Space Probes and Messages to Other Civilizations

In class yesterday, we talked about Pioneer 10, a space probe launched in 1977 to explore Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, and that has now left our solar system. We also discussed that Pioneer 10 contained a plaque featuring a series of pictures designed to communicate a message from humankind in case the probe should be encountered by extraterrestrial civilizations. You can click on the image below to get a larger image.

In class, I said that Pioneer 10 was the furthest man-made object from the earth. This is untrue. That record is now head by the Voyager 1, a space probe launched a few years later. Voyager was able to pass Pioneer 10 thanks to a number of gravity assisted speed boost from passing close to the outer planets.

In addition, Voyager contained the golden record I mentioned in class that contains a message for any extraterrestrial civilization it might encounter.

You can listen to a wonderful story about the creation of this record told by Ann Druyen, widow of the great scientist Carl Sagan, whose idea it was to make the record in the first place. This story is part of the incredible Raidolab podcast, simply one of the very best shows you can listen to on your ipod.



Voyager 1 also plays a central role in the original Star Trek movie, which is a pretty funny look back to a young William Shatner 1970s imagining of the future.

So what would YOU put on a record to extraterresterials? Here's a podcast with answers from comedian Margaret Cho, composer Phillip Glass, Chef Alice Waters, and authors Michael Cunningham and Neil Gaiman.