Less than a year before NASA's Voyager 1 and 2 spacecrafts were scheduled for takeoff, astronomer Carl Sagan and SETI researcher Frank Drake received an intriguing proposal from the space agency: Would they be interested in crafting a message to alien civilizations to accompany Voyager on its interstellar journey? Over the next nine months, Sagan, Drake, and a small team of scientists and artists scrambled to compile a unique document-part time capsule, part interstellar greeting-to send to the stars. The Golden Record was born.

Fun fact:
The Golden Record was launched into space over 40 years ago. The Voyager spacecrafts on which they travel have now moved farther from Earth than any man-made object!

For this Side Quest, address at least one of the following in 1-3 paragraphs (you may address more than one in your response). Paste the prompt you've chosen at the top of your response:

1. The initial team of scientists selected for the Golden Record project chose music solely from the Western classical canon ("Western" = associated with or originating in Europe). Thus, Carl Sagan called on folklorist/ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax to help diversify the music selections. Read about Lomax's contributions here and consider whether the music chosen effectively represents planet Earth. What could have been added, or taken out? What else could have been done to ensure that a wide variety of music of the world was represented?

2. The music pieces chosen for the Golden Record all bear some sort of cultural and/or historical/societal significance. Choose one piece from the record and dive deeper into it. What is the significance of this piece, the performer(s), and/or composer?

3. If a Golden Record was launched into space today, what music would it include? Choose two pieces of music from different geographical regions and explain why these should be considered to represent planet Earth. Consider the significance of each piece, the performers, the composer, etc.

Less than a year before NASA's Voyager 1 and 2 spacecrafts were sch...