May 25, 2005

The Golden Record Now that Voyager I is about to hit interstellar space, it's a good time to take a look at the copper disc containing Earth's message to whomever discovers the spacecraft. Find a multimedia version (flash) here.
  • Grand post.
  • Voyager I is about to hit interstellar space Well, that didn't take long, did it? I bet it'll seem even shorter on the way back.
  • "whoever"..the subject of the phrase. Why the oh so common "whom" to cover all bases in case of error?? /grammer lesson Some linguist from a planet circling Proxima Centauri will get a hold of this trinket and is just as likely to see it as an escaped form of jewelry as a cry of "over here!".
  • With all of the money in the US being dropped on Iraq in the form of troops, materiel, and explosives, NASA's budget is hurting enough (has been for well over a decade, really), that now, just as Voyager is passing through to TRUE interstellar space, they're thinking of Killing the Project. (However, I think it's more likely they'll find other projects to ax.) I know I've called my congressman. Not that he cares.
  • The irony of an ex-nazi introducing our race on the record always made me chuckle. Perfect representation, really.
  • I apologise, that was darker than I meant it to sound.
  • I'm confused, Chyren - which ex-Nazi? Also, is the record made of copper, or of gold?
  • Awesome post. This record is, to me, the coolest idea NASA ever came up with. If they wanted to make some serious cash, they'd sell duplicate LPs.
  • Just think about it - as a race we're reaching interstellar space . Just the very idea boggles my mind and makes me grateful to be alive to see such a thing. I know I sound like somebody's gramma , but damn. Just.... damn.
  • Waldheim.
  • "Grammer" lesson? /head explodes
  • "Grammar" is the spelling lesson of the day!
  • jb: Kurt Waldheim: As the Secretary General of the United Nations, an organizations of the 147 member states who represent almost all of the human inhabitants of the planet earth. I send greetings on behalf of the people of our planet. We step out of our solar system into the universe seeking only peace and friendship, to teach if we are called upon, to be taught if we are fortunate. We know full well that our planet and all its inhabitants are but a small part of the immense universe that surrounds us and it is with humility and hope that we take this step. ...who represent almost all of the human inhabitants of the planet earth. *snicker* 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.
  • mct- "Murmurs of Earth", originally published in 1978, was reissued in 1992 by Warner News Media and includes a CD-ROM that replicates the Voyager record. Unfortunately, this book is now out of print, but it is worth the effort to try and find a used copy or browse through a library copy.
  • "More Chuck Berry."
  • thanks, sugarmilktea. I was thinking gold would be best, because both are pretty soft, but gold wouldn't tarnish (does metal tarnish in a vacuum?) - gold plating could be a good compromise.
  • True, Skrik -- but hopefully we can get the rebuilt Enterprise out of spacedock in time to stop V'ger from destroying the Earth.
  • *tips hat to horsemuth* Thank you. I know have a quest. But seriously, think special edition here: a gold-colored lp with a replica of the coded instructions printed on it -- no label. Put it on your turntable and watch it go. A CD version could be made available for BIG LOSERS WHO DON'T HAVE TURNTABLES AND CAN SUCK IT. Market that properly, and NASA could make a bundle.
  • Blech. NOW have a quest.
  • Especially if it contains this...
    ""Electroplated onto the record's cover is an ultra-pure source of uranium-238 with a radioactivity of about 0.00026 microcuries. "
    In all seriousness, I really think that this is the coolest thing that NASA has done, including moon landings, mars rovers, and the Hubble. There is just such a poetry to that whole idea that seems to really underscore the best aspects of humanity. um, yeah...I really DO want the LP, though!
  • "Grammar" is the spelling lesson of the day! posted by patita at 08:08PM UTC on May 25, 2005 hoomever
  • I got a copy of Murmurs of Earth when it came out in 1992. Sadly, I've lost the book, but I still have the CDs. Unfortunately, the images are in some stupid ancient proprietary format (Autodesk or something)...
  • I like that this picture is one of the many going to represent our species.
  • That's actually pretty good, clear representation of what we're all about. :)
  • "Murmurs of Earth", originally published in 1978, was reissued in 1992 by Warner News Media and includes a CD-ROM that replicates the Voyager record. Unfortunately, this book is now out of print, but it is worth the effort to try and find a used copy or browse through a library copy. I got a copy off Amazon a couple weeks ago, for less than ten bucks total. Great read - and nutty industries, I need copies of those CDs! My book didnt come with them even though it was the '92 edition.
  • Yeah, I got a copy from the library mid-2004 and it was sans CD. Thanks for the link!
  • nutty industries if it really is a dwg/dxf or some other AutoDesk format drop me an email. I can probably translate it to pdf/tiff for you.
  • Thanks to nutty industries, I've put the (audio) contents of the CDs that came with the book online. You can find them here (Coral Cached link).
  • Thanks so much - this is wonderful. The world music is especially good. I love hearing folk music from across the world. Let me know if you have bandwidth problems - I will mirror the files. But why so much Bach, and no Vivaldi?
  • Not that Bach isn't great - and the Mozart is one of the best arias ever written. Just pure showing off of soprano coolness. But just seems a bit repeditive to have 3 J.S. Bach pieces on an albulm to represent the music of the world, as piecemeal as that would always be.