Carl Sagan (1934-1997)
The son of a Russian Emigrant, Sagan studied physics and earned a Ph.D. in astronomy and astrophysics in 1960 from the University of Chicago. He was an exobiologist, a scientist who combines knowledge of astronomy and biology to study the possibility of life on other planets. He made important contributions to the study of Mars and Venus, contributing to NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) space explorations from the 1960s through the 1990s. Sagan's work was driven by his quest to find life beyond Earth. In 1983 he copublished an article warning of the possibility of global cooling following a nuclear attach ("nuclear winter"). Noted for his ability to explain complex scientific principles to the general public, Carl Sagan touched the lives of millions of people in 60 countries through the public television series "Cosmos," a show first broadcast in 1980.
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CNN - Carl Sagan dies at 62 - Dec. 20, 1996