30-685: The Carl Sagan Medal for Excellence in Public Communication in Planetary Science is an award established by the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society to recognize and honor outstanding communication by an active planetary scientist to the general public. It is awarded to scientists whose efforts have significantly contributed to
60-473: A "smallish" nuclear device on the Moon in order to facilitate research into its geological make-up. The idea was dismissed because it would interfere with plans to measure the Moon's natural background radiation. The existence of Project A119 remained largely secret until the mid-1990s, when writer Keay Davidson discovered the story while researching the life of Carl Sagan for a biography. Sagan's involvement with
90-661: A display would boost the morale of the American people. At the time of the project's conception, newspapers were reporting a rumor that the Soviet Union was planning to detonate a hydrogen bomb on the Moon. According to press reports in late 1957, an anonymous source had divulged to a United States Secret Service agent that the Soviets planned to commemorate the anniversary of the October Revolution by causing
120-744: A nuclear device on the Moon. By that time, both the United States and the Soviet Union had performed several high-altitude nuclear explosions , including the American Operation Hardtack I , Operation Argus , Operation Fishbowl , and the Soviet Project K . By 1969, the United States had succeeded in being the first nation to land a man on the moon with the success of the Apollo 11 Moon mission. In December of that year, Apollo scientist Gary Latham suggested detonating
150-425: A nuclear explosion on the Moon to coincide with a lunar eclipse on 7 November . News reports of the rumored launch included mention of targeting the dark side of the terminator —Project A119 would also consider this boundary as the target for an explosion. It was also reported that a failure to hit the Moon would likely result in the missile returning to Earth. A similar idea had been put forward by Edward Teller ,
180-1073: A public understanding of, and enthusiasm for planetary science . Carl Sagan Medal winners [ edit ] 1998 William K. Hartmann 1999 Clark Chapman 2000 Larry Lebofsky 2001 André Brahic 2002 Heidi Hammel 2003 No award 2004 David Morrison 2005 Rosaly Lopes 2006 David Grinspoon 2007 No award 2008 G. Jeffrey Taylor 2009 Steven Squyres 2010 Carolyn Porco 2011 James F. Bell, III 2012 Patrick Michel 2013 Donald K. Yeomans 2014 Guy J. Consolmagno, S.J. 2015 Daniel D. Durda 2016 Yong-Chun Zheng 2017 Megan Schwamb and Henry Throop 2018 Bonnie Buratti 2019 Carrie Nugent 2020 Ray Jayawardhana 2021 Nicolle Zellner and Adam Frank 2022 Caleb Scharf 2023 Tracy Becker See also [ edit ] List of astronomy awards References [ edit ] ^ "Sagan Medal DPS Prizes" . American Astronomical Society . Retrieved January 25, 2011 . ^ "Donald K. Yeomans Wins
210-400: Is a division within the American Astronomical Society (AAS) devoted to Solar System research. It was founded in 1968. The first organizing committee members were: Edward Anders , Lewis Branscomb , Joseph W. Chamberlain , Richard M. Goody , John S. Hall , Arvidas Kliore , Michael B. McElroy , Tobias Owen , Gordon Pettengill , Carl Sagan , and Harlan James Smith . As of 2009, it is
240-542: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) , Leonard Reiffel , who had led the project in 1958. A young Carl Sagan was part of the team responsible for predicting the effects of a nuclear explosion in vacuum and low gravity, and evaluating the scientific value of the project. The relevant documents remained secret for nearly 45 years and, despite Reiffel's revelations, the United States government has never officially acknowledged its involvement in
270-632: The "father of the H-bomb", who, in February 1957, proposed the detonation of nuclear devices both on and some distance from the lunar surface to analyze the effects of the explosion. A ten-member team, led by Leonard Reiffel , was assembled at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago to study the potential visibility of the explosion, the benefits to science, and the implications for
300-545: The 1957 date of the "anonymous" source whose rumors initiated the US project. The official Soviet plan also differs from the scenario reported in the press. Started in January 1958, it was part of a series of proposals under the codename "E". Project E-1 entailed plans to reach the Moon, while projects E-2 and E-3 involved sending a probe around the far side of the Moon to take a series of photographs of its surface. The final stage of
330-822: The 2013 Carl Sagan Medal" . Princeton University . September 23, 2013. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014 . Retrieved July 1, 2014 . ^ "AAS Division For Planetary Sciences Announces 2014 Prize Winners" . American Astronomical Association, Division for Planetary Sciences . July 2, 2014. v t e Carl Sagan Scientific career Project A119 Pioneer plaque Faint young Sun paradox Cosmic Calendar Voyager Golden Record ( contents ) Voyager Family Portrait Pale Blue Dot The Planetary Society Search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence Books Science The Cosmic Connection (1973) Mars and
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#1732802206703360-616: The Mind of Man (1973) The Dragons of Eden (1977) Broca's Brain (1979) Cosmos (1980) The Cold and the Dark (1984) Comet (1985) Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1993) Pale Blue Dot (1994) The Demon-Haunted World (1995) Billions and Billions (1997) The Varieties of Scientific Experience (2006) Fiction Contact (1985) Media Television Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (1980 TV series) God,
390-705: The Solution of Some Problems in Planetary Astronomy , and the 1959 paper Radiological Contamination of the Moon by Nuclear Weapons Detonations . A 1958 paper titled Cosmic Radiation and Lunar Radioactivity , credited to I. Filosofo, was also named by Sagan in a 1961 paper written for the United States National Research Council . These were among the eight reports created by the project, all of which were destroyed in 1987. The resulting biography, Carl Sagan: A Life ,
420-1182: The Universe and Everything Else (1988) Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (2014 TV series) Cosmos: Possible Worlds (2020 TV series) Films Contact (1997) Wanderers (2014) Family Lynn Margulis (first wife) Dorion Sagan (son) Linda Salzman Sagan (second wife) Nick Sagan (son) Ann Druyan (third wife) Sasha Sagan (daughter) Prizes Carl Sagan Memorial Award Carl Sagan Medal Carl Sagan Award for Public Appreciation of Science Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization Recognition Carl Sagan Institute Sagan Planet Walk Carl Sagan Memorial Station 2709 Sagan Pale Blue Dot: A Tribute to Carl Sagan Symphony of Science Related 900 Stewart Avenue [REDACTED] Category Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carl_Sagan_Medal&oldid=1206549117 " Categories : Astronomy prizes Carl Sagan Division for Planetary Sciences The Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS)
450-490: The effects of nuclear explosions on the environment. Those studies continued until 1962. In May 1958, ARF began covertly researching the potential consequences of a nuclear explosion on the Moon. The main objective of the program, running under the auspices of the United States Air Force which had initially proposed it, was to cause a nuclear explosion that would be visible from Earth. It was hoped that such
480-409: The eyes of the American and international public alike. If executed, the plan might have led to a potential militarization of space . An identical project by the Soviet Union (Project E-4) also never came to fruition due to fears of the warhead falling back on Soviet territory, and the potential for an international incident. The existence of the US project was revealed in 2000 by a former executive at
510-526: The general public. The Jonathan Eberhart Planetary Sciences Journalism Award is a prize that recognizes and stimulates distinguished popular writing on planetary sciences. The Claudia J. Alexander Prize recognizes outstanding achievement in planetary research by a mid-career scientist. DPS has held meetings annually since 1970. The official journal of the DPS is Icarus . Project A119 Project A119 , also known as A Study of Lunar Research Flights ,
540-656: The largest special-interest division within the AAS. As of Oct 2010, membership totaled approximately 1415 planetary scientists and astronomers, including about 20% residing outside the U.S. DPS sponsors six prizes. The Kuiper Prize honors outstanding contributions to the field of planetary science. The Urey Prize recognizes outstanding achievement in planetary research by a young scientist. The Masursky Award acknowledges outstanding service to planetary science and exploration. The Carl Sagan Medal recognizes and honors outstanding communication by an active planetary scientist to
570-514: The lunar surface. Among the members of the research team were astronomer Gerard Kuiper and his doctoral student Carl Sagan . Sagan was responsible for the mathematical projection of the expansion of a dust cloud in space around the Moon, an essential element in determining its visibility from Earth. Scientists initially considered using a hydrogen bomb for the project, but the United States Air Force vetoed that idea due to
600-659: The media and was the impetus for the beginning of the Space Race. Trying to reclaim lost ground, the United States embarked on a series of new studies and projects, which eventually included the launch of Explorer 1 , the creation of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ( DARPA ), and NASA . In 1949, the Armour Research Foundation (ARF), based at the Illinois Institute of Technology , began studying
630-427: The media. Reiffel's revelation of the project was accompanied by his denunciation of the work carried out, with the scientist noting that he was "horrified that such a gesture to sway public opinion was ever considered". As a result of the publicity the correspondence created, a freedom of information request was lodged concerning Project A119. It was only then that A Study of Lunar Research Flights – Volume I
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#1732802206703660-636: The project was apparent from his application for an academic scholarship at the Miller Institute of the University of California, Berkeley , in 1959. In the application, Sagan gave details of the project research, which Davidson felt constituted a violation of national security. The leak consisted of Sagan revealing the titles of two classified papers from the A119 project — the 1958 paper Possible Contribution of Lunar Nuclear Weapons Detonations to
690-573: The project, E-4, was to be a nuclear strike on the Moon, as a display of force. As with the American plan, the E series of projects was canceled while still in its planning stages, due to concerns regarding the safety and reliability of the launch vehicle. The signing of the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963 and the Outer Space Treaty in 1967 prevented future investigation of the concept of detonating
720-421: The risk to the population if anything went wrong with the launch. Another factor, cited by project leader Leonard Reiffel, was the possible problem of nuclear fallout which would affect future lunar research projects and Moon colonization . Later reports in the 2010s showed that a corresponding Soviet project did indeed exist, although the only official documents on the project found so far began in 1958, not
750-516: The shadowed side of the Moon where it would detonate on impact. The dust cloud resulting from the explosion would be lit by the Sun and therefore visible from Earth. According to Reiffel, the Air Force's progress in the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles would have made such a launch feasible by 1959. The project was canceled by the Air Force in January 1959, seemingly out of fear of
780-638: The study. During the Cold War , the Soviet Union took the lead in the Space Race with the launch of Sputnik 1 on 4 October 1957. Sputnik was the first artificial satellite in orbit around the Earth, and the surprise of its successful launch, compounded by the resounding failure of Project Vanguard to launch an American satellite after two attempts, had been dubbed the " Sputnik crisis " by
810-514: The weight of such a device, because it would be too heavy to be propelled by the missile which would have been used. It was then decided to use a W25 warhead, a small, lightweight warhead with a relatively low 1.7 kiloton yield . By contrast, the Little Boy bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945 had a yield of 13–18 kilotons. The W25 would be carried by a rocket toward
840-477: Was a top-secret plan developed in 1958 by the United States Air Force . The aim of the project was to detonate a nuclear bomb on the Moon , which would help in answering some of the mysteries in planetary astronomy and astrogeology . If the explosive device detonated on the surface, and not in a lunar crater , the flash of explosive light would have been faintly visible to people on Earth with their naked eye . This
870-417: Was meant as a show of force resulting in a possible boosting of domestic morale in the capabilities of the United States, a boost that was needed after the Soviet Union took an early lead in the Space Race . The project was never carried out, being cancelled after "Air Force officials decided its risks outweighed its benefits", and because a Moon landing would undoubtedly be a more popular achievement in
900-468: Was published in 1999. Shortly after, a review published in Nature highlighted the discovery of the leaked information. That led Reiffel to break his anonymity and write a letter to the journal confirming that Sagan's activity had at the time been considered a breach of the confidentiality of the project. Reiffel took the opportunity to reveal details of the studies, and his statements were widely reported in
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