The Golden Record: A Public Record Time Capsule From 1977

Image of the golden record and cover made of aluminum w/ an electroplated ultra-pure sample of the isotope uranium-238.

Previously I wrestled with the notion of public record and public trust. Who writes the former and how is the latter maintained or corroded? In our current times as we jump the chasm from analog to digital from the 1% to the 99%, it's not clear how these two cultural constructs will function in the decades ahead.

Can social media and blockchain platforms make the public record more multifaceted and transparent?

Will lobbyists, terrorists, and fundamentalists warp media and communications past the point of return where no one trusts anything they see or hear?

I have no krutacking idea. And thinking about all this has got me (and @engledd) feeling dystopian. So let's retreat to the past to find comfort and solace in what we can wrap our heads around.

Let's go back to 1977.

Ah yes, the good old days when the White House had just been purged of scandal, relations with Russia were frosty and the world was introduced to this gif.

Riding on the crest of outer space fervor stoked by the release of a little film called Star Wars (btw, doesn't the cover of the Golden Record look like the Death Star?) Nasa launched two space probes into outer space to search the great beyond and bring with them communications from Earth.

The Voyager Mission

Launched in 1977, The Voyager Mission included two scientific probes launched into outer space in late August and September 1977.

Image of the Voyager's path starting from Earth.

On the 25th of August 2012, data from Voyager 1 indicated that it had become the first human-made object to enter interstellar space, traveling "further than anyone, or anything, in history". Aboard both vessels are copies of a Golden Record produced by Carl Sagan and a group of contributors from Cornell University.

The Voyager Golden Record

Nasa has put together a great site depicting the history and science around the Voyager Mission and the process of making the Golden Record. Sadly, all the photos included in the record are copyrighted and not in public domain (which is a whole other wrinkle in this public record/trust conversation).

Over on Spotify you can listen to the music included on the record. Or thanks to soundcloud and Nasa you can hear the sounds of Earth.

The Ultimate Mixtape

Vice has a nice interview with the curator of the Golden Record, Ann Druyan. In the case of this time capsule jettisoned into outer space, the public record was not crowdsourced or voted upon. Nope, ya just had to be married to Carl Sagan and be an exceptionally talented communicator to shape this public record. For some reason she is proud of this website: goldenrecord.org so I question her level of taste.

I wonder what Alice Young, wife of Neil deGrasse Tyson would put on the golden record of today.

Speaking of, I'll leave with you this saccharine video about the impact of the Voyager and its mission to carry our dreams and record of our accomplishments to the furtherest reaches of the universe.

Feel free to share what you would include in the Golden Record if we made one today in the comments.

^{100% of the SBD rewards from this #explore1918 post will support the Philadelphia History Initiative @phillyhistory. This crypto-experiment conducted by graduate courses at Temple University's Center for Public History and MLA Program, is exploring history and empowering education. Click here to learn more.}