In 1977, Carl Sagan and his wife accomplished one of the most incredible accomplishments, the Voyager Golden record. Now, that record is going up for auction starting at a bid of $300,000, with expectations of it fetching double that price.
Voyager Golden Record Master Copy
According to Live Science, this feat was accomplished around 46 years ago, when the Voyager 1 and 2, two small probes which carried a pair of gold-plated copper records, were launched into space. These records became the farthest human-made objects that were ever created on Earth.
Both probes and their golden payloads were over 12 billion miles away from earth, floating into space, and gaining more distance daily. Now, the master copy of these records is being placed up for auction starting at almost a third of a million dollars.
The auction would be held by the Sothby's on July 27, where the public will be witnessing two double-sided reels of audio tape. These tapes contain an important piece of history, the Voyager Golden Record master copies.
Authenticating the master copy, it was highlighted that they came directly from the personal collection of Carl Sagan and his wife, Ann Druyan. Both of them played integral roles in the development of the Voyager Golden Record.
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Development of the Copies
Carl Sagan is an esteemed celebrity astronomer. He and his wife helped with the design and development of the record in 1977. NASA describes the Voyager Golden Record as having what was described as the "Murmurs of Earth."
The master copies included 27 music pieces including Beethoven, a Navajo chant, and Chuck Berry among other pieces of art. It also includes 59 languages and 22 minutes of nature sounds.
The Voyager Golden Record was created with the intent of potentially reaching out to intelligent aliens, acting as an "audio postcard," which might have picked up the records. Ann Druyan, NASA's creative director of the Voyager Interstellar Message Project, gave a statement regarding their intentions.
Druyan said that they had hoped to capture the world's diversity and richness, with the record working as a testament to the beauty of life on Earth. In total, the record has eight copies, including the two master golden-plated ones.
Auction for the Master Copy
The auction for the master copy, held by Sotheby's on July 27 with its bidding closing at 11:20 A.M., will place the Voyager Golden Record at a starting bid of $300,000. The expectation is that the master tapes will get up to $600,000.
According to Forbes, the record is called "The Sound Of Earth" and is on a 30cm gold-plated copper analog. The master copy also includes 115 analog-coded images and over 90 minutes' worth of the world's musical traditions.
NASA has also released an official copy of the listed tracks for anyone to listen to. The record even includes humpback whale calls and other unique sounds.
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