Voyager 1 could be seen as the ultimate cosmic sound system, carrying with it the Golden Record, a phonographic binary compilation of sounds and images chosen to display what it meant to be human. There is little else more stunning than the notion of sending a mixtape of love songs from one race to a possible variety of others, somewhere out there in the unknown.
Carl Sagan, astrophysicist, author, seeker of truth and all around mind-blower, said of this project,
"The spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced space-faring civilizations in interstellar space. But the launching of this 'bottle' into the cosmic 'ocean' says something very hopeful about life on this planet."
It would be hard to challenge his statement, especially now in 2012, a year when things seem to be changing, and very quickly. It's a bit of a wonder to witness it all, as though suspended in the safe center of a tornado while houses, cows, Toto and the wicked witch all circle around our heads.
This video by Adam Winnik, a Toronto-based artist and visionary, was his graduation thesis project. The words are directly taken from the colorful mind of Carl Sagan himself, drawn from his writing in Pale Blue Dot, and perfectly illuminated by Winnik's fantastic vision. I'll consider it a birthday present to The Voyager 1, and a thank-you for carrying such delicate and valuable material within it, protecting it so diligently.
I think we can all be proud, not only of our cultures and personalities, all of which are worth being very excited about, but even more so to be human. We're all in this together, and it's a very very big cake, so let's all enjoy this birthday party. Sure it can be a scary place, full of dreaded darknesses, but also brightened with unfaltering beauty. It really is quite the honor being here, and very worth enjoying while we can.
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