September 5, 1977…NASA launched Voyager 1 to explore the outer planets of our solar system. Today Voyager 1 is about 11.3 billion miles from the Sun. I read that it takes data about 17 hours to transmit back to Earth where a handful of scientists analyze the information. The quote I find most interesting about Voyager 1 is, “Each Voyager probe carries a golden record with a collection of sights and sounds from Earth, just in case the spacecraft are discovered by intelligent beings in interstellar space.”
My first thought is: “How cool is THAT?!?” My second thought is: “What do you mean IF?” Then my third thought is: “How would people react….would humans be ready for this?”
All of my thoughts drift to a conversation I had with my dad back in 1982. I clearly remember the year because in school we were introduced to Orson Welles and “War of the Worlds.” I remember the panic of people and how they reacted. There was mass chaos. I asked my dad if he remembered the radio show…and he did. He shared with me that although he knew it was a radio show and not an actual event, what took place illuminated the development and current state of mankind. One thing I miss about my dad is the type of conversations we had…we talked about a lot of different topics. This one in particular got me interested in exploring – mainly the cosmos and ancient philosophy.
I hold a belief and position that humans are evolving. We’ve experienced life through an industrial age, a technology age, and moving into a new age; sometimes I label this new age as consciousness age, while other times I label it quantum-something. I’m not sure how to label it, but I do believe that this is where we, as a species, are headed. I also believe that the 1977 launch of Voyager 1 & 2 (along with their 117 images of Earth, greetings in 54 languages, plus other Earthly artifacts) supports that one day Voyager will reach beyond the outer edge and we will experience something as a species that can only be imagined.
Personally, I think this is a great time to be alive. I wonder what I will experience throughout my lifetime. I can only imagine what my children, grand children and great-grand children will experience.
I’ve often wondered about putting together a personal time capsule which I would reopen at a designated time in the future (like when I’m a really old lady) or collect for a keepsake for my children…with the inspiration from the folks at NASA and to celebrate Voyager 1…I’m off to do just that!
All the best,
Deb
Leave A Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.