Watch Carl Sagan pitch solar-powered spacecrafts to Johnny Carson — in 1976

Nearly 40 years after Carl Sagan appeared on The Tonight Show with a sail and a dream, the late astronomer's plans for a solar-powered spacecraft may soon be a reality.

Science Guy Bill Nye launched a Kickstarter campaign to help crowdfund his LightSail project on Tuesday. Less than two days later, Nye and his team at the Planetary Society had already passed their initial goal of $325,000, which they say will fund the spacecraft's building and initial testing. The LightSail, which Nye describes as the "people's spacecraft," would feature a tiny satellite, propelled along its starry journey by kite-like sails that rely on the sun's energy for fuel.

Sagan described some of the hypothetical uses for such a spacecraft nearly 30 years ago, to Johnny Carson, and you can watch the scientist discuss his dreams for his design starting at the 22-second mark in the video, below. —Sarah Eberspacher

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up