How a Small Timer Became Everyone’s Legend:

Carl Sagan is  known for his work in planetary studies, published in books, academic papers, and his TV show Cosmos. His name still rings today, and his work remains with us as fundamental planetary knowledge. The following is a very brief overview of his career.

A Start:

Carl Sagan was a curious child who’s parents didn’t have much interest in science. After being taken to the World’s Fair 1939 he became deeply passionate for the subject, and was given his first reading materials and chemistry sets.

All in:

Ever since he was a child, Carl Sagan was in hot pursuit to learn more about the universe in which he lived. He read science fiction which brought him to other planets, and graduated from university early. At the age of 16 Sagan was enrolled at University of Chicago, and he kept growing that momentum to further his career. He never had time for anything else, whether it be a hobby or religious service, and his two wives divorced him for that very reason. It paid off, however, as Sagan both created and climbed the ladder of his career. He began consulting for NASA on planetary missions in 1959, attained his PhD from the University of Chicago in their astronomy and astrophysics program in 1960. Sagan taught at Harvard in 1963 and was rejected for tenure, but that didn’t stop him as in 1968 achieved a growing and final academic position at Cornell. Throughout his time there he published a variety of research papers and books and created the TV show Cosmos, consolidating data on the planets and creating a perception of them which we could understand.

Work with the best:

While at Cornell, Sagan rarely worked alone. He was a visionary who stitched things together, connecting people within different programs and working with students who would often became leaders in their fields. Most of his work was collaborative and helped propel others in his field. He served as a sort of glue to pull everything and everyone together, without him there would be connections made much later, and without the people around him he wouldn’t have materials to create systems with.

Recognize your talent and be true to what you have to offer:

Sagan both enjoyed teaching others, and was particularly good at his work. “Sagan was different. He recognized his talents as a teacher and popularizer, and decided to make such outreach a major aspect of his career,” in focusing on what set him apart and attracted others to him, Carl Sagan developed his being into what he’s known for today. Sagan always put himself as a research scientist first, in maintaining so he kept the purity of his work and continued to attract a following.