The grooves of the records record both ordinary audio and 115 encoded images. Inscribed on the records’ covers are instructions for their use and a sort of “map” designed to describe the Earth’s location in the galaxy in a way that extraterrestrials might understand. Since they move too quickly and have too little propellant to stop themselves, both spacecraft are now on what NASA calls their Interstellar Mission, exploring the space between the stars as they head out into the galaxy.īoth craft carry Golden Records: 12-inch phonographic gold-plated copper records, along with needles and cartridges, all designed to last indefinitely in interstellar space. The twin spacecraft both visited Jupiter and Saturn from there Voyager I explored the hazy moon Titan, while Voyager II became the first (and, to date, only) probe to explore Uranus and Neptune. The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research.įorty years ago, NASA launched Voyager I and II to explore the outer solar system.

Golden records professional