The Voyager Program's Golden Record, also known as the Voyager Golden Record, is an interstellar message aboard both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecrafts, launched in 1977. The records were designed to communicate the story of our world to extraterrestrial civilizations, should the Voyagers ever be encountered.
The idea for the Golden Record was conceived by Carl Sagan, who was part of the committee that assembled the contents of the record. The purpose was to provide a snapshot of life and culture on Earth, encapsulating sounds, images, and greetings in various languages, along with music from different cultures.
The initiative was inspired by the plaque on Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11, which were earlier spacecrafts that carried a message to potential extraterrestrial finders. However, the Golden Record was a more comprehensive and sophisticated effort, incorporating a phonograph record, a cartridge, and a needle, along with instructions on how to play it.
The Golden Record contains:
The records are made of copper, plated with gold, ensuring longevity in space conditions. They are encased in an aluminum jacket, which also includes a diagram showing how to play the record. The phonograph record itself was chosen over digital storage because it was believed that analog playback technology would be more universally understandable to any potential extraterrestrial civilization.
The Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecrafts carrying the Golden Record were launched on August 20 and September 5, 1977, respectively. As of now, both spacecrafts have left the solar system, with Voyager 1 being the first human-made object to enter interstellar space in 2012, followed by Voyager 2 in 2018.