A Message to the Stars

In 1977, NASA launched the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecrafts to explore the outer solar system. Aboard each craft is a gold-plated copper disk containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth. These records are intended to communicate a story of our world to extraterrestrials. The contents were selected by a committee chaired by Carl Sagan, who noted that the spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced space-faring civilizations in interstellar space. ( 1 ), the launching of this 'bottle' into the cosmic 'ocean' says something very hopeful about life on this planet.

The records contain 115 images, a variety of natural sounds, musical selections from different cultures and eras, and spoken greetings in 55 ancient and modern languages. NASA also included a message from U.S. President Jimmy Carter. While the chances of the records being found are infinitesimally small, they remain a symbolic testament to humanity's desire to make contact. Some critics argued that sending such data might be dangerous if hostile aliens found it. ( 2 ), most scientists view the Golden Record as a poetic time capsule rather than a serious attempt at interstellar communication.

A Message to the Stars

In 1977, NASA launched the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecrafts to explore the outer solar system. Aboard each craft is a gold-plated copper disk containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth. These records are intended to communicate a story of our world to extraterrestrials. The contents were selected by a committee chaired by Carl Sagan, who noted that the spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced space-faring civilizations in interstellar space. ( 1 ), the launching of this 'bottle' into the cosmic 'ocean' says something very hopeful about life on this planet.

The records contain 115 images, a variety of natural sounds, musical selections from different cultures and eras, and spoken greetings in 55 ancient and modern languages. NASA also included a message from U.S. President Jimmy Carter. While the chances of the records being found are infinitesimally small, they remain a symbolic testament to humanity's desire to make contact. Some critics argued that sending such data might be dangerous if hostile aliens found it. ( 2 ), most scientists view the Golden Record as a poetic time capsule rather than a serious attempt at interstellar communication.