The Space Icon That Influenced Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Whole Life

When Dr. Tyson was just 17 years old, he met Dr. Carl Sagan. As Insider reports, Dr. Sagan responded to Neil deGrasse Tyson’s application to Cornell with a personal letter inviting him to tour the campus and his own lab. The science icons would meet several times over the years. Dr. Tyson admits that since he first met Sagan, he felt compelled to extend the same courtesy and treatment to any student that approached him.

The lives of Dr. Tyson and Dr. Sagan draw many parallels. By bringing Sagan’s “Cosmos” television series to the 21st century, Dr. Tyson continued his legacy. But, both scientists have even more in common, as they were both born in New York, both were avid astronomers and science writers (via Britannica), and both loved to share science with the world.

Dr. Sagan’s views on science, politics, nuclear weapons, and extraterrestrial life stirred controversy, but by 1980 he was the best known American scientist. A graduate of physics with a doctorate in astronomy and astrophysics from the University of Chicago, Dr. Sagan became deeply involved in academic life. He served as a fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, worked at Harvard University, and was the director of Cornell University’s Laboratory for Planetary Studies where he first met Neil deGrasse Tyson. Dr. Sagan also wrote the famous book “Contact” in 1985, which in 1997 was adapted for the big screen.