The Voyager program
The Voyager program is a U.S program that launched two unmanned space missions, these scientific probes were named as Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, launched in 1977. The primary mission was the exploration of Jupiter and Saturn. The probes were able to continue their mission into the outer solar system, and are as of June 2011 on course to exit the solar system. Voyager 1 is currently the farthest human-made object from Earth. Voyager 1 and 2 both carry with them a golden record that contains pictures and sounds of Earth, along with symbolic directions for playing the record and data detailing the location of Earth. The record is intended as a combination time capsule and interstellar message to any civilization, alien or far-future human that recovers either of the Voyager craft. The contents of this record were selected by a committee chaired by Carl Sagan.
Pioneers 10 and 11, which were launched in 1972 and 1973 and preceded Voyager in outstripping the gravitational attraction of the Sun, both carried small metal plaques identifying their time and place of origin for the benefit of any other spacefarers that might find them in the distant future. NASA placed a more ambitious message aboard Voyager 1 and 2- a kind of time capsule, intended to communicate a story of our world to extraterrestrials. The Voyager message is carried by a phonograph record-a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth. They contain sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, and are intended for any intelligent extraterrestrial life form, or for future humans, who may find them.
As the probes are extremely small compared to the vastness of interstellar space, the probability of a space faring civilization encountering them is very small, especially since the probes will eventually stop emitting any kind of electromagnetic radiation. If they are ever found by an alien species, it will most likely be far in the future as the nearest star on Voyager 1's trajectory will only be reached in 40,000 years. As Carl Sagan (1934–1996) noted, "The spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced space-faring civilizations in interstellar space. But the launching of this 'bottle' into the cosmic 'ocean' says something very hopeful about life on this planet." Thus the record is best seen as a time capsule or a symbolic statement rather than a serious attempt to communicate with extraterrestrial life. "
This is a present from a small, distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts and our feelings. We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours." Said by U.S. President Jimmy Carter”
Contents of the Voyager Golden Record :
Contents were selected by a committee chaired by Carl Saganof Cornell University. Dr. Sagan and his associates assembled 116 images and a variety of natural sounds (made by surf, wind, and thunder, and animal sounds, including the songs of birds and whales) Also added musical selections from different cultures and eras, spoken greetings in fifty-five languages including Hindi.
Many photographs and diagrams both in black and white and color. Printed messages were from President Jimmy Carter and U.N. Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim. Some Images of scientific interest, showing mathematical and physical quantities, the solar system and its planets, DNA, and human anatomy and reproduction. Some images of animals, insects, plants and landscapes. Some images show food, architecture, and humans in portraits etc. Scales of time, size, or mass. Some images contain indications of chemical composition. The musical selection is also varied, featuring artists such as Beethoven, Guan Pinghu,Mozart, Stravinsky and Chuck Berry. The 116 images are encoded in analogue form and composed of 512 vertical lines. The remainder of the record is audio, designed to be played at 16⅔ revolutions per minute. It contains the spoken greetings, beginning with Akkadian, which was spoken in Sumer about six thousand years ago, and ending with Wu, a modern Chinese dialect. Following the section on the sounds of Earth, there is an eclectic 90-minute selection of music, including both Eastern and Western classics and a variety of ethnic music.
