By Raza Mehdi
Nov 12, 2022
Launched in 1977, NASA’s Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes left the Solar System in 2012 and 2018 respectively to start their interstellar space journey. Currently, the Voyagers are sailing adrift in interplanetary space.
Voyagers Come Into Play
Image: NASA
NASA knew the Voyagers would find themselves in blank space after leaving the solar system and it would take another 40,000 years to make a close approach to any other planetary system. Therefore, the spacecraft should carry a message from its maker.
Snippets Of Our Existence
Image: NASA
They put on board a ‘Golden Record’, a disc carrying music, natural sounds, and greetings in different languages, along with 116 images from Earth depicting scientific knowledge, human anatomy, human endeavours, and the terrestrial environment.
Bottle Into The Cosmic Ocean
Image: NASA
If any intelligent life in our galaxy intercepts the Voyagers and decodes the instructions provided, all they will know about our species and planet Earth, which might be long gone, will be perceived by these 116 images and sounds.
Message From The Maker
Image: GIPHY
Here are 26 images out of the 116 that are electronically placed in the Golden Record onboard the two Voyager spacecrafts.
Image: NASA
The solar location map of Earth in the galaxy
Image: Frank Drake
The image of Earth
Image: NASA
A photograph showing Egypt, the Red Sea, the Sinai Peninsula and the Nile River
Image: NASA
A diagram showing human DNA structure
Image: Jon Lumberg
Human Anatomy (Skeleton and muscles)
Image: World Book
Human Anatomy (Skeleton and muscles)
Image: Jon Lomberg
Photograph of a human fetus or offspring
Image: Dr. Frank Allan
Father and daughter (Malaysia)
Image: David Harvey
Children with a globe
Image: UN/DPI Photo
The sprinters (Valeri Borzov of the U.S.S.R. in lead)
Image: History of the Olympics, picture point
Night image of the United Nations building
Image: UN/DPI Photo
Rush hour traffic in Thailand
Image: UN/DPI Photo
Snake River and Grand Tetons
Image: Ansel Adams
Seashore, Cape Neddick, Maine
Image: Dick Smith
Snowflake over Sequoia trees with humans standing for size reference
Image: Josef Muench, R. Sisson
Dolphins jumping out of water
Image: Thomas Nebbia
School of fish with a diver
Image: David Doubilet
Waterholes with land animals
Image: South African Tourist Corp.
Mountain climber
Image: Gaston Rebuffat
Great Wall of China
Image: H. Edward Kim
Taj Mahal in India
Image: David Carroll
Construction scene with workers (Amish country)
Image: William Albert Allard
Aeroplane in flight
Image: Frank Drake
Sunset with birds
Image: David Harvey
Violin with music score (Cavatina)
Image: Cornell University
Astronaut in space
Image: NASA