Unfortunately not the best image quality but still clearly visible: This is what the NASA photo of the Voyager probe from 1977 looks like. The Golden Record record immediately catches the eye. (Source: NASA/JPL)
There are probably few questions that are as divisive as this one: Are there other living beings in the vastness of space besides us humans? At least at this point in time, we cannot answer the question with a final answer And
still with a safe one No
answer – our knowledge is not sufficient.
Then, as now, there are scientists who think about how we humans should present ourselves in the event of an emergency. There is talk of a possible continuation Golden-Record-Plate. But what exactly does that mean?
A human mixtape for first contact
▶ What are the Golden Records? Anyone who might be thinking about a musical award or a recording studio is only just missing the mark. The Golden Records are data disks full of human records. They were sent into space aboard the Voyager 1 and 2 space probes launched in 1977 with an uncerta in destination.
But the records don’t just contain music. Rather, they are – from the perspective of the time – the most important key dates in our human history. By the way, such records are called in English Message in a Bottle
(MIAB) – so message in a bottle.
▶ What might aliens one day find on the Golden Record? A total of 115 pictures that show, for example, our earth, us humans doing sports, at work and pictures of birth. Images of DNA strands can also be found on the Golden Record.
There are also recordings of musical pieces, sounds of volcanoes or trains and even earthquakes. There are also human sounds on the record. More precisely, greetings in a total of 55 languages.
In the following Socila Media article from NASA you can see what the record and the cover look like in higher resolution. On the left of the picture you will find a kind of operating instructions on the cover of the record in the form of pictograms:
Link to Twitter content
▶ Why do you do this? The plates are said to last an impressive 500 million years. Aliens have until then to find our records, even if we no longer exist.
To put it bluntly, it is something like a screenshot of our civilization in the 80s along the lines of: Hi, we are the people and would like to chat with you
if still possible.
What should be part of the interstellar message in a bottle today?
Jonathan H. Jiang and his co-authors addressed this question in their research article series Message in a Bottle – An Update to the Golden Record: 1. Objectives and Key Content of the Message
.
Even if 45 years may seem like the blink of an eye in relation to cosmic development, for us short-lived humans it represents a huge leap in development – both positive and negative. This is what the authors write in their article:
As our societal development accelerates toward Type I civilization and beyond, we have reached a point where we are questioning the long-term viability of our own existence.
Explanation: In this quote the authors refer to the Kardashov scale. The Russian astronomer used this to divide the development stages of a civilization. Typ I means that we can use all the power available on a planet from a star (in our case the sun) that reaches us.
The authors see the current meaning of the time capsule as more of a legacy of our civilization with an uncertain future. In the further course of your article you also talk about the theory of Great Filter Events
which could threaten us in the near or distant future.
Great Filter Events: This theory comes from economist Robin Hanson. To put it simply, this is the idea that every (extraterrestrial) civilization faces an obstacle to its own survival at some point.
According to Hanson, every intelligent life form sooner or later encounters an internal (e.g. nuclear war) or external (e.g. asteroid impact) event that threatens its own existence.
Is the message to aliens ultimately a warning to ourselves?
According to their own statement, the authors pursue two goals with their article about a new Golden Records message:
▶ Goal #1: This time the message should not only be written by six scientists like in 1977, but should tell the entire history of humanity. The researchers also want to call for this with this series of articles: people from all over the world should be able to tell their stories and give feedback.
▶ Goal #2: To unite humanity under a common purpose, reminding them that we are a species with a common history and a common future.
The content: So the future embassy should not only tell our story in more detail than in 1977. According to the authors, it should at the same time be a source of hope and convey our worries about the future.
Worth seeing: If you are avid fans of the idea of interstellar travel and colonizing alien planets, you might like this game. In Galactic Civilizations (a 4X game), you take the fate of your civilization into your own hands and spread your own story:
2:18
The complex space strategy Galactic Civilizations 4 will be released in October
According to the authors’ wish, the message should make us think at the same time and inspire future generations for a shared future. So it is an interstellar message and at the same time a warning to ourselves:
To pull together again for an overarching goal, instead of reacting to a possible scenario triggered by ourselves through internal conflicts and divisions Great Filter Events
to steer towards.
Either way: Whether our Golden Records will ever reach a non-human eye is literally up in the air. We can only hope that the deeper message behind it will reach us in time.
If you would like to read another space text: A Europe project wants to send rockets with small satellites into space in 2024 – from a ship!
What do you think about the existence of extraterrestrial life in the depths of space? Is it all just fiction and wishful thinking? Author Kevin sees everything more pragmatically and quotes: I know that I know nothing
. What music would you send on such a journey today? Which images and films could become part of the message? Feel free to write us your thoughts on the topic in the comments.
