The spacecraft might last 1 BILLION years - a number well beyond our own planet’s lifetime. It is possible that a civilization that encounters the record will be able to use the ratio of remaining uranium to daughter elements to determine the age of the record.”Īpparently, in about 40,000 years, Voyager 1 will be 1.6 light years away from “ AC+79 3888 in the Ophiuchus constellation” (Thanks, Wikipedia!). Uranium-238 has a half-life of 4.51 billion years. There is an ultra-pure sample of the isotope uranium-238 electroplated on the record’s cover. “The record is constructed of gold-plated copper. It will be a long time before anybody might come upon them. Since passing Pluto, our Voyager crafts are not headed anywhere specific. I definitely feel more sad for Voyager than excited about what it represents. Hearing that fact brings back my feelings of loneliness for Voyager. It will continue to hold that record until humans find a faster way to travel through space. I vividly recall feeling sad for the crafts - they must feel so alone floating through the universe! Despite being launched 5 years after the first of the Pioneer spacecraft, Voyager 1 is the furthest object away from Earth that has been made by a human. I remember a television special that was celebrating the fact that the satellites were leaving our solar system - making them 2 of only 4 man-made devices that have done so. I have felt particularly drawn towards the Voyager satellites ever since I was little.
A discussion of how best to transfer this information to beings in other galaxies.
The process and challenges of representing all of humanity through sound.The Golden Record that was placed on both Voyager Spacecrafts.What your students will learn about/investigate/create: “We cast this message into the cosmos… If one such civilization intercepts Voyager and can understand these recorded contents, here is our message: We are trying to survive our time so we may live into yours… This record represents our hope and our determination and our goodwill in a vast and awesome universe.” - President Jimmy Carter’s message on the Voyager spacecraft.
0 kommentar(er)
