In 1977, we humans sent out two spacecrafts named Voyager 1 and Voyager 2.

These spacecraft were launched out of our solar system, taking our first up close photos and measurements of Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus, along the way.

Voyager 1 & 2 gave us a view of our solar system and our small place in the celestial mechanics. Countless images and discoveries, perhaps most profoundly, the ‘Pale Blue Dot’ photo taken by Voyager 1.

In the time since, Voyager 1 & Voyager 2 have reached interstellar space. They are currently the farthest objects humans have ever made.

Under the direction of Carl Sagan, onboard was put a ‘message in a bottle’ of sorts, a phonograph record, a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth. The sounds of surf, wind and thunder, birds, whales, and other animals, musical selections from different cultures and eras, and spoken greetings from Earth-people in fifty-five languages, and printed messages from President Carter and U.N. Secretary General Waldheim.

A message in a bottle to an alien species in hopes they can understand it, understand us.

Covering the golden records is an engraved golden plaque. On it are directions to play the record, directions to decode the video, a time measurement based on hydrogen and lastly the famous “Pulsar Map” this shows the location of our solar system with respect to 14 pulsars.

This pin represents our attempt to explore and communicate with someone out there, while in the process, discovering our own Pale Blue Dot.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL