Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space“Fascinating . . . memorable . . . revealing . . . perhaps the best of Carl Sagan’s books.”—The Washington Post Book World (front page review) In Cosmos, the late astronomer Carl Sagan cast his gaze over the magnificent mystery of the Universe and made it accessible to millions of people around the world. Now in this stunning sequel, Carl Sagan completes his revolutionary journey through space and time. Future generations will look back on our epoch as the time when the human race finally broke into a radically new frontier—space. In Pale Blue Dot, Sagan traces the spellbinding history of our launch into the cosmos and assesses the future that looms before us as we move out into our own solar system and on to distant galaxies beyond. The exploration and eventual settlement of other worlds is neither a fantasy nor luxury, insists Sagan, but rather a necessary condition for the survival of the human race. “Takes readers far beyond Cosmos . . . Sagan sees humanity’s future in the stars.”—Chicago Tribune |
Contents
1 | |
8 | |
THE GREAT DEMOTIONS | 20 |
A UNIVERSE NOT MADE FOR US | 38 |
IS THERE INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH? | 56 |
THE TRIUMPH OF VOYAGER | 69 |
AMONG THE MOONS OF SATURN | 83 |
THE FIRST NEW PLANET | 97 |
THE GIFT OF APOLLO | 163 |
EXPLORING OTHER WORLDS AND PROTECTING | 173 |
THE GATES OF THE WONDER WORLD OPEN | 184 |
SCALING HEAVEN | 209 |
ROUTINE INTERPLANETARY VIOLENCE | 232 |
THE MARSH OF CAMARINA | 249 |
REMAKING THE PLANETS | 267 |
DARKNESS | 286 |
AN AMERICAN SHIP AT THE FRONTIERS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM | 109 |
SACRED BLACK | 126 |
EVENING AND MORNING STAR | 138 |
THE GROUND MELTS | 149 |
TO THE SKY | 302 |
TIPTOEING THROUGH THE MILKY WAY | 313 |
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able American ancient Apollo asteroids astronomers atmosphere become begin better billion blue called century civilization close clouds collision color comets consider course craters dangers dark designed detect discovered distant early Earth effect engineering existence experience exploration formed future galaxies global gravity human hundred imagine impact it's Jupiter kilometers kind later laws least less light live look Mars Martian matter means mission molecules Moon move NASA natural Neptune never nuclear observations oceans once orbit organic origin ourselves perhaps planet planetary possible present radio reason rings robot Saturn scientific scientists seems signal Solar System space spacecraft species stars surface telescope there's thing thought Titan turn understand Universe Uranus vast Venus volcanos Voyager waves