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What is the Golden record? NASA reports unplanned 'communications pause' with historic Voyager 2 carrying time capsule

NASA hopes the communication line can be reopened when Voyager 2 resets its orientation on October 15

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA: As per NASA, the Voyager 2 space probe is experiencing an unplanned "communications pause" after its antenna was inadvertently pointed in the wrong direction. On Friday, July 28, NASA announced that when the mission control transmitted some routine commands on July 21, it had an unintended effect. As a result, Voyager 2’s antenna underwent an unsolicited 2-degree change, disrupting the spacecraft’s data receiving and data transmission abilities, per USA Today. 

The inadvertent change in the antenna position prevented data transmission from the space probe to the giant radio network antennas known as the Deep Space Network. Similarly, the ground controllers are also unable to communicate with Voyager 2. Voyager 2 was launched into its orbit in 1977. It carries a Golden Record, just like its predecessor, in case they encounter any extraterrestrial life forms. 

NASA hopes that the communication error will be temporary and that the space probe will be in its orbit till October. On October 15, Voyager 2 will reset its orientation and NASA hopes the communication line will open up then. Voyager 2 is currently 12.4 billion miles away from Earth.

What is the Golden Record?

The Voyager Golden Record, which is carried on both the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 space probes, is a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk containing an eclectic mix of 116 images and a collection of sounds including greetings in several languages of the world. The items of the record were carefully compiled by a committee chaired by Carl Sagan. It also contains printed messages from then-President Jimmy Carter and UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim.

The audio section is divided into two groups. There is a spoken greeting in English by Waldheim in the first section. The second audio section contains “greetings in 55 languages” and includes four Chinese varieties, 12 South Asian languages, and five ancient languages - Akkadian, Ancient Greek, Hittite, Latin, and Kannada. In the later audio segment, there are spoken greetings from UN delegates in four languages. 

In the next audio section, termed “Sounds of Earth,” various general sounds were recorded including those of mud pots, air, rain, tractors, bus, auto, and pulsar, among others. The life signs included an hour-long recording of the heartbeat and brainwaves of Ann Druyan, compressed into a minute. There is also a 90-music selection of Eastern and Western music. 

Besides, the record contains a collection of 116 images including colored images of human organs, colored images of a few planets, images of a nursing mother, a group of children, geographical diagrams, and Taj Mahal, among others. An official statement by President Jimmy Carter was also included in the images. 

'Voyager 2 is taking a break from sending data until October'

A July 28 post on the X handle of NASA Voyager detailed the whereabouts of the two Voyagers. It reads, “You might have heard... Voyager 2 is taking a break from sending data until October. In the meantime, I'm out here, almost 15 billion miles (24 billion km) from Earth and doing fine! - V1.” 

As per another post, made on July 18, Voyager 2's location could be seen. It wrote, "I'm currently 12.3 billion miles / 19.9 billion km from Earth. According to my team back home, that puts me right about here...https://go.nasa.gov/43tHbZY -V2."