You may or may not have heard about Carl Sagan's death this morning. I've
known about his illness for some time, because my oldest friend works(ed)
for him at Cornell. I'm very sorry, I didn't get a chance to talk to
her and Sagan's family about cryonics. He's completely dead, I'm
very sad to say.
Here is an "official" announcement about Sagan's death from NASA headquarters.
After that is an announcement from the Fred Hutchinson Center, where
Sagan was undergoing bone marrow transplants off and on during the last
two years.
Amara
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Brian Welch December 20, 1996
Headquarters, Washington, DC
(Phone: 202/358-1600)
Sender: owner-press-release
Precedence: bulk
RELEASE: 96-266
STATEMENT BY NASA ADMINISTRATOR DAN GOLDIN
ON THE PASSING OF ASTRONOMER CARL SAGAN
"All of us at NASA are saddened by the passing of Carl
Sagan. For more than three decades, Dr. Sagan was an
eloquent, passionate voice for the sciences that he so ably
advanced.
As much as any scientific figure of our time, Carl
described for an entire generation -- the generation of the
Space Age -- the true wonders of the Universe around us. His
unbelievable ability to explain the complexities of space and
space exploration inspired people to look up into the night
sky in wonder. Through such efforts as the television series
'Cosmos' and his recent book, 'Pale Blue Dot,' Carl reached -
- and touched --millions around the world.
He was a pioneer of the idea that life could exist on
Mars, years before NASA was able to uncover evidence of
potential early life on the Red Planet, and he was an
important voice in our Mars science programs for many years.
He was an early champion of the idea that the two leading
spacefaring powers, America and Russia, should work together
in the exploration of space.
He also was at the forefront of constructing humanity's
first messages to the stars, which even now are hurtling out
of our Solar System aboard the Pioneer and Voyager
spacecraft. Carl himself likened the effort to the launching
of a message in a bottle on the interstellar ocean. We will
remember his vision, his eloquence, and his intellect, and we
will miss him."
-end-
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Below is a statement issued by Fred Hutchinson Center for Annie:
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Astronomer, educator, author, pioneer in exobiology, Director for
Planetary Studies, and David Duncan Professor of Cornell University,
Dr. Carl Sagan succumbed to pneumonia today December 20, 1996 after a
two year battle with bone marrow disease. He fought as tenaciously
and courageously for his life as he did for the values of science and
democracy. He is survived by his wife and collaborator, Ann Druyan, his
sister Cari Sagan Greene, his children: Dorion, Jeremy, Nicholas, Sasha,
and Sam, and by his grandson, Tonio. He is also survived by his in-laws,
Harry and Pearl Druyan.
In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to The Children's Health
Fund of New York or The Planetary Society of Pasadena, California.
Condolences can be sent to his office at Cornell, in care of his secretary:
Andrea Barnett
304 Space Sciences Building
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
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Amara Graps email: agraps@netcom.com
Computational Physics vita: finger agraps@best.com
Multiplex Answers URL: http://www.amara.com/
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"Steidzies le'na'm." (Make haste slowly.) --a Latvian proverb