Chapter 3 introduction

In ancient daily conversations and living habits, the most ordinary worldly events were also associated with the greatest events in the universe.Repellent spells are a good example.The Assyrians in 1000 BC believed that earthworms (earthworms) were a disease of toothaches. Their mantras began with the origin of the universe and ended with curing toothaches: Our ancestors were eager to understand the universe, but they were not finding a way to do so.They imagined a small universe that is both bizarre and regular, in which the gods Anu, Ai, and Shames are in charge of everything.In this small universe, human beings play an important role, if not a central one.We humans are intimately connected to nature; the cure for a toothache with second-grade beer is also connected to the most esoteric cosmology.

Today, we have found an efficient and precise way to understand the universe, which we call "science".Science has shown that the universe is so vast and ancient that human events often seem insignificant.As humans grow up, humans become estranged from the universe, which seems irrelevant to humans' daily lives.But science has discovered that the universe is not only boundless, vast and magnificent, not only comprehensible to human beings, but also, in a realistic and far-reaching sense, the destiny of human beings is closely related to the universe.Human activities, large and small, can be traced back to the universe and its origins.It is this view of the universe that is explored in this book.

In the summer and fall of 1976, I explored Mars with my 100-member scientific team as part of the Viking landing module flight simulation team.For the first time in human history, our spacecraft has landed on another planet.The results of the quest (see Chapter 5) are compelling, and the historical significance of this mission is universally recognized.However, the general public is almost ignorant of such a great event.The press took a casual approach, and television ignored it.Their interest only wanes when they know that the answer to the question "whether there is life on Mars" is still open.They do not tolerate any specious, ambiguous answers.When we announced that the sky on Mars was buff and not blue, as it had been mistaken, journalists unanimously booed kindly—even at this point, they wanted Mars to be like Earth.They argue that the more evidence Mars is not like Earth, the less interesting it will be for readers and viewers.Mars, however, is majestic and majestic.From personal experience, I am sure that there is a great interest worldwide in the exploration of the planets and many similar scientific topics - such as the origin of life, the study of the Earth, the universe, extraterrestrial civilizations, the connection between humans and the universe, etc. , I am also convinced that this interest can be stimulated through the most powerful medium of communication, television.

B. Gentry Lee, Chief of the Viking Data Analysis and Exploration Program Division, is a man of extraordinary organizational skills.The two of us were on the same page, and we both took the plunge and decided to do some work on these issues.Li suggested that we organize a dedicated TV production company to disseminate science in a lively and accessible way.Later, we approached several projects, but one of the most interesting was the request from KCET (Public Broadcasting Service Los Angeles Central Station).In the end, we agreed to make a 13-episode TV series about astronomy.This set of TV films should be centered on human beings and serve ordinary audiences. It must have spectacular scenes and harmonious soundtracks; it must have educational significance and give people aesthetic enjoyment.We talked to sponsors, hired a producer, and we ended up with a three-year production assignment called Cosmos.At the time of writing this book, we estimate that the television show has a worldwide audience of 140 million, or 3 percent of the planet Earth's population.We believe that the masses are far more intelligent than is commonly imagined; and that the most profound scientific questions concerning the nature and origin of the universe can excite the interest and enthusiasm of a large number of people.The current era is at the crossroads of the avenue of civilization, and perhaps also at the crossroads of human evolution.No matter which path we take in the future, our destiny is already firmly linked with science.Understanding science is already a matter of life and death for us.Besides, science is fun, and human evolution predestined us to enjoy learning about science, because people who understand science are more likely to survive.This TV series and book provide a great example of how to spread the ideas, methods and fun of science.

The book and the television series were formed simultaneously and, in a sense, complement each other.Many of the illustrations in this book are taken from rare pictures taken for the TV series.But the readers of this book are not the same as the TV viewers, so the editorial approach is also different.One of the greatest advantages of books is that they allow readers to read those obscure parts repeatedly, while television can only do this after the advent of new technologies such as video tapes and video discs. The author of a book can freely choose a chapter theme. range and depth, while a non-commercial television program is limited to 58 minutes and 30 seconds.On many issues, this book goes deeper than the television series.Some topics are not discussed in this book, but are discussed in the TV show.It's a question of whether the book's imitation of Tenniel's group drawings of Alice and her friends in high- and low-gravity environments will survive the strict television cuts.Today, I am gratified that the beautiful illustrations and explanations drawn by the painter Brown can be said to be appropriate in this book. The reason is that the "cosmic calendar" has been discussed in my "Dragon of Eden"; likewise, I have not discussed the life of Robert Goddard in detail in this book.Because there is a chapter devoted to his situation in the book "Broca's Brain".But each episode of the TV series is closely related to the corresponding chapter of the book.I hope readers and audiences can benefit from both and complement each other.

In the interest of clarity, I have introduced a concept more than once in several cases—at first lightly and then in depth.For example, in the first chapter, the concept of "cosmic matter" is briefly introduced first, and then discussed in depth later.Another example is the discussion on "mutation", "enzyme" and "nucleic acid" in the second chapter.Some concepts are not presented in historical order. For example, the ideas of ancient Greek scientists are not introduced until Chapter 7.The discussion of Johannes Kepler is placed in Chapter Three.But I think that we can only give an adequate estimate of the achievements of the ancient Greeks if we first understand what they missed by one step.

Science is inseparable from other human activities, so many social, political, religious and philosophical issues should not be involved in discussions.Sometimes it's just passing by, and sometimes it's a positive discussion. Even filming science television series is often interrupted by worldwide military action.While we were doing Mars exploration exercises in the Mojave Desert with a model the size of the Viking lander, we were often stymied by the US Air Force conducting bombing flight drills at a nearby proving ground.In Alexandria, Egypt, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am, our hotel was the target of the Egyptian Air Force's strafing flight drill.In Samos, Greece, because of NATO military exercises, they built artillery and tank bunkers underground and on hillsides, so we were delayed in getting free filming rights.In Czechoslovakia, the use of a walkie-talkie to organize the logistics of filming on a rural road drew the attention of a Czechoslovak Air Force fighter.The fighter plane had been circling above our heads, and we left after reassuring them in Czech that it would not pose a threat to their national security.In Greece, Egypt and Czechoslovakia, our filming teams were accompanied by agents of the State Security Agency wherever they went.We were initially thwarted when we asked for an opinion on filming in Kaluga, USSR, and suggested a seminar on Russian cosmonautics pioneer Konstantin Tsiolkovsky.We later learned that it was because there was an impending trial of dissidents there.No matter which country our filming team goes to, we receive friendly hospitality, but there are military activities all over the world, and every country is worried.My experience has made me more determined to discuss social issues in the TV series and in the relevant chapters of this book.

The essence of science lies in its own perfection.New experimental results and new academic ideas continue to solve old mysteries.In Chapter 9, for example, we discussed the fact that the Sun seems to produce too few elusive particles called "neutrinos," and we presented some alternative insights.In Chapter 10, we wondered whether there was enough mass in the universe to eventually stop the regression of distant galaxies, and we wondered whether the universe could last forever.The experiments of Frederick Lines of the University of California may have had some influence on the understanding of these two problems.Lyons believes he has made two discoveries, one is that neutrinos exist in three different states, only one of which can be captured by telescopes that observe solar neutrinos, and the other is that neutrinos, unlike light, are have mass, so the gravitational pull of all the neutrinos in space helps to close the universe and prevent it from expanding infinitely.Future experiments will confirm whether these ideas are correct, but their emergence illustrates the courage of people to continue to re-evaluate generally accepted basic scientific theories.For science this is precisely what is most important.

Because this is a huge project, I can't thank everyone who contributed.However, I would also like to give special thanks to B. Gentry Lee and the entire production crew of the TV series - including the older generation of producers Geoffrey Haynes-Stiles and David Kenard and the executive producer Adrianne Malone, painter Jon Lomberg (whose ingenious set design and organizational skills were pivotal to the shoot), John Allison, Adolph Schaller, Rick Sternbach, Don Davis, Brown and Anne Nosia; consultants Donald Goldsmith, Owen Gingerich, Paul Fox and Diane Ackerman, Cameron Baker; KCET executives, especially Greg Andolfo (who first communicated KCET's recommendations to us), Chuck Allen, William Ram and James Loper, guarantors and co-producers for the TV series Producers, including Atlantic Richfield, PBS, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation, the Alfred Sloan Foundation, the BBC and Polittle International.Other assisting staff are listed at the back of the book.Ultimately, of course, I am responsible for the content of this book.I would also like to thank the entire staff at Blue Lantern Books, in particular Ann Friedgood, editor of this book, and Robert Orlissino, designer, for their excellent work and for their work on the TV series and the book Deadline is Coming Soon. Patience shown when conflict arises.I am especially grateful to my assistant, Shelley Arden, who worked hard and did not only take on the task of typing the first draft, but also took on the task of typing different manuscripts in several stages of production.Of course, this is only one of her many contributions to the filming work.I am indebted to the following people: Cornell University (who gave me a two-year sabbatical to work on this project) and Cornell colleagues and students, and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Voyager "Colleagues of the No. 1 camera team.

Ann Druyan and Steven Sauter, both co-authors of the television series, contributed particularly to the writing of the book, their fundamental ideas and their interrelationships, and their contribution to the book as a whole. The content and its wording often provide valuable comments.I am deeply indebted to them for their critical review of this book, for their constructive and creative comments on revised drafts, and for their important contributions to the television script that had a major impact on the content of this book.The pleasure I had in many discussions with them was one of my main rewards for doing this project.

May 1980 at ithaca and los angeles