On August 20, 1977, the launching of Voyager 2 took place, and with it, a very special artifact, the “Golden Record.” It was a phonograph record that would stand in for Earth to an extraterrestrial civilization. They crafted it under the direction of the inimitable astronomer Carl Sagan and his staff as an exegesis filled with a cornucopia of images, sounds, and music apropos of the human experience and Earth.
The record contains greetings in 55 human languages, a variety of pictures to visualize life on Earth, and an eclectic choice of music. These musical pieces are from very wide-ranging genres and cultures, including those by famous classical composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Igor Stravinsky. Such internationally renowned folk and traditional music exponents included Guan Pinghu, Kesarbai Kerkar, and Valya Balkanska. Music from Azerbaijan was also represented by Azerbaijani folk music.
The Golden Record didn’t forsake the genres of the day, either: it included pieces by the more popular names of blues and rock and roll, Chuck Berry and Blind Willie Johnson. It was Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” that seems to have been particularly commented upon, with some pointed remarks on its inclusion. Carl Sagan famously responded to protests, “There are a lot of adolescents on the planet.”
Interestingly, they discussed using the Beatles’ classic “Here Comes The Sun” for the Golden Record project. Both the band and Sagan’s team supported the idea. The only problem was: that because EMI owned the licensing rights to the music, the song was dropped. It’s a pity because many do believe extraterrestrials would have loved the endorphin-boosting melodies of Abbey Road.
The Golden Record’s cover includes instructions on how to play it, which are accompanied by a stylus. Less than a month later he sent the Voyager 1 to space, with an additional copy of the Golden Record. Both Voyagers have already covered billions of miles, but they have not yet reached the intelligent life form. If they reach an extraterrestrial audience, let’s just cross our fingers that our cosmic neighbors love the eclectic sound we imagine Earth would produce.
The Voyager Program is one of the more extraordinary accomplishments in human history, from reaching beyond our solar system to pushing these barriers to understanding the cosmos. As these vessels keep traveling on through the vast emptiness of space, they carry a golden legacy, they are monuments to human curiosity, creativity, and the urge to remain in communication with the other.