Message from the Voyager Golden Record's Alien-Facing Instructions: A Reveal of Humankind's Self-Portrait to Extraterrestrial Beings (Assuming Discovery)
The Voyager Golden Record, a gold-plated audio-visual disc attached to the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft, serves as a time capsule and message to any potential extraterrestrial intelligence that might find it[1][3]. Launched by NASA in 1977, this unique artifact aims to communicate the story of life and culture on Earth[1][3].
The content of the Golden Record is diverse and comprehensive. It includes:
- 116 images representing the diversity of Earth’s life, nature, human activities, and scientific knowledge[1].
- Sounds of Earth, such as animal calls, natural ambient noises (e.g., waves, weather), and human sounds like a baby crying[3].
- A carefully chosen selection of music from various cultures and historical periods, featuring composers and artists like Mozart, Blind Willie Johnson, and Chuck Berry, as well as traditional music from around the world[1][3].
- Spoken greetings in 55 to 59 different human languages, including greetings from notable figures such as the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the President of the United States[1][3][5].
The significance of the Golden Record lies in its role as a symbolic and scientific gesture. It acts as a cultural snapshot of humanity and Earth, designed to communicate the essence of our planet’s life forms, culture, and environment to potentially intelligent extraterrestrials far in the future[1][3]. It reflects humanity’s desire to connect across cosmic distances and preserves sounds and images that represent the richness of life on Earth.
The Golden Record also contains scientific information, such as a hydrogen transition diagram, which serves as a universal reference for time and frequency[1]. It also includes a pulsar map that shows the Sun's location relative to 14 known pulsars[1].
The Voyager Golden Record was assembled under deadline, with content chosen by a small group based on what they could access and agree upon[2]. If a similar message were proposed today, the process would likely involve more people, more discussion, and more time.
The Golden Record remains attached to both Voyager spacecraft, drifting beyond the edge of the solar system[1]. Among the personal inclusions on the Voyager Golden Record is a one-hour EEG recording of Ann Druyan's brain activity[6].
Interestingly, the Golden Record does not include depictions of war, weapons, religious ceremonies, or political ideologies[1]. Instead, it focuses on the natural world, science, and cultural variety[1].
Everything on the Voyager Golden Record was encoded in analog format, with playback instructions based on physical constants[7]. NASA approved the addition of a message to the Voyager spacecraft, led by astronomer Carl Sagan[8]. The Golden Record does not emit any signal; its discovery depends on another civilization finding and decoding the record[1].
References:
- NASA - Voyager Interstellar Mission
- Carl Sagan's Cosmos - The Golden Record
- The Voyager Interstellar Mission: The Voyager Interstellar Record
- The Voyager Interstellar Mission: The Voyager Interstellar Record - Sounds of Earth
- The Voyager Interstellar Mission: The Voyager Interstellar Record - Greetings
- The Voyager Interstellar Mission: The Voyager Interstellar Record - Ann Druyan's Brain Waves
- The Voyager Interstellar Mission: The Voyager Interstellar Record - Encoding
- NASA - Voyager's Golden Record: The Message to the Stars
- The Voyager Golden Record, a symbolic and scientific gesture from humanity, contains a diverse array of information ranging from images of Earth's life and nature to a selection of music from various cultures.
- This unique artifact, launched by NASA in 1977, also includes spoken greetings in various human languages, reflecting humanity's cultural diversity and desire to connect across cosmic distances.
- The Golden Record, drifting beyond the edge of the solar system, symbolizes a snapshot of Earth's life forms, culture, and environment for any potential extraterrestrial intelligence that may discover it.
- The content of the Golden Record was carefully chosen and encoded in analog format, including scientific information like a hydrogen transition diagram and a pulsar map, showcasing humanity's understanding of physics and space-and-astronomy at the time of its creation.
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