Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan (November 9, 1934 - December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer and writer. He worked along with the American space program and popularized astronomy with the general public thru a series of non-fiction books and his TV series "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage" (1980). In 1977, he was also the initiator of the Voyager Golden Record, a special record sent into outer space featuring sounds and music that would give potential extraterrestrials an idea of life on Earth. Among the musical segments on this record are works by Johann Sebastian Bach (one piece performed by Glenn Gould), Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Igor Stravinsky (the final movement of The Rite Of Spring), Louis Armstrong, Blind Willie Johnson, Chuck Berry and various pieces of world music, including Valya Balkanska.
Frank Zappa and Carl Sagan
Zappa referenced him as a character in Hunchentoot. He made another nod to Sagan in the song Be In My Video, where Zappa sings about "atomic light" and the phrase "billions and billions" which Sagan used heavily in his TV series "Cosmos" and was spoofed by many 1980s comedians.
