Contents of the Voyager Golden Record

Sights and sounds of Earth, encoded in a time capsule in interstellar space

The Voyager Golden Record

Cover of the Voyager Golden Record

The Voyager Golden Record contains 116 images and a variety of sounds. The items for the record, which is carried on both the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft, were selected for NASA by a committee chaired by Carl Sagan of Cornell University. Included are natural sounds (including some made by animals), musical selections from different cultures and eras, spoken greetings in 59 languages,[1][2] human sounds like footsteps and laughter,[3] and printed messages from President Jimmy Carter and U.N. Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim.

## Greetings

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The first audio section contains a spoken greeting in English from then-Secretary-General of the United Nations Kurt Waldheim.

The second audio section ("Greetings in 55 Languages") contains spoken greetings in 55 languages.[4] The original plan was to use greetings made by United Nations delegates, but various problems with these recordings led to new recordings being made at Cornell University by people from the foreign-language departments.[5] The number of native speakers of these 55 languages combined (excluding L2 speakers) is over 4.7 billion people, comprising over 65% of the world population. It includes four Chinese languages (marked with **), 12 South Asian languages (marked #) and five ancient languages (marked §), listed here in alphabetical order:

* Akkadian§
* Amoy** (Southern Min/Hokkien)
* Ancient Greek§
* Arabic (Modern Standard)
* Aramaic
* Armenian
* Bengali#
* Burmese
* Cantonese** (dialect of Yue)
* Czech
* Dutch

* English
* French
* Ganda
* German
* Gujarati#
* Hebrew
* Hindi#
* Hittite§
* Hungarian
* Ila (Zambia)
* Indonesian

* Italian
* Japanese
* Kannada#
* Korean
* Latin§
* Mandarin**
* Marathi#
* Nepali#
* Nguni
* Nyanja
* Oriya#

* Persian
* Polish
* Portuguese
* Punjabi#
* Quechua
* Rajasthani#
* Romanian
* Russian
* Serbian
* Sinhala#
* Sotho

* Spanish
* Sumerian§
* Swedish
* Telugu#
* Thai
* Turkish
* Ukrainian
* Urdu#
* Vietnamese
* Welsh
* Wu (Shanghainese)**

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This is a list of the recorded greetings in order of appearance on their respective tracks.[6]

Track | Time | Language | Speaker | Original | English translation

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2 | 0:00:00 | Sumerian | David I. Owen | 𒁲𒈠𒃶𒈨𒂗 (šilim-ma hé-me-en) | May all be well
2 | 0:00:04 | Ancient Greek | Frederick M. Ahl | Οἵτινές ποτ᾿ ἔστε χαίρετε! Εἰρηνικῶς πρὸς φίλους ἐληλύθαμεν φίλοι. (Hoitines pot'este chairete! Eirēnikōs pros philous elēlythamen philoi.) | Greetings to you, whoever you are. We come in friendship to those who are friends.[n 1]
2 | 0:00:11 | Portuguese | Janet Sternberg | Paz e felicidade a todos | Peace and happiness to everyone
2 | 0:00:14 | Cantonese | Stella Fessler | 各位好嗎？祝各位平安健康快樂。; Gok3 wai2 hou2 maa1? Zuk1 gok3 wai2 ping4 on1 gin6 hong1 faai3 lok6. | How's everyone? Wish you peace, health and happiness
2 | 0:00:19 | Akkadian | David I. Owen | Adanniš lu šulmu | May all be very well
2 | 0:00:22 | Russian | Maria Rubinova | Здравствуйте! Приветствую Вас! (Zdrávstvuyte! Privétstvuyu Vas!) | Greetings! I Welcome You!
2 | 0:00:25 | Thai | Ruchira Mendiones | สวัสดีค่ะ สหายในธรณีโพ้น พวกเราในธรณีนี้ขอส่งมิตรจิตมาถึงท่านทุกคน (Sà-wàt-dii kâ, sà-hǎai nai tɔɔ-rá-nii póon. Pûuak-rao nai tɔɔ-rá-nii níi kɔ̌ɔ sòng mít-dtrà-jìt maa tʉ̌ng tâan túk-kon) | Hello friends from farland. We in this land have sent you warm greeting to you all
2 | 0:00:32 | Arabic | Amahl Shakh | .تحياتنا للأصدقاء في النجوم. يا ليت يجمعنا الزمان Taḥiyyātunā lil-'aṣdiqā' fin-nujūm. Yā layt yajma`unā az-zamān. | Our greetings to the friends amongst the stars. We wish that time would unite us
2 | 0:00:38 | Romanian | Sanda Huffman | Salutări la toată lumea | Regards to everyone
2 | 0:00:42 | French | Alexandra Littauer | Bonjour tout le monde | Hello, everyone
2 | 0:00:45 | Burmese | Maung Myo Lwin | နေကောင်းပါသလား (Naykaungg parsalarr?) | Are you well?
2 | 0:00:48 | Hebrew | David I. Owen | שלום‎ Shalom | Peace
2 | 0:00:50 | Spanish | Erik J. Beukenkamp | Hola y saludos a todos | Hello and greetings to everyone
2 | 0:00:54 | Indonesian | Ilyas Harun | Selamat malam hadirin sekalian, selamat berpisah dan sampai bertemu lagi dilain waktu | Good night, ladies and gentlemen. Goodbye and see you next time
2 | 0:00:59 | Kechua (Quechua) | Fredy Roncalla | Kay pachamamta niytapas maytapas rimapallasta runasimipi | Hello to everybody from this Earth, in Quechua language
2 | 0:01:04 | Punjabi | Jatinder N. Paul | ਆਓ ਜੀ, ਜੀ ਆਇਆਂ ਨੂੰ / آؤ جی، جی آیا نوں (Aao ji, jee aya nu) | Welcome home. It is a pleasure to receive you
2 | 0:01:07 | Hittite | David I. Owen | aššuli | Greetings / Hail! (literally "in goodwill")
2 | 0:01:08 | Bengali | Subrata Mukherjee | নমস্কার, বিশ্বে শান্তি হোক (Nômośkār, biśśē śānti hōk) | Hello! Let there be peace everywhere
2 | 0:01:11 | Latin | Frederick M. Ahl | Salvete quicumque estis; bonam erga vos voluntatem habemus, et pacem per astra ferimus | Greetings to you, whoever you are; we have good will towards you and bring peace across space
2 | 0:01:19 | Aramaic | David I. Owen | 𐡌𐡋𐡔 or שלם or ܫܠܡ Šəlām | Hello (literally "peace")
2 | 0:01:22 | Dutch | Joan de Boer | Hartelijke groeten aan iedereen | Dear/sincere greetings to everyone
2 | 0:01:24 | German | Renate Born | Herzliche Grüße an alle | Warm greetings to everyone
2 | 0:01:27 | Urdu | Salma Alzal | السلام عليکم ـ ہم زمين کے رہنے والوں کى طرف سے آپ کو خوش آمديد کہتے ھيں Assalamu alaikum. Hum zameen ke rehne waalon ki taraf se aap ko khush aamdeed kehte hain. | Peace on you. We the inhabitants of this earth send our greetings to you.
2 | 0:01:37 | Vietnamese | Trần Trọng Hải | Chân thành gửi tới các bạn lời chào thân hữu | Sincere greetings to you
2 | 0:01:40 | Turkish | Peter Ian Kuniholm | Sayın Türkçe bilen arkadaşlarımız, sabah şerifleriniz hayrolsun | Dear Turkish-speaking friends, may the honors of the morning be upon your heads
2 | 0:01:45 | Japanese | Mari Noda | こんにちは。お元気ですか？ Konnichiwa. O genki desu ka? | Hello (literally "How is your day?".) How are you?
2 | 0:01:48 | Hindi | Omar Alzal | धरती के वासियों की ओर से नमस्कार Dharati ke waasiyon ki or se namaskar | Greetings from the inhabitants of the earth
2 | 0:01:51 | Welsh | Frederick M. Ahl[7] | Iechyd da i chi yn awr, ac yn oesoedd | Good health to you now and forever
2 | 0:01:54 | Italian | Debby Grossvogel | Tanti auguri e saluti | Many greetings and wishes
2 | 0:01:57 | Sinhala | Kamal de Abrew | ආයුබෝවන්! Āyubōwan! | Wish You a Long Life.
2 | 0:02:00 | Zulu (isiZulu) | Fred Dube | Siya nibingelela maqhawe sinifisela inkonzo ende. | We greet you, great ones. We wish you longevity
2 | 0:02:05 | Sotho (Sesotho) | Fred Dube | Reani lumelisa marela. | We greet you, O great ones
2 | 0:02:08 | Wu | Yvonne Meinwald | 祝㑚大家好。 Tsoh3 na13 da11 ka53 hoa34 | Best wishes to you all
2 | 0:02:12 | Armenian | Araxy Terzian | Բոլոր անոնց որ կը գտնուին տիեզերգի միգամածութիւնէն անդին, ողջոյններ (Bolor anonts’ vor ky gtnuin tiezergi migamatsut’iwnen andin, voghjoynner)[7] | To all those who exist in the universe, greetings
2 | 0:02:19 | Korean | Soon Hee Shin | 안녕하세요 (Annyeong haseyo) | Hello (literally "Are you peaceful?" or "Be peaceful")
2 | 0:02:22 | Polish | Maria Nowakowska-Stycos | Witajcie, istoty z zaświatów. | Welcome, beings from beyond the world.
2 | 0:02:25 | Nepali | Durga Prashad Ojha | प्रिथ्वी वासीहरु बाट शान्ति मय भविष्य को शुभकामना (Prithvī vāsīharu bāṭa śānti maya bhaviṣya kō śubhakāmanā) | Wishing you a peaceful future from the earthlings
2 | 0:02:29 | Mandarin Chinese | Liang Ku | 各位都好吧？我们都很想念你们，有空请到这儿来玩。; 各位都好吧？我們都很想念你們，有空請到這兒來玩。; Gèwèi dōu hǎo ba? Wǒmen dōu hěn xiǎngniàn nǐmen, yǒu kòng qǐng dào zhè'er lái wán. | How's everyone? We all very much wish to meet you, if you're free please come and visit
2 | 0:02:35 | Ila | Saul Moobola | Mypone kaboutu noose. | We wish all of you well
2 | 0:02:38 | Swedish | Gunnel Almgren Schaar | Hälsningar från en dataprogrammerare i den lilla universitetsstaden Ithaca på planeten Jorden | Greetings from a computer programmer in the small university town of Ithaca on (the) planet Earth
2 | 0:02:45 | Nyanja | Saul Moobola | Mulibwanji imwe boonse bantu bakumwamba. | How are all you people of other planets?
2 | 0:02:48 | Gujarati | Radhekant Dave | પૃથ્વી ઉપર વસનાર એક માનવ તરફથી બ્રહ્માંડના અન્ય અવકાશમાં વસનારાઓને હાર્દિક અભિનંદન. આ સંદેશો મળ્યે, વળતો સંદેશો મોકલાવશો. (Pr̥thvī upara vasanāra ēka mānava taraphathī brahmāṇḍanā an'ya avakāśamāṁ vasanārā'ōnē hārdika abhinandana. Ā sandēśō maḷyē, vaḷatō sandēśō mōkalāvaśō.) | Greetings from a human being of the Earth. Please contact
2 | 0:03:03 | Ukrainian | Andrew Cehelsky | Пересилаємо привіт із нашого світу, бажаємо щастя, здоров'я і многая літа (Peresylayemo pryvit iz nashoho svitu, bazhayemo shchastya, zdorov'ya i mnohaya lita) | We are sending greetings from our world, wishing you happiness, health and many years
2 | 0:03:09 | Persian | Eshagh Samehyeh | درود بر ساکنین ماورای آسمان‌ها. بنی‌آدم اعضای یک پیکرند، که در آفرینش ز یک گوهرند، چو عضوی به درد آورد روزگار، دگر عضوها را نماند قرار. (Dorud bar sâkenin mawrah âsemân-hâ'. Bani âdam a'zâye yek peykarand, ke dar āfarinesh ze yek goharand, cho 'ozvi be dard âvarad ruzegâr, degar 'ozvhâ râ namânad qarâr.) | Greetings to the residents of far skies. Human Beings are members of a whole, In creation of one essence and soul, If one member is inflicted with pain, Other members uneasy will remain.
2 | 0:03:22 | Serbian | Milan Mihailo Smiljanić | Желимо вам све најлепше са наше планете (Želimo vam sve najlepše sa naše planete) | We wish you all the best, from our planet
2 | 0:03:25 | Oriya | Raghaba Prasada Sahu | ସୂର୍ଯ୍ୟ ତାରକାର ତୃତୀୟ ଗ୍ରହ ପୃଥିବୀରୁ ବିଶ୍ୱବ୍ରହ୍ମାଣ୍ଡର ଅଧିବାସୀ ମାନଙ୍କୁ ଅଭିନନ୍ଦନ (Sūryẏa tārakāra tr̥tīẏa graha pr̥thibīru biśẇabrahmāṇḍara adhibāsī mānaṅku abhinandana.) | Greetings to the inhabitants of the universe from the third planet Earth of the star Sun
2 | 0:03:34 | Ganda (Luganda) | Elijah Mwima-Mudeenya | Musulayo mutya abantu bensi eno mukama abawe emirembe bulijo. | Greetings to all peoples of the universe. God give you peace always
2 | 0:03:38 | Marathi | Arati Pandit | नमस्कार. ह्या पृथ्वीतील लोक तुम्हाला त्यांचे शुभविचार पाठवतात आणि त्यांची इच्छा आहे की तुम्ही ह्या जन्मी धन्य व्हा. (Namaskāra. Hyā pr̥thvītīla lōka tumhālā tyān̄cē śubhavicāra pāṭhavatāta āṇi tyān̄cī icchā āhē kī tumhī hyā janmī dhan'ya vhā.) | Greetings. The people of the Earth send their good wishes and hope you find good fortune in this life.
2 | 0:03:47 | Amoy (Southern Min/Hokkien) | Margaret Sook Ching See Gebauer | 太空朋友，恁好！恁食飽未？有閒著來阮遮坐喔。 (Thài-khong pêng-iú, lín-hó. Lín chia̍h-pá--bē? Ū-êng, to̍h lâi gún chia chē--ô͘! ) | Friends from space, how are you all? Have you eaten yet? Come visit us if you have time
2 | 0:03:55 | Hungarian (Magyar) | Elizabeth Bilson | Üdvözletet küldünk magyar nyelven minden békét szerető lénynek a Világegyetemen | We are sending greetings in the Hungarian language to all peace-loving beings on the Universe
2 | 0:04:01 | Telugu | Prasad Kodukula | నమస్తే, తెలుగు మాట్లాడే జనముననించి మా శుభాకాంక్షలు. (Namastē, telugu māṭlāḍē janamunanin̄ci mā śubhākāṅkṣalu) | Greetings. Best wishes from Telugu-speaking people
2 | 0:04:05 | Czech | Vaclav Otakar Kostroun | Milí přátelé, přejeme vám vše nejlepší | Dear Friends, we wish you the best
2 | 0:04:08 | Kannada (Kanarese) | Shrinivasa K. Upadhyaya | ನಮಸ್ತೆ, ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರ ಪರವಾಗಿ ಶುಭಾಷಯಗಳು. (Namaste, kannaḍigara paravāgi śubhāṣayagaḷu.) | Greetings. On behalf of Kannada-speaking people, 'good wishes'
2 | 0:04:12 | Rajasthani | Mool C. Gupta | सब भाइमो ने म्हारो राम पहुॅचे हमा अंडे खुशी डॉ उम्हा वहाँ खुगो रीगो | Hello to everyone. We are happy here and you be happy there
2 | 0:04:18 | English | Nick Sagan | Hello from the children of planet Earth |

## Sounds

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The next audio section is devoted to the "sounds of Earth" that include:[8]

* "Music of the Spheres" – Johannes Kepler's Harmonices Mundi realized by Laurie Spiegel
* Volcanoes, Earthquake, Thunder
* Mud Pots
* Wind, Rain, Surf
* Crickets, Frogs
* Birds, Hyena, Elephant, Whale
* Chimpanzee
* Wind
* Wild Dog
* Heartbeat, Footsteps, Laughter (Sagan's)[3]
* The First Tools

* Tame Dog
* Herding Sheep, Blacksmith, Sawing
* Tractor, Riveter
* Morse Code, Ships (precisely, a ship's horn)
* Horse and Cart
* Train (specifically the bell and whistle of a steam locomotive)
* Tractor, Bus, Auto
* F-111 Flyby, Saturn V Lift-off (Apollo 15)
* Kiss, Mother and Child
* Life Signs, Pulsar

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Included within the Sounds of Earth audio portion of the Golden Record is a track containing the inspirational message per aspera ad astra in Morse code. Translated from Latin, it means 'through hardships to the stars.'

### Brainwaves

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The life signs included on the record were an hour-long recording of the heartbeat and brainwaves of Ann Druyan, who would later marry Carl Sagan. The hour-long recording was compressed into the span of a minute to be able to fit into the record.[9] In the epilogue of the 1997 book Billions and Billions, she describes the experience:

> Earlier I had asked Carl if those putative extraterrestrials of a billion years from now could conceivably interpret the brain waves of a meditator. Who knows? A billion years is a long, long time, was his reply. On the chance that it might be possible why don't we give it a try? Two days after our life-changing phone call, I entered a laboratory at Bellevue Hospital in New York City and was hooked up to a computer that turned all the data from my brain and heart into sound. I had a one-hour mental itinerary of the information I wished to convey. I began by thinking about the history of Earth and the life it sustains. To the best of my abilities I tried to think something of the history of ideas and human social organization. I thought about the predicament that our civilization finds itself in and about the violence and poverty that make this planet a hell for so many of its inhabitants. Toward the end I permitted myself a personal statement of what it was like to fall in love.[10]

On February 12, 2010, an interview with Ann Druyan was aired on NPR during which the above was explained in more detail.[11]

## Music

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Following the section on the sounds of Earth, there is an eclectic 90-minute selection of music from many cultures, including Eastern and Western classics. The selections include:[12]

Country | Piece | Composer | Performer(s) | Recorded by / in | Genre of music | Length

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Germany | Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major, BWV 1047: I. Allegro | Johann Sebastian Bach | Munich Bach Orchestra/Karl Richter (conductor) featuring Karl-Heinz Schneeberger (violin) | Recorded in Munich, January 1967  | Classical music / Baroque music | 4:40
Indonesia | Ketawang: Puspåwarnå (Kinds of Flowers) | Mangkunegara IV | Pura Paku Alaman Palace Orchestra/K.R.T. Wasitodipuro (director) featuring Niken Larasati and Nji Tasri (vocals) | Recorded by Robert E. Brown in Yogyakarta, Java on January 10, 1971 | Folk music / Gamelan | 4:43
Benin | Cengunmé[13] | Traditional  | Mahi musicians of Benin  | Recorded by Charles Duvelle in Savalou, Dahomey, January 1963 | Folk music / Percussion | 2:08
Zaire | Alima Song | Traditional  | Mbuti of the Ituri Rainforest | Recorded by Colin Turnbull and Francis S. Chapman in the Ituri Rainforest, Belgian Congo, circa 1951 | Folk music  | 0:56
Australia | Barnumbirr (Morning Star) and Moikoi Song | Traditional  | Tom Djäwa (clapsticks), Mudpo (digeridoo), and Waliparu (vocals)[14] | Recorded by Sandra Le Brun Holmes at Milingimbi Mission on Milingimbi Island, off the coast of Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, circa 1962 | Folk music / Australian Indigenous music | 1:26
Mexico | El Cascabel (The Bell) | Lorenzo Barcelata | Antonio Maciel and Los Aguilillas with Mariachi México de Pepe Villa/Rafael Carrión (conductor) | Recorded at Musart Records, Mexico City, circa 1957  | Mariachi | 3:14
United States | Johnny B. Goode | Chuck Berry | Chuck Berry (vocals, guitar) with Lafayette Leake (piano), Willie Dixon (bass), and Fred Below (drums) | Recorded at Chess Studios, Chicago, Illinois, on January 6, 1958  | Rock and roll | 2:03
Papua New Guinea | Mariuamangɨ | Traditional  | Pranis Pandang and Kumbui (mariuamangɨ) of the Nyaura Clan  | Recorded by Robert MacLennan in the village of Kandɨngei, Middle Sepik, New Guinea on July 23, 1964  | Folk music | 1:20
Japan / United States | Sokaku-Reibo (Depicting The Cranes In Their Nest) | Arranged by Kinko Kurosawa | Gorō Yamaguchi (shakuhachi) | Recorded in New York City, circa 1967  | Folk music / Honkyoku | 4:51
Germany / Belgium | Partita for Violin Solo No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006: III. Gavotte en Rondeau | Johann Sebastian Bach | Arthur Grumiaux (violin) | Recorded in Berlin, November 1960  | Classical music / Baroque music | 2:55
Austria / Germany | The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte), K. 620, Act II: Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen (Hell's Vengeance Boils In My Heart) | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Bavarian State Opera Orchestra and Chorus/Wolfgang Sawallisch (conductor) featuring Edda Moser (soprano) | Recorded in Munich, August 1972  | Classical music / Opera / Singspiel | 2:55
Georgia | Chakrulo | Traditional | Georgian State Merited Ensemble of Folk Song and Dance/Anzor Kavsadze (director) featuring Ilia Zakaidze (first tenor) and Rostom Saginashvili (second tenor)[15][16][self-published source] | Recorded at Melodiya Studio in Tbilisi, Georgia | Folk music / Choral music | 2:18
Peru | Roncadoras and Drums | Traditional | Musicians from Ancash | From recordings collected by José María Arguedas (Casa de la Cultura) in the Ancash Region, circa 1964 | Folk music | 0:52
United States | Melancholy Blues | Marty Bloom and Walter Melrose | Louis Armstrong and His Hot Seven | Recorded in Chicago, Illinois on May 11, 1927  | Jazz | 3:05
Azerbaijan | Muğam (Çahargah ahəngi) | Traditional | Kamil Jalilov (balaban) | Recording of Radio Moscow | Folk music | 2:30
Russia / France / United States | The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre Du Printemps), Part II: The Sacrifice: VI. Sacrificial Dance (The Chosen One) | Igor Stravinsky | Columbia Symphony Orchestra/Igor Stravinsky (conductor) | Recorded at the Ballroom of Hotel St. George, Brooklyn, New York on January 6, 1960  | Modern classical music / Ballet | 4:35
Germany / Canada / United States | The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II, Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV 870 | Johann Sebastian Bach | Glenn Gould (piano) | Recorded at CBS 30th Street Studio in New York City on August 8, 1966 | Classical music / Baroque music | 4:48
Germany / United Kingdom | Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Opus 67: I. Allegro con brio | Ludwig van Beethoven | Philharmonia Orchestra/Otto Klemperer (conductor) | Recorded at Kingsway Hall, London on October 6, 1955  | Classical music / Romantic music | 8:50
Bulgaria | Izlel ye Delyo Haydutin | Traditional  | Valya Balkanska (vocal), Lazar Kanevski, and Stephan Zahmanov (Kaba gaida) | Recorded by Martin Koenig and Ethel Rain in Smolyan, circa 1968 | Folk music | 4:59
United States | Navajo Night Chant, Yeibichai Dance | Traditional | Ambrose Roan Horse, Chester Roan, and Tom Roan  | Recorded by Willard Rhodes in Pine Springs, Arizona, circa 1942 | Folk music | 0:57
United Kingdom | The Fairie Round | Anthony Holborne | Early Music Consort of London/David Munrow (director) | Recorded at EMI Recording Studios, London, September 1973  | Classical music / Renaissance music | 1:17
Solomon Islands | Naranaratana Kookokoo (The Cry of the Megapode Bird) | Traditional  | Maniasinimae and Taumaetarau Chieftain Tribe of Oloha and Palasu'u Village Community in Small Malaita | Recording of Solomon Islands Broadcasting Services (SIBS) | Folk music | 1:12
Peru | Wedding Song | Traditional  | Performed by a young girl of Huancavelica | Recorded by John and Penny Cohen in Huancavelica, circa 1964  | Folk music | 0:38
China / Taiwan, Republic of China | Liu Shui (Flowing Streams) | Traditional; associated with Bo Ya | Guan Pinghu (guqin) | Recording of the UNESCO Collection | Folk music | 7:37
India | Bhairavi: Jaat Kahan Ho | Traditional  | Kesarbai Kerkar (vocals) with harmonium, tanpura and tabla accompaniment | Recorded in Bombay, April 1953  | Hindustani Shastriya Sangeet (Indian classical music) | 3:30
United States | Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground | Blind Willie Johnson | Blind Willie Johnson (slide guitar, vocals) | Recorded in Dallas, Texas, on December 3, 1927  | Blues | 3:15
Germany / Hungary / United States | String Quartet No. 13: in B♭ major, Opus 130: V. Cavatina | Ludwig van Beethoven | Budapest String Quartet | Recorded at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., on April 7, 1960  | Classical music / Romantic music | 6:37

It has been claimed that Sagan had originally asked for permission to include "Here Comes the Sun" from the Beatles' album Abbey Road; but while the Beatles favored it, EMI opposed it and the song was not included.[7] However, this has been refuted by Timothy Ferris, who worked on the selection with Sagan; he said the song was never even considered for inclusion.[13]

## Images

[edit]

Along with the audio, the record contains a collection of 116 pictures (one of which is for calibration) detailing but not limited to human life on Earth and the planet itself. Many pictures are annotated with one or many indications of scales of time, size or mass. Some images also contain indications of chemical composition. All measures used on the pictures are first defined in the first few images using physical references.

Following is a list of all the images contained in the Voyager Golden Record together with a description of the nature of the image and what annotations were included in them, and when copyright permits, the actual image.[17]

After NASA had received criticism over the nudity on the Pioneer plaque (line drawings of a naked man and woman), the agency chose not to allow Sagan and his colleagues to include George Hester's photograph of a nude man and woman on the record.[18] Instead, only a silhouette of the couple was included.[19]

An official statement by President Jimmy Carter was included as images (positions 117, 118). It reads, in part:

> This Voyager spacecraft was constructed by the United States of America. We are a community of 240 million human beings among the more than 4 billion who inhabit the planet Earth. We human beings are still divided into nation states, but these states are rapidly becoming a global civilization. We cast this message into the cosmos ... It is likely to survive a billion years into our future, when our civilization is profoundly altered and the surface of the Earth may be vastly changed. Of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, some – perhaps many – may have inhabited planets and space faring civilizations. If one such civilization intercepts Voyager and can understand these recorded contents, here is our message: 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. We hope some day, having solved the problems we face, to join a community of galactic civilizations. This record represents our hope and our determination and our goodwill in a vast and awesome universe.[20][21]

Position | Description | Type and source[22] | Annotations

|
|
|

1 | Calibration circle | Black-and-white diagram |
2 | Solar location map | Black-and-white diagram |
3 | Mathematical definitions | Black-and-white text |
4 | Physical unit definitions | Black-and-white text |
5 | Solar System parameters | Black-and-white text |
6 | Solar System parameters | Black-and-white text |
7 | The Sun | Black-and-white image (Hale observatories) |
8 | Solar spectrum | Color image |
9 | Mercury | Black-and-white image |
10 | Mars | Black-and-white image | Size
11 | Jupiter | Color image | Size
12 | Earth | Color image | Size
13 | Egypt, Red Sea, Sinai Peninsula, and the Nile | Color image | Chemical composition
14 | Chemical definitions | Black-and-white diagram | Size
15 | DNA Structure | Color diagram | Size
16 | DNA Structure magnified, light hit | Color diagram | Size
17 | Cells and cell division | Black-and-white image (Turtox/Cambosco) | Size
18 | Anatomy 1 (Skeleton front) | Color diagram (World Book) |
19 | Anatomy 2 (Skeleton and muscles back) | Color diagram (World Book) |
20 | Anatomy 3 (Heart, lungs, kidneys and main blood vessels back) | Color diagram (World Book) |
21 | Anatomy 4 (Heart, lungs, kidneys and main blood vessels front) | Color diagram (World Book) |
22 | Anatomy 5 (Internal organs back) | Color diagram (World Book) |
23 | Anatomy 6 (Internal organs front) | Color diagram (World Book) |
24 | Anatomy 7 (Ribcage) | Color diagram (World Book) |
25 | Anatomy 8 (Muscles front) | Color diagram (World Book) | Size
26 | Human sex organs | Black-and-white diagram (Sinauer Associates, Inc.) | Size
27 | Diagram of conception | Black-and-white diagram | Size, time
28 | Conception | Color image (Albert Bonniers; Forlag, Stockholm) |
29 | Fertilized ovum | Black-and-white image (Albert Bonniers; Forlag, Stockholm) | Time
30 | Fetus diagram | Black-and-white diagram | Size, time
31 | Fetus | Color image (Dr. Frank Allan) |
32 | Diagram of male and female | Black-and-white diagram | Size, time
33 | Birth | Black-and-white image (Wayne Miller) |
34 | Nursing mother (Malaysia) | Color image [7] |
35 | Father and daughter (Malaysia) | Color image (David Harvey) |
36 | Group of children | Color image (Ruby Mera, UNICEF) |
37 | Diagram of family ages | Black-and-white diagram | Mass, time
38 | Family portrait | Black-and-white image (by Nina Leen) |
39 | Diagram of continental drift (derived from LAGEOS plaque) | Black-and-white diagram | Time
40 | Structure of the Earth | Black-and-white diagram | Size, chemical composition
41 | Heron Island (Great Barrier Reef of Australia) | Color image |
42 | Seashore (Cape Neddick, Maine) | Color image (Dick Smith) [7] |
43  | Snake River and Grand Tetons | Black-and-white image (Ansel Adams) |
44 | Sand dunes | Color image (George Mobley) |
45 | Monument Valley | Color image (Shostal Associates, Inc.) |
46 | Forest scene with mushrooms | Color image (Bruce Dale) |
47 | Leaf (Fragaria) | Color image (Arthur Herrick) [7] | Size
48 | Autumn Fallen leaves | Color image (Jodi Cobb) |
49 | Snowflakes over Sequoia | Color image (Josef Muench, R. Sisson) |
50 | Tree with daffodils | Color image (Gardens Winterthur, Winterthur Museum) | Size
51 | Flying insect with flowers (Ichneumonidae) | Color image (Borne on the Wind, Stephen Dalton) [7] | Size, mass
52 | Diagram of vertebrate evolution | Black-and-white diagram |
53 | Seashell (Xancidae) | Color image (Harry N. Abrams, Inc.) [7] |
54 | Dolphins | Color image (Thomas Nebbia) |
55 | School of fish | Color image (David Doubilet) |
56 | Tree toad | Color image (Dave Wickstrom) |
57 | Crocodile | Color image (Peter Beard) |
58 | Eagle | Color image (Donona, Taplinger Publishing Co) | Size
59 | Waterhole | Color image (South African Tourist Corp.) |
60 | Jane Goodall and chimps | Color image (Vanne Morris-Goodall) |
61 | Sketch of bushmen | Black-and-white diagram | Size
62 | Bushmen hunters | Black-and-white image (R. Farbman) |
63 | Man from Guatemala | Color image |
64 | Dancer from Bali | Color image (Donna Grosvenor) |
65 | Andean girls | Color image (Joseph Scherschel) |
66 | Thailand master craftsman | Color image (Dean Conger) |
67 | Elephant | Color image (Peter Kunstadter) |
68 | Old man with beard and glasses (Turkey) | Color image (Jonathon Blair) |
69 | Old man with dog and flowers | Color image (Bruce Baumann) |
70 | Mountain climber | Color image [7] (Gaston Rébuffat) |
71 | Gymnast (Cathy Rigby) | Color image (Philip Leonian, Sports Illustrated)[23] | Time
72 | Sprinters "Valeriy Borzov of the U.S.S.R. in lead" | Color image [23] |
73 | Schoolroom (Japan)[7] | Color image |
74 | Children with globe (United Nations International School)[23] | Color image |
75 | Cotton harvest | Color image (Howell Walker) | Size
76 | Grape picker | Color image (David Moore) |
77 | Supermarket[23] | Color image (Jon Lomberg) |
78 | Underwater scene with diver and fish | Color image (Jerry Greenberg) | Chemical composition
79 | Fishing boat with nets (Greece) | Color image |
80 | Cooking fish | Color image |
81 | Chinese dinner party | Color image |
82 | Demonstration of licking, eating and drinking | Color image |
83 | Great Wall of China | Color image |
84 | House construction (Cameroon) | Color image |
85 | Construction scene (Amish country) | Color image |
86 | House (Ethiopia) | Color image |
87 | House (New England) | Color image |
88 | Modern house (Cloudcroft, New Mexico) | Color image |
89 | "House interior with artist and fire" | Color image (Photo by Jim Amos of Jim Gray & his wife)[24] |
90 | Taj Mahal | Color image (David Carroll) |
91 | English city (Oxford) | Color image (C.S. Lewis, Images of His World, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.) |
92 | Boston | Color image (Ted Spiegel) |
93 | UN Building Day | Color image |
94 | UN Building Night | Color image |
95 | Sydney Opera House | Color image | Size
96 | Artisan with drill | Black-and-white image (Frank Hewlett) |
97 | Factory interior | Color image (Fred Ward) |
98 | Museum | Color image (David Cupp) |
99 | X-ray of hand | Color image |
100 | Woman with microscope (Somalia) | Color image |
101 | Street scene (Pakistan) | Color image |
102 | Rush hour traffic (Thailand)[25] | Color image |
103 | Modern highway (Ithaca, New York) | Color image |
104 | Golden Gate Bridge | Black-and-white image (Ansel Adams) | Size
105 | Train (United Aircraft Corporation Turbotrain) | Color image (Gordon Gahan) | Size
106 | Airplane in flight | Color image |
107 | Airport (Toronto) | Black-and-white image (George Hunter) |
108 | Antarctic expedition (Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition) | Color image (Great Adventures with the National Geographic, National Geographic) |
109 | Radio telescope (Westerbork) | Black-and-white image (James Blair) |
110 | Radio telescope (Arecibo) | Color image | Size
111 | Page of book (Newton, On the System of the World) | Color image |
112 | Astronaut in space (Ed White)[26] | Color image (James McDivitt) |
113 | Titan Centaur launch | Color image |
114 | Sunset with birds | Color image (David Harvey) |
115 | String Quartet (Quartetto Italiano) | Color image (Phillips Recordings) |
116 | Violin with music score (Cavatina) | Color image |

## See also

[edit]

* Communication with extraterrestrial intelligence

## Notes and references

[edit]

Notes

1. ^ Somewhat loose translation; per NASA.

References

1. ^ Sagan, Carl (1994). Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space (1st ed.). New York: Random House. ISBN 9780679438410.
2. ^ "Traveller's Tales [Carl Sagan Tribute Series, S01E16]". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2012-06-29. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
3. ^ a b Lafrance, Adrienne (30 June 2017). "Solving the Mystery of Whose Laughter Is On the Golden Record". The Atlantic. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
4. ^ "Greetings to the Universe in 55 Different Languages". NASA. Retrieved September 6, 2006.
5. ^ Wiener-Bronner, Danielle (2015-08-06). "The Story Behind 'Greetings to the Universe,' the 55 Recordings of 'hello' Sent Into Space". Fusion. Archived from the original on 2015-09-21. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
6. ^ "Voyager: Greetings in 55 languages". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Sagan, Carl et al. (1978) Murmurs of Earth: The Voyager Interstellar Record. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-394-41047-5 (hardcover), ISBN 0-345-28396-1 (paperback)
8. ^ "Voyager – Spacecraft – Golden Record – Sounds of Earth". NASA. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
9. ^ Gambino, Megan (April 23, 2012). "What Is on Voyager's Golden Record?". Smithsonian Magazine. Archived from the original on 27 August 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
10. ^ Sagan, Carl (1997). Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium. Random House. ISBN 0-679-41160-7.
11. ^ Abumrad, Jad; Krulwich, Robert (February 12, 2010). "Carl Sagan And Ann Druyan's Ultimate Mix Tape". NPR. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
12. ^ Morrison, David; Samz, Jane (1980). Voyage to Jupiter (PDF). Washington, D.C.: NASA Scientific and Technical Information. p. 29\. LCCN 80-600126.
13. ^ a b Ferris, Timothy (20 August 2017). "How the Voyager Golden Record Was Made". The New Yorker. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
14. ^ "The Voyager Golden Record: Audio Tracklist". ozmarecords. Ozma Records. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
15. ^ Linich, Carl (19 March 2008). "Ilia Zakaidze". Georgian Folk Singing. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
16. ^ "Voyager 1977 - Georgian folk song "Chakrulo" in space - "ჩაკრულო" კოსმოსში". Youtube (interview with Anzor Erkomaishvili and others) (in Georgian). Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
17. ^ "Images on the Golden Record". NASA. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
18. ^ "Famous Couple". Jon Lomberg. Archived from the original on 2011-11-14. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
19. ^ Jon Lomberg: "Pictures of Earth". in Carl Sagan: Murmurs of Earth, 1978, New York, ISBN 0-679-74444-4
20. ^ "Howdy, Strangers". NASA. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
21. ^ "Voyager Spacecraft Statement by the President". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
22. ^ "Images on the Golden Record". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. NASA. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
23. ^ a b c d "From Munich terror attack to Voyager space mission: How an Olympic image achieved immortality". CNN. Archived from the original on 2020-09-04. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
24. ^ "Great Smokies National Park: Solitude for Millions". National Geographic Society.[dead link]
25. ^ "Voyager – Images on the Golden Record". NASA.
26. ^ "Here's What Humanity Wanted Aliens to Know About Us in 1977". Time. January 22, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2018.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Contents of the Voyager Golden Record.

* The Golden Record, the official NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory page about the record
* The Infinite Voyager : The Golden Record at the Wayback Machine (archived November 6, 2014), an MIT page of then-student Lily Bui comprising a collection of recordings included
* Voyager 1 audio on Internet Archive
* Golden Record: Sounds of Earth, an official NASA SoundCloud page with recordings
* voyager.damninteresting.com, an interactive multimedia presentation of the contents
* The 116 images NASA wants aliens to see,  Vox

* v
* t
* e

Voyager Golden Record

* Contents
* Voyager program
* Voyager 1
* Voyager 2

Sound|

* first movement of Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, BWV 1047
* "Cavatina" from Beethoven's String Quartet No. 13
* Chakrulo
* "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground"
* "Gavotte en Rondeau" from Partita for Violin No. 3, BWV 1006
* "Izlel ye Delyo Haydutin"
* "Johnny B. Goode"
* Mugham
* Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV 870, from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II
* Puspawarna
* Queen of the Night aria from The Magic Flute
* "Sacrificial Dance" from The Rite of Spring
* Songs of the Humpback Whale
* first movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5

Contributors|

* Louis Armstrong
* and His Hot Seven
* Valya Balkanska
* Bavarian State Opera
* with Edda Moser, conductor: Wolfgang Sawallisch
* Budapest String Quartet
* Johann Sebastian Bach
* Ludwig van Beethoven
* Chuck Berry
* Columbia Symphony Orchestra
* conductor: Igor Stravinsky
* John Cohen
* Tom Djäwa
* Ann Druyan
* Glenn Gould
* Arthur Grumiaux
* Guan Pinghu
* Anthony Holborne
* Kamil Jalilov
* Blind Willie Johnson
* Kesarbai Kerkar
* Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
* Münchener Bach-Orchester
* conductor: Karl Richter
* David Munrow
* with the Early Music Consort
* K. P. H. Notoprojo
* Philharmonia Orchestra
* conductor: Otto Klemperer
* Carl Sagan
* Nick Sagan
* Laurie Spiegel
* Gorō Yamaguchi

* Category
* Commons

* v
* t
* e

Voyager program

Spacecraft|

* Voyager 1
* Voyager 2

Components|

* MHW-RTG (a radioisotope thermoelectric generator)
* Cosmic Ray Subsystem (CRS)
* Infrared interferometer spectrometer and radiometer (IRIS)
* Plasma Wave Subsystem (PWS)
* Voyager Golden Record (contents)

Images|

* Pale Blue Dot
* Family Portrait

Related|

* Grand Tour program
* Gravity assist
* Specific orbital energy of Voyager 1
* Titan IIIE
* NASA Deep Space Network
* Antennas

Observation
targets|

| Exploration of Jupiter|

* and its moon Io
* with volcanos Masubi
* Pele
* Prometheus
* Surt
* and its rings

|

Exploration of Saturn|

* and its moon Enceladus
* with craters Dunyazad
* Shahrazad

Exploration of Uranus|

* and its rings

Exploration of Neptune|

* and its moon Triton

Popular culture|

* Neptune All Night
* The Farthest (2017 documentary film)

* v
* t
* e

Carl Sagan

Scientific career|

* Project A119
* Pioneer plaque
* Faint young Sun paradox
* Cosmic Calendar
* Voyager Golden Record (contents)
* Voyager Family Portrait
* Pale Blue Dot
* The Planetary Society
* Search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI)
* Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence

Books|

| Science|

* The Cosmic Connection (1973)
* Mars and the Mind of Man (1973)
* The Dragons of Eden (1977)
* Broca's Brain (1979)
* Cosmos (1980)
* The Cold and the Dark (1984)
* Comet (1985)
* Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1993)
* Pale Blue Dot (1994)
* The Demon-Haunted World (1995)
* Billions and Billions (1997)
* The Varieties of Scientific Experience (2006)

|

Fiction|

* Contact (1985)

Media|

| Television|

* Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (1980 TV series)
* God, the Universe and Everything Else (1988)
* Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (2014 TV series)
* Cosmos: Possible Worlds (2020 TV series)

|

Films|

* Contact (1997)
* Wanderers (2014)

Family|

* Lynn Margulis (first wife)
* Dorion Sagan (son)
* Linda Salzman Sagan (second wife)
* Nick Sagan (son)
* Ann Druyan (third wife)
* Sasha Sagan (daughter)

Prizes|

* Carl Sagan Memorial Award
* Carl Sagan Medal
* Carl Sagan Award for Public Appreciation of Science
* Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization

Recognition|

* Carl Sagan Center
* Carl Sagan Institute
* Sagan Planet Walk
* Carl Sagan Memorial Station
* 2709 Sagan
* Pale Blue Dot: A Tribute to Carl Sagan
* Symphony of Science

Related|

* 900 Stewart Avenue

* Category

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*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template