SMRTR Science & EngineeringNov 10, 2025Nautilus

Carl Sagan Shared a Shocking Space Secret

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After the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, the U.S. Air Force secretly planned to detonate a nuclear bomb on the moon as a Cold War publicity stunt, enlisting young Carl Sagan to study the project's scientific feasibility. The plan was ultimately scrapped, but Sagan inadvertently revealed the classified "Project A119" details when applying for a fellowship in 1959.

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