Various Artists | Voyager Golden Record | Album

A total of eight copies of Voyager Golden Record were made and two were sent into space. The record is constructed of gold-plated copper and is 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter. The record's cover is aluminium and electroplated upon it is an ultra-pure sample of the isotope uranium-238.

The Voyager Golden Records are two phonograph records that were included aboard both Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977. The records contain sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, and are intended for any intelligent extraterrestrial life form who may find them. The records are a sort of time capsule. The contents of the record were selected for NASA by a committee chaired by Carl Sagan of Cornell University. The selection of content for the record took almost a year. Sagan and his associates assembled 115 images and a variety of natural sounds, such as those made by surf, wind, thunder and animals (including the songs of birds and whales). To this they added audio content to represent humanity: spoken greetings in 55 ancient and modern languages, including a spoken greeting in English by UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim and a greeting by Sagan's six-year-old son, Nick; other human sounds, like footsteps and laughter (Sagan's); the inspirational message Per aspera ad astra in Morse Code; and musical selections from different cultures and eras, including blues by Blind Willie Johnson, rock'n'roll by Chuck Berry, and a modern electronic composition by Laurie Spiegel. The record also includes a printed message from U.S. president Jimmy Carter.

Artist Website: voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/golden-record

Related Artists: Blind Willie Johnson, Chuck Berry, Laurie Spiegel

Collections: Artful Albums