New blogpost in The Ratchet: In 1977, N.A.S.A. launched the Voyager Instellar Mission (VIM). During the first stages of this mission the Voyager 1 and the Voyager 2 were programmed to explore the gas giant planets in the outer Solar System. Today they are still traveling away from Earth and are close to reaching interstellar space. They will be the first human-made objects to enter interstellar space and carry with them an important message our species meant to represent the best of what our species is, and can be.
Great read, I love thinking about Voyager 1 out there traveling towards Interstellar Space. I also enjoy thinking about the process of deciding what would be on the "Golden Records". Those Voyager compilations helped Carl Sagan fall in love. Have a listen to this Radiolab Podcast about thatThe Beatles “Here Comes the Sun” but were turned down by the band’s record company.
-mk, I may start ignoring #beatles too based on this. -horrible decision
It's a wonderful story, I actually think about it often. Falling in love is such a great thing that I can see why some people are perpetually doing it, over and over with different people. The best of us figure out how to sustain that first sensation over the course of a relationship. I would bet they did based on her story. What a cool way to court.
I was talking about the Beatles, but yes that is a great story.
Yeah, thought you meant the proposal... I know, how could you possibly not be cool with that?? Had to be McCartney's in-laws. -Idiots.
I'll check out the Radiolab Podcast tonight, thanks for linking. I started reading about the Golden Records over the weekend and was just fascinated by the idea. Although they will likely never be read by any other civilization, I do think it is an encouraging commentary on what our species can accomplish at our best.
The records are such an amazing symbol. The ultimate time capsule. I would have loved to be a part of deciding what sounds made the records. It would force the participants to be thrust fully in to their surrounding to try and experience fully what it is to be "human", what it is to be an inhabitant of our planet. So cool.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.
-Jimmy Carter
The said thing is that by 2025 we will lose contact with both Voyager 1 and 2. Even a sophisticated space faring civilization would have trouble locating them. But of course, it is possible we could locate one of them in the distant future.