The Cosmic Connection : an extraterrestrial perspective

In 1973, Carl Sagan published The Cosmic Connection, a daring view of the universe, which rapidly became a classic work of popular science and inspired a generation of scientists and enthusiasts. This seminal work is reproduced here for a whole new generation to enjoy. In Sagan's typically lucid and lyrical style, he discusses many topics from astrophysics and solar system science, to colonization, terraforming and the search for extraterrestrials. Sagan conveys his own excitement and wonder, and relates the revelations of astronomy to the most profound human problems and concerns: issues that are just as valid today as they were thirty years ago. New to this edition are Freeman Dyson's comments on Sagan's vision and the importance of the work, Ann Druyan's assessment of Sagan's cultural significance as a champion of science, and David Morrison's discussion of the advances made since 1973 and what became of Sagan's predictions. Who knows what wonders this third millennium will reveal, but one thing is certain: Carl Sagan played a unique role in preparing us for them. Preface Part One: COSMIC PERSPECTIVES 1. A Transitional Animal 2. The Unicorn of Cetus 3. A Message from Earth 4. A Message to Earth 5. Experiments in Utopias 6. Chauvinism 7. Space Exploration as a Human Enterprise I. The Scientific Interest 8. Space Exploration as a Human Enterprise II. The Public Interest 9. Space Exploration as a Human Enterprise III. The Historical Interest Part Two: THE SOLAR SYSTEM 10. On Teaching the First Grade 11. “The Ancient and Legendary Gods of Old” 12. The Venus Detective Story 13. Venus Is Hell 14. Science and “Intelligence” 15. The Moons of Barsoom 16. The Mountains of Mars I. Observations From Earth 17. The Mountains of Mars II. Observations From Space 18. The Canals of Mars 19. The Lost Pictures of Mars 20. The Ice Age and the Cauldron 21. Beginnings and Ends of the Earth 22. Terraforming the Planets 23. The Exploration and Utilization of the Solar System Part Three: BEYOND THE SOLAR SYSTEM 24. Some of My Best Friends Are Dolphins 25. “Hello, Central Casting? Send Me Twenty Extraterrestrials” 26. The Cosmic Connection 27. Extraterrestrial Life: An Idea Whose Time Has Come 28. Has the Earth Been Visited? 29. A Search Strategy for Detecting Extraterrestrial Intelligence 30. If We Succeed 31. Cables, Drums, and Seashells 32. The Night Freight to the Stars 33. Astroengineering 34. Twenty Questions: A Classification of Cosmic Civilizations 35. Galactic Cultural Exchanges 36. A Passage to Elsewhen 37. Starfolk I. A Fable 38. Starfolk II. A Future 39. Starfolk III. The Cosmic Cheshire Cats About This ePub v.1 About This ePub v.2 I came across this while watching *Cosmos* by Neil deGrasse Tyson. This was the book given to him by the legend himself, Sagan. "This book is about science in its broadest human context, how science and civilization grew up together. It is the story of our long journey of discovery and the forces and individuals who helped to shape modern science, including Democritus, Hypatia, Kepler, Newton, Huygens, Champollion, Lowell and Humason. The book also explores spacecraft missions of discovery of the nearby planets, the research in the Library of ancient Alexandria, the human brain, Egyptian hieroglyphics, the origin of life, the death of the Sun, the evolution of galaxies and the origins of matter, suns and worlds. The author retraces the fifteen billion years of cosmic evolution that have transformed matter into life and consciousness, enabling the cosmos to wonder about itself. He considers the latest findings on life elsewhere and how we might communicate with the beings of other worlds." *-- www.worldcat.org*