The Golden Records aboard Voyager 1&2 | The 116 images NASA wants aliens to see
The Golden Records aboard Voyager 1&2 | The 116 images NASA wants aliens to see
Depressing or Hopeful?
Depressing
The golden record is pure ego on our behalf. Even if anyone finds it they may not see like we do in the electric magnetic spectrum. They'll need a record player too, assuming they even realize that if you spin this disc at a very specific speed, with a very specific type of needle in the grooves that vibrates at a very specific rate connected to a very specific speaker it will play Chuck Berry... That also assumes they can hear in the same way we do and can even hear it. Oh, also they'll need to speak English or something.
The golden record wasn't a message to aliens, it was a message to ourselves. A pat on our collective backs.
It was a pretty significant achievement. I'd say a little back-patting was justified.
The golden record was not an achievement. It was something we stuck on an achievement. It's not going to be seen by aliens. Even if it is, they're not going to understand it. Of course we deserve a pat on the back for Voyager. They built that shit way back before we had anything we considered technological these days. But the fact remains that that record is practically useless if anyone ever finds it.