The Ultimate Human Time Capsule
In 1977, NASA launched the twin Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft. Affixed to each is a gold-plated copper phonograph record containing sounds, music, and images depicting the diversity of life and culture on Earth. It is a physical message intended for any intelligent extraterrestrial life that might find it in the deep future.
This application functions as an interactive Signal Decoder Console. The images on the record were encoded as analog television signals (SSTV). Here, you can explore the actual metadata of the record's contents and manually decode simulated telemetry from four iconic images sent into the cosmos.
Why this dataset?
Most datasets look back at human history, but the Golden Record is a data packet sent to deep time. It represents humanity's attempt to compress our entire existence into 116 images and a handful of sounds using analog waves. Exploring this dataset is a reminder of how we communicate across cosmic distances, languages, and epochs.
Calibration Circle
The first image on the record. A simple circle designed to assist extraterrestrial recipients in calibrating their scanning equipment to a perfect 1:1 aspect ratio.