Our Place in the Cosmos |
Why do we go into space? Should we want to go? Or should we just send machines, robot explorers to be our eyes and ears — and brains?
Carl Sagan's book provides some answers.
Dr. Sagan was a researcher involved in many of NASA's most productive missions. That intimate knowledge, and his eloquent writing style, make this book a very enjoyable way to learn what we have discovered about our solar system so far.
There is a larger vision here too. Sagan was also a student of history, and he describes how our concept of the Cosmos has changed since we were nomadic hunters who thought their portion of the world was the center of everything. He calls these changes in perspective the Great Demotions. Finally, he considers the justifications for expanding human presence into space — an activity he now supports. The future he describes is bright, even if it won't arrive as soon as some of us thought.
| PALE BLUE DOT: A Vision of the Human Future in Space |
| Carl Sagan New York: Random House, 1994 |
| ISBN 0-679-43841-6 |
To contact Chris Winter, send email to this address.