The Cosmic Connection: An Extraterrestrial Perspective [Paperback]

In this revolutionary book Carl Sagan explores our universe's recent past, it's present, and it's possible future. He also discusses how our feelings and attitudes about society, the universe, space travel, and ourselves have changed and how they have helped to form our views of the universe. He also comments on how we are connected to the universe physically, mentally, and spiritually.

This book is definatelly a must read if you are intersted in our feelings toward the universe,
where do we belong and why are here, our future in the universe, or if you just have a little free time.<P

I'm a big fan of the late great scientist/astronomer Dr. Carl Sagan. As a 40 year plus amateur astronomer and Life Mars Society member, I've bought and reviewed almost all his books. Almost all are 4 or 5 stars...see my reviews. Carl a Pulitzer prise winner was able to write on complex scientific topics for the average lay person to read and enjoy. His Cosmos series on TV was an epic enjoyment.

Now to the Cosmic Connection.

The book is an oldie but goody. I read the page burner book in a little over a day. There are some interesting B/W drawings by one of my favorite space artist Jon Lomberg ( I purchased a print from him "First Baby on Mars" absolutely great). Also some other drawings and pictures by others.

The book was published before the two Viking spacecraft with their camera and organic matter collecting/analysing equipment landed on Mars. Sadly no definitive finding of organic matter found. May have been a false positive. We have learned much more about Mars after this book was published. He does show the interesting photo shots of one of Mar's moon Phobos via Mariner 9. Very interesting seeing all the cratering on this tiny but now know very ancient moon. This was like the sprinkles on an ice cream cone for me. I loved it, seeing some of the early history of Mars and Venus exploration.

Carl mentions one of my favorite science fiction writers Edgar Rice Burroughs. In Princess of Mars, a Virginian is teleported to Barsoom (Mars). All ERB John Carter on Mars series books were 5 stars( see my reviews) plus Disney just came out in a 3D movie John Carter on Mars 4 1/2 stars.

Carl also did his PHD work on Venus temperature, composition and the giant greenhouse effect of 900F on Venus with a poisonous, crushing atmosphere many many times that of Earth's. He helped predict this hot temperature and greenhouse effect before real data was received from USSR probes. Carl an extremely intelligent guy and one of the science giants of the 20th Century.

Carl goes on about the chances of earlier visits to Earth by ETs and our chances of contacting beings as advanced or slightly more advanced then us using giant radio telescopes listening for signals. Also we see the drawing of a man and women and data like the composition of hydrogen, and Earth's location in the solar system referenced by Pulsar marker on an aluminum plate in Pioneer 10 slingshoted past Jupiter to gain speed into deep space. Like a note in a bottle cast out at sea maybe in the far future a race of beings will find it.

Carl was very optimistic there maybe thousands of advanced civilizations in our Galaxy and billions of Galaxies. If these civilizations can get past their civilization destruction years( like us surviving our nuclear weapons age), some of these slightly more advanced civilizations might be able to contact us using "cheap resources" like sending signals like radio waves via radio telescopes.

I too believe in extraterrestrial life ( Carl shows it will be almost impossible for them to look like us and their composition may not even be based on Carbon). Carl was much more optimistic than me in us finding life in some incredibly harsh space environments.

A good older book showing a good history of older Mars and Venus exploration and the search for extraterrestrial life. 4 stars and proudly added to our Sagan books in our family library/observatory. Comment | Permalink

› Go to Amazon.com to see both reviews  4.5 out of 5 stars