Week 9: Space + Art

You can’t talk about outer space without entertaining the idea of intelligent extraterrestrial life. If we could give them a sneak peek into the human world, what would we show them? What would we want them to know about us? Surely, we would boast about our advanced knowledge in subjects such as infinitesimal calculus and quantum physics. We would also show them what we look like and the many Earthly wonders of the Himalayas, the Sahara, the Amazon, etc.

While there is a good chance that our habitats are vastly different than alien habitats (and this diversity may pique some alien interest), I believe the feature that makes us such incredible creatures is our shared ability to make music. Some of the greatest works of Earthly music are floating around in interstellar space aboard Voyager 1 and 2. In 1977, NASA launched the Golden Records onboard the Voyager spacecrafts with the message from President Jimmy Carter: “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.” The Golden Records are phonograph records containing carefully selected sounds and images that were thought to best portray the diversity of cultures on Earth. Included in the capsule is music from around the globe and across time: Pygmy girls’ initiation song, Louis Armstrong, Navajo night chants, Stravinsky, Azerbaijani folk bagpipe, Chuck Berry, and over twenty-five more diverse tracks.

The Voyagers also included a collection of 115 images ranging from fetal diagrams to mathematical quantities to a lady in a supermarket to DNA. Carl Sagan, the renowned astrophysicist who sent these tangible messages to outer space, believed these records could only be found and played by “advanced space-faring life.” Today, Voyager 1 is the farthest traveling human-made object in space, giving us hope that maybe one day an alien will discover the human culture.

Images from top to bottom: cover of the Golden Record, demonstration of licking, eating and drinking (downloaded onto the Golden Record), astronaut in space (downloaded onto the Golden Record)

Works Cited:

Andrews, Travis. “NASA Launched This Record into Space in 1977. Now, You Can Own Your Own Copy.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 29 Apr. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/11/27/nasa-launched-this-record-into-space-in-1977-now-you-can-own-your-own-copy/.

Ng, David. “Voyager 1 Exits Solar System, Takes Bach with It.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sept. 2013, www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-xpm-2013-sep-12-la-et-cm-voyager-1-music-in-space-20130912-story.html.

“Voyager - Music on the Golden Record.” NASA, NASA, voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/golden-record/whats-on-the-record/music/.

“Voyager - Images on the Golden Record.” NASA, NASA, voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/galleries/images-on-the-golden-record/.

Wikipedia contributors. "Voyager Golden Record." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 10 May. 2021. Web. 29 May. 2021.