Science fascinates me. All types of science are interesting to me even if I have difficulty understanding the specific lingo used.
Recently, I watched a program where, Stephen Hawking, a world renowned physicist was discussing our universe and its possible origins. He made some very interesting observations and predictions. But what really got my attention was his discussion of Voyager I.
Imagine if you can, a man made object that is now approximately 10 billion miles from Earth. It has been traveling at about 35,000 miles per hour since it was launched in 1977. During its 33 year journey it has continued to collect data and images of our solar system and transmit this information back to Earth. At times, it may take up to 14 hours for these transmissions to reach Earth, but don't forget this data is coming from a distance of 10 billion miles away. Truly, incredible. This object is Voyager1
Where is the Voyager prob now? It has reached the edge of our solar system and is struggling to enter what is known as interstellar space. So for now, Voyager is stuck in something called a heliosheath and no one knows when it will break free to continue its long journey.
The Voyager 1 is expected to have enough energy to continue traveling til 2020. From there, who knows what will become of this wondrous space craft. But if it were to be intercepted by creatures such as ET, NASA has made sure that ET will have something to listen to.
A Golden Record was placed in the probe before its launch. The gold plated record which looks like an LP. For you young folks, I would say it looks like one of those old time vinyl disks they used to play on something called a record player. Anyway, the record contains all kinds of recorded sounds, music, speeches, photos, etc. I think ET would enjoy this Mandarin Chinese greeting most.....
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