ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Carolyn Porco - Planetary scientist
As the leader of the Imaging Team on the Cassini mission to Saturn, Carolyn Porco interprets and shares the pictures coming back from this fascinating planet, its rings and its moons.

Why you should listen

Planetary scientist Carolyn Porco studies and interprets the photos from NASA space missions like the renowned Voyager mission to the outer solar system in the 1980s and the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn. She leads a team of scientists from the US and Europe that has been analyzing the images Cassini has sent back since it left Earth in 1997. At Saturn, they have found new phenomena everywhere they've turned their cameras … in the planet’s atmosphere, within its rings and on the surfaces of its many moons. And they've produced spectacular images and animations of these marvels in the process.

Back in the early-1980s, while still working on her doctorate, Porco was drafted onto the Voyager imaging team to assist in crunching the mountains of data coming back from Voyager’s fly-by of Saturn. Her work on the planet's rings and their relation to its moons cemented her connection with Saturn. After Voyager had flown by Neptune and was nearing conclusion, she worked together with Carl Sagan in planning Voyager’s celebrated Pale Blue Dot picture of Earth.

Her ongoing work at the Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations (CICLOPs) has two goals: to process, interpret and archive Cassini’s images for other scientists, and to make sure the images -- in all their breathtaking poetry and mystery and sheer Save-Image-As-Desktop awesomeness -- connect with the general public. She is an advocate for the exploration and understanding of planetary space, and her frequent talks (as well as her "Captain's Log" memos on the CICLOPS website) speak to everyone, scientist and nonscientist alike. Her advocacy extends to Hollywood, where she was the character consultant on the 1997 movie “Contact,” and a consultant on the 2009 Paramount Pictures re-boot of “Star Trek.” In 2012, she was named one the 25 most influential people in space by TIME magazine.

Finally, in a twist on the Pale Blue Dot theme, it was she who conceived the idea to invite the people of the world to smile while Cassini imaged the Earth on July 19, 2013 in an event called “The Day the Earth Smiled.”

For more information: 

Solar System Portrait: Earth as 'Pale Blue Dot'

BBC: Saturn snapped as Earth smiled

The Atlantic: The Carl Sagan of Our Time Reprises the 'Pale Blue Dot' Photo of Earth

The Day the Earth Smiled: Image

Library of Congress: Portraits of the Solar System: Talking with Carolyn Porco About Carl Sagan  

More profile about the speaker
Carolyn Porco | Speaker | TED.com
TED2009

Carolyn Porco: Could a Saturn moon harbor life?

Carolyn Porco: Kan en av Saturnus månar innehålla liv?

Filmed:
1,054,733 views

Carolyn Porco delar med sig av spännande nya fynd från Cassinisonden senaste svep över en av Saturnus månar, Enceladus. Insamlade prover från månens isiga gejsrar antyder att ett hav under ytan kan innehålla liv.
- Planetary scientist
As the leader of the Imaging Team on the Cassini mission to Saturn, Carolyn Porco interprets and shares the pictures coming back from this fascinating planet, its rings and its moons. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

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Two yearsår agosedan here at TEDTED
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För två år sedan här på TED
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I reportedrapporterad that we had discoveredupptäckt
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rapporterade jag att vi hade upptäckt
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at SaturnSaturnus, with the CassiniCassini SpacecraftRymdfarkoster,
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vid Saturnus, med hjälp av Cassinisonden,
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an anomalouslyanomalously warmvärma and geologicallygeologically activeaktiva regionområde
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en avvikande varm och geologiskt aktiv region
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at the southernsydlig tiptips of the smallsmå SaturnineTungsint moonmåne
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vid den södra änden av en av Saturnus månar
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EnceladusEnceladus, seensett here.
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Enceladus, som ni ser här.
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This regionområde seensett here for the first time
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Regionen som syns här för första gången
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in the CassiniCassini imagebild takentagen in 2005. This is the southsöder polarpolär regionområde,
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i Cassinis bild som togs 2005. Detta är den södra polarregionen.
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with the famouskänd tiger-stripeTiger-stripe fracturesfrakturer crossingkorsning the southsöder polePol.
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Med de kända tigerrandiga mönstret över sydpolen.
00:43
And seensett just recentlynyligen in latesent 2008,
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Och här som det såg ut i slutet av 2008,
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here is that regionområde again,
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här är regionen igen,
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now halfhalv in darknessmörker because the southernsydlig hemispherehalvklotet
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nu i halvmörker på grund av att det södra halvklotet
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is experiencingupplever the onsetuppkomsten of AugustAugusti
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genomgår början av Augusti
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and eventuallyså småningom wintervinter-.
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och slutligen vinter.
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And I alsoockså reportedrapporterad that we'dvI hADE madegjord this mind-blowinghäpnadsväckande discoveryupptäckt --
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Jag rapporterade också att vi hade gjort den otroliga upptäckten --
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this once-in-a-lifetimeunik discoveryupptäckt
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denna en-gång-per-livstids upptäckt
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of toweringtornar upp sig jetsjets
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av uppstigande strålar
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eruptingutbrott from those fracturesfrakturer at the southsöder polePol,
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utskjutande från de där sprickorna vid sydpolen,
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consistingbestående of tinymycket liten watervatten iceis crystalskristaller
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bestående av små iskristaller
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accompaniedtillsammans by watervatten vaporVapor
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tillsammans med vattenånga
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and simpleenkel organicorganisk compoundsföreningar like carbonkol dioxidedioxid and methanemetan.
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och enkla organiska komponenter som koldioxid och metan.
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And at that time two yearsår agosedan
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Och vid den tiden för två år sedan
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I mentionednämnts that we were speculatingspekulerar
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nämnde jag att vi spekulerade i
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that these jetsjets mightmakt in factfaktum be geysersgejsrar,
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att dessa strålar kunde vara gejsrar,
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and eruptingutbrott from pocketsfickor
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som sprutar från fickor
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or chambersChambers of liquidflytande watervatten underneathunder the surfaceyta,
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eller kammare av flytande vatten under ytan.
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but we weren'tinte really sure.
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Men vi var inte riktigt säkra.
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HoweverEmellertid, the implicationsimplikationer of those resultsresultat --
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Hur som helst, konsekvenserna av dessa resultat
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of a possiblemöjlig environmentmiljö withininom this moonmåne
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med möjligheten av en miljö inom denna månen
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that could supportStöd prebioticprebiotiska chemistrykemi,
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som kan innehålla prebiotisk kemi,
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and perhapskanske life itselfsig --
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och möjligen liv,
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were so excitingspännande that, in the interveningingriper two yearsår,
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var så spännande att under de följande två åren
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we have focusedfokuserade more on EnceladusEnceladus.
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fokuserade vi mer på Enceladus.
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We'veVi har flownflugit the CassiniCassini SpacecraftRymdfarkoster
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Vi har flugit Cassinisonden
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by this moonmåne now severalflera timesgånger,
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förbi denna månen många gånger.
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flyingflygande closernärmare and deeperdjupare into these jetsjets,
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Flugit närmare och djupare in i dessa strålar
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into the densertätare regionsregioner of these jetsjets,
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in i de tätare områdena av strålarna,
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so that now we have come away with some
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så att vi nu har kommit upp med några
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very preciseexakt compositionalsammansättning measurementsmätningar.
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mycket exakta mätningar på sammansättningen.
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And we have foundhittades
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Och vi har funnit
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that the organicorganisk compoundsföreningar comingkommande from this moonmåne
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att de organiska komponenterna som kommer från denna måne
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are in factfaktum more complexkomplex than we previouslytidigare reportedrapporterad.
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faktiskt är mycket mer komplexa än vad vi rapporterat tidigare.
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While they're not aminoamino acidssyror,
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Även om de inte var aminosyror,
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we're now findingfynd things like
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hittar vi nu saker som
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propanepropån and benzenebensen,
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propan och bensen,
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hydrogenväte cyanidecyanid, and formaldehydeformaldehyd.
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cyanväte och formaldehyd.
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And the tinymycket liten watervatten crystalskristaller here
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Och de små vattenkristallerna här
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now look for all the worldvärld
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ser nu ut för hela världen
02:18
like they are frozenfrysta dropletsdroppar of saltysalt watervatten,
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som om de är frusna droppar av saltvatten.
02:21
whichsom is a discoveryupptäckt that suggestsföreslår
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Vilket är en upptäckt som antyder
02:23
that not only do the jetsjets come from
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att strålarna inte bara kommer från
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pocketsfickor of liquidflytande watervatten,
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fickor med flytande vatten,
02:27
but that that liquidflytande watervatten is in contactkontakta with rocksten.
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men även att det flytande vattnet är i kontakt med sten.
02:30
And that is a circumstanceomständighet
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Och det är en omständighet
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that could supplytillförsel the chemicalkemisk energyenergi
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som kan förse den kemiska energin
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and the chemicalkemisk compoundsföreningar neededbehövs to sustainupprätthålla life.
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och de kemiska komponenterna som behövs för att upprätthålla liv.
02:37
So we are very encourageduppmuntrade by these resultsresultat.
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Vi är mycket uppmuntrade av dessa resultat.
02:40
And we are much more confidentsjälvsäker now than we were two yearsår agosedan
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Vi är mycket mer säkra nu än vi var för två år sedan
02:43
that we mightmakt indeedverkligen
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att vi faktiskt kan ha
02:45
have on this moonmåne, underunder the southsöder polePol,
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på denna måne, under sydpolen,
02:48
an environmentmiljö or a zonezon that is hospitablegästfri to livinglevande organismsorganismer.
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en miljö eller en zon som är gästvänlig för levande organismer.
02:52
WhetherHuruvida or not there are livinglevande organismsorganismer there, of coursekurs,
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Vare sig det finns levande oganismer där eller inte,
02:55
is an entirelyhelt differentannorlunda mattermateria.
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är en helt annan fråga.
02:57
And that will have to awaitväntar the arrivalankomst,
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Och den måste vänta tills återkomsten,
02:59
back at EnceladusEnceladus,
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till Enceladus,
03:02
of the spacecraftsrymdfarkoster, hopefullyförhoppningsvis some time in the nearnära futureframtida,
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av de rymdfarkoster, som förhoppningsvis kommer i en nära framtid,
03:05
specificallyspecifikt equippedutrustade to addressadress that particularsärskild questionfråga.
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speciellt utrustade för att lösa just denna fråga.
03:09
But in the meantimeunder tiden I inviteinbjudan you to imaginetänka the day
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Men under tiden inbjuder jag er till att föreställa er dagen
03:12
when we mightmakt journeyresa to the SaturnineTungsint systemsystemet,
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då vi kan resa till Saturnus system,
03:15
and visitbesök the EnceladusEnceladus interplanetaryinterplanetära geyserGeyser parkparkera,
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och besöka Enceladus interplanetariska gejserpark,
03:19
just because we can.
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bara för att vi kan.
03:21
Thank you.
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Tack så mycket.
03:23
(ApplauseApplåder)
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(Applåder)
Translated by Johan Cegrell
Reviewed by Matti Jääaro

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Carolyn Porco - Planetary scientist
As the leader of the Imaging Team on the Cassini mission to Saturn, Carolyn Porco interprets and shares the pictures coming back from this fascinating planet, its rings and its moons.

Why you should listen

Planetary scientist Carolyn Porco studies and interprets the photos from NASA space missions like the renowned Voyager mission to the outer solar system in the 1980s and the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn. She leads a team of scientists from the US and Europe that has been analyzing the images Cassini has sent back since it left Earth in 1997. At Saturn, they have found new phenomena everywhere they've turned their cameras … in the planet’s atmosphere, within its rings and on the surfaces of its many moons. And they've produced spectacular images and animations of these marvels in the process.

Back in the early-1980s, while still working on her doctorate, Porco was drafted onto the Voyager imaging team to assist in crunching the mountains of data coming back from Voyager’s fly-by of Saturn. Her work on the planet's rings and their relation to its moons cemented her connection with Saturn. After Voyager had flown by Neptune and was nearing conclusion, she worked together with Carl Sagan in planning Voyager’s celebrated Pale Blue Dot picture of Earth.

Her ongoing work at the Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations (CICLOPs) has two goals: to process, interpret and archive Cassini’s images for other scientists, and to make sure the images -- in all their breathtaking poetry and mystery and sheer Save-Image-As-Desktop awesomeness -- connect with the general public. She is an advocate for the exploration and understanding of planetary space, and her frequent talks (as well as her "Captain's Log" memos on the CICLOPS website) speak to everyone, scientist and nonscientist alike. Her advocacy extends to Hollywood, where she was the character consultant on the 1997 movie “Contact,” and a consultant on the 2009 Paramount Pictures re-boot of “Star Trek.” In 2012, she was named one the 25 most influential people in space by TIME magazine.

Finally, in a twist on the Pale Blue Dot theme, it was she who conceived the idea to invite the people of the world to smile while Cassini imaged the Earth on July 19, 2013 in an event called “The Day the Earth Smiled.”

For more information: 

Solar System Portrait: Earth as 'Pale Blue Dot'

BBC: Saturn snapped as Earth smiled

The Atlantic: The Carl Sagan of Our Time Reprises the 'Pale Blue Dot' Photo of Earth

The Day the Earth Smiled: Image

Library of Congress: Portraits of the Solar System: Talking with Carolyn Porco About Carl Sagan  

More profile about the speaker
Carolyn Porco | Speaker | TED.com

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