It is doubtful that Carl Sagan's popularization of science
affected his funding or access to resources in any meaningful way, as he was so well
established by the time he became a public figure that it would have been quite
difficult to discredit him sufficiently to make any real financial difference. He was
also known for his skepticism, a reputation that made him a difficult target for anyone
trying to discredit his science.
Sagan was an adviser to
NASA almost from the program's inception, and his contributions there were various and
valued, as evidenced by the number of awards he was given by NASA. His petition to
support SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) was signed by seventy fellow
scientists including seven Nobel laureates, and was published in the prestigious journal
Science; this is evidence of the levels of respect and support he commanded in his
field. The advance paid to him for the novel Contact was two million dollars, before he
had written a single word - there is no evidence of money issues in either his personal
or his professional life.
The only evidence we have of
Sagan's popularity affecting his career is the fact that he was not voted into the
National Academy of Sciences; his nomination to that organization is known to have
generated some serious debate. But it would be good to keep in mind that just before
this occurred the eminent physicist Richard Feynman, who had a bit of a reputation for
popularization as well, resigned from the National Academy as a protest over their
nomination and selection processes, which are known to be highly political in nature.
Sagan, like many great intellects, did not play political games well. He was an
outspoken advocate of marijuana use and legalization, and his personal life was both
stormy and at times not very private. His nomination to the Academy was supported by the
astronomers, his actual scientific peers, but members of other branches of science were
able to raise enough objections to prevent him from getting the two-thirds vote
necessary for membership.
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