“There is a multiplier effect in scientific research, including space.”
Ann Drujan Cosmos Studio CEO Anne Drujan Cosmos Studio’s wife, astronomer Carl Sagan’s wife representing the 20th century, said in an interview with Maeil Economic Daily prior to the 30th Vision Korea National Reporting Contest, “Problems such as the gap between the rich and the poor. “There are many, but I am asked why I spend a lot of money on space, but the science investment that gives back to society is huge. Sagan’s book’Cosmos’ is considered the most read science book in the world since its publication in 1980. The producer and writer of the TV documentary’Cosmos’, which was produced based on a book and gained worldwide popularity, is CEO Druyan. He recognizes that investment in science not only helps to achieve this goal, but also has a positive ripple effect in unexpected fields.
The National Reporting Contest, held under the theme of ‘Beyond Gravity, an emergency for an aerospace powerhouse’, will be held at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul on the morning of the 17th, and can be met live on the Daily Economy Channel of Naver Mobile App. have.
Not only in the United States but also in Korea, the ‘Cosmos’ of Carl Sagan and CEO Anne Druyan is well known. In particular, the’Cosmos’ documentary series was watched by more than 700 million people in 60 countries in 1980, and aired until Season 2 in 2014 and Season 3 in 2019. Last year, the sequel, Cosmos: Possible Worlds, was published by Druyan after 40 years of publishing the book, Cosmos.
An image of the Earth’s “pale blue dot” taken on February 14, 1990 by the Voyager 1 probe of the US Aeronautics and Space Administration. The tiny dot in the picture is the Earth. [사진 제공 = NASA]Druyan met Sagan for the first time in the Voyager Interstellar Message Project and even married. It was a project to create a’Golden Record’ that introduces human civilization to intelligent alien creatures that the Voyager 1 and 2 probes that have gone out of the solar system may encounter. Sagan proposed to NASA to take a picture of the Earth from a distance with a Voyager probe, although it is useless for scientific research, and the Voyager 1 succeeds in taking a picture of the Earth near Neptune’s orbit.
As a result, the remaining photographs are the Earth’s appearance as’pale blue dots’. After the’Pale Blue Dot’ photo, Sagan directly assessed in his lifetime, “This photo emphasizes our responsibility to be more considerate of each other and to preserve and preserve that pale blue dot, the only home of life we know.” .
CEO Druyan, as the most representative figure who inherited Sagan’s will, emphasizes that even Koreans should be able to gain insights to better take care of ourselves and our planet through space. “The cosmic perspective reminds us of the truth that we are all riding on a pale blue dot,” he warned. “The human nature, which has been hunting and gathering for nearly a million years, is under threat of self-destruction of civilization and the earth.” They were very worried about the situation in which various environmental destruction such as climate change is unfolding to an irreversible and irreversible level. Because of this, he stressed that “the only hope is the way we keep the planet clean and clean for the next life.”
Anne Druyan and Carl Sagan. Druyan, the coordinator of the NASA Voyager Interstellar Message Project, created the Cosmos TV series with Sagan. © 1980 Carl Sagan Productions, Inc., Copyright © 2006 Druyan-Sagan Associates, Inc.To better preserve the planet, space exploration is of great value, says Druyan. This is because robots are sent to space as much as possible to get to know the Earth better in the process of exploration activities, and unintended ripple effects can benefit humans. “We are all citizens of the earth with a history of 5 billion years,” he said. “We must break down our inner walls such as selfishness and nationalism with the power of science, and become mature global citizens who value ourselves, other life, and the earth.” Asked.
However, he was cautious about manned space exploration, especially manned Mars exploration led by private companies such as SpaceX. “Once manned space exploration is dangerous to humans, and does not deserve to cry out for manned space exploration until it returns the planet to a safe state from climate catastrophe,” said Druyan. “It should not be decided by unchecked powers like the robber baron, but it should be done for all of humanity.” The reason is that private companies’ profit-making motives can produce more creative and positive results, but it is because there have been many times on the planet that have demanded sacrifices and suffering from other humans or living beings.
Contrary to the noble genius scientist, Sagan worked his whole life to popularize science. Even CEO Druyan sees the importance of spreading scientific thinking to the public. “The goal of Cosmos was not to let people memorize different facts, but to teach them scientific thinking and approaches,” he said. “If you can discover and understand pleasant stories, you can communicate with as many people as possible in science.”
As advice for Korea to become a space powerhouse, he suggested technology, international cooperation, basic education and a mature scientific ecosystem. CEO Druyan said, “The technological achievements achieved by Korea can play an important role in robotic space exploration, and international cooperation will be able to achieve good results.” It is desirable to secure a scientific community through active communication and open attitudes between industry and government,” he said.
[최승진 기자 / 안갑성 기자]
[ⓒ 매일경제 & mk.co.kr, 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]