Learn

In August and September of 1977, NASA made an attempt to talk to aliens. It’s not exactly what you might think however. They didn’t meet any little green men with big eyes coming out of a flying saucer. But they did send out two spacecrafts with some information about Earth in hopes that there would be some sort of space civilization that might find it.

Within the spacecrafts called the Voyager 1 and 2, they placed a phonograph record made out of copper and gold. The record contains sounds and images that feature the diverse culture and life on Earth. Some sounds included are of whales, wind, thunder, classical music, and spoken greetings from Earth people in fifty-five languages. Scientists wrote instructions in a symbolic language to explain how to play the record along with a cartridge and needle to play the record. In 1990 both Voyager 1 and 2 passed the orbit of Pluto, and by now are in empty space out of our solar system. Scientists say that it will be 40 thousand years before they come close to another planetary system. Who knows what will happen to the spacecrafts, but we can always dream and wonder.