron DeRoy Theatre
in the JCC - Located on the corner of
Maple & Drake Roads in West Bloomfield
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248.788.2900
www.JetTheatre.org
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5656 W. Maple Rd., West Bloomfield
North of Maple, East of Orchard Lake Rd.
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey premiered in March on both the Fox and
National Geographic networks and runs through June 2. New episodes
debut at 9 p.m. Sundays on Fox and 9 p.m. Mondays on National
Geographic. See previous episodes On Demand or online (for more
information, go to www.cosmosontv.com ).
248 325-9420
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May 15 • 2014
41