Contents of the Voyager Golden Record


The Voyager Golden Record contains 116 images plus a calibration image and a variety of natural sounds, such as those made by surf, wind, and thunder, and animal sounds, including the songs of birds, whales and dolphins. The record, which is carried on both the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft, additionally features musical selections from different cultures and eras, spoken greetings in fifty-nine languages, other human sounds, like footsteps and laughter, and printed messages from President Jimmy Carter and U.N. Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim. The items were selected for NASA by a committee chaired by Carl Sagan of Cornell University.
After NASA had received criticism over the nudity on the Pioneer plaque, the agency chose not to allow Sagan and his colleagues to include a photograph of a nude man and woman on the record. Instead, only a silhouette of the couple was included.
Below is an excerpt of President Carter's official statement placed on the Voyager spacecraft for its trip outside the Solar System, June 16, 1977:
This Voyager spacecraft was constructed by the United States of America. We are a community of 240 million human beings among the more than 4 billion who inhabit the planet Earth. We human beings are still divided into nation states, but these states are rapidly becoming a global civilization.
We cast this message into the cosmos ... It is likely to survive a billion years into our future, when our civilization is profoundly altered and the surface of the Earth may be vastly changed. Of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, some – perhaps many – may have inhabited planets and space faring civilizations. If one such civilization intercepts Voyager and can understand these recorded contents, here is our message: This is a present from a small distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts, and our feelings. We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours. We hope some day, having solved the problems we face, to join a community of galactic civilizations. This record represents our hope and our determination and our goodwill in a vast and awesome universe.

Greetings

The first audio section contains a spoken greeting in English from then-Secretary-General of the United Nations Kurt Waldheim.
The second audio section contains spoken greetings in 55 languages. The original plan was to use greetings made by United Nations delegates, but various problems with these recordings led to new recordings being made at Cornell University by people from the foreign-language departments. The number of native speakers of these 55 languages combined is over 4.7 billion people, comprising over 65% of the world population. It includes four Chinese varieties, 12 South Asian languages and five ancient languages, listed here in alphabetical order:
Later audio sections contain the spoken greetings in the remaining four languages, including Esperanto and !Kung. The whale sounds were provided by Roger Payne.
This is a list of the recorded greetings in order of appearance on their respective tracks.
TrackTimeLanguageSpeakerOriginalEnglish translation
20:00:00SumerianDavid L. Owen šilim-ma hé-me-enMay all be well
20:00:04Ancient GreekFrederick M. Ahl Οἵτινές ποτ᾿ ἔστε χαίρετε! Εἰρηνικῶς πρὸς φίλους ἐληλύθαμεν φίλοι. Greetings to you, whoever you are. We come in friendship to those who are friends.
20:00:11PortugueseJanet SternbergPaz e felicidade a todosPeace and happiness to everyone
20:00:14CantoneseStella FesslerHow's everyone? Wish you peace, health and happiness
20:00:19AkkadianDavid L. OwenAdanniš lu šulmuMay all be very well
20:00:22RussianMaria RubinovaЗдравствуйте! Приветствую Вас! Greetings! I Welcome You!
20:00:25ThaiRuchira Mendionesสวัสดีค่ะ สหายในธรณีโพ้น พวกเราในธรณีนี้ขอส่งมิตรจิตมาถึงท่านทุกคน Hello friends from farland. We in this land have sent you warm greeting to you all
20:00:32ArabicAmahl Shakh.تحياتنا للأصدقاء في النجوم. يا ليت يجمعنا الزمان Taḥiyyātunā lil-'aṣdiqā' fil-nujūm. Yā laytā yajma`unā al-zamān.Greetings to the friends in the stars. May time bring us together
20:00:38RomanianSanda HuffmanSalutări la toată lumeaRegards to everyone
20:00:42FrenchAlexandra LittauerBonjour tout le mondeHello everyone
20:00:45BurmeseMaung Myo Lwin Are you well?
20:00:48HebrewDavid L. Owen ShalomPeace
20:00:50SpanishErik J. BeukenjampHola y saludos a todosHello and greetings to everyone
20:00:54IndonesianIlyas HarunSelamat malam hadirin sekalian, selamat berpisah dan sampai bertemu lagi dilain waktuGood night, ladies and gentlemen. Goodbye and see you next time
20:00:59Kechua Fredy Amikcar, Roncalla FermandezKay pachamamta niytapas maytapas rimapallasta runasimipiHello to everybody from this Earth, in Quechua language
20:01:04PunjabiJatinder N. Paulਆਓ ਜੀ, ਜੀ ਆਇਆਂ ਨੂੰ Welcome home. It is a pleasure to receive you
20:01:07HittiteDavid L. OwenaššuliGreetings / Hail!
20:01:08BengaliSubrata Mukherjeeনমস্কার, বিশ্বের শান্তি হোক Hello! Let there be peace everywhere
20:01:11LatinFrederick M. AhlSalvete quicumque estis; bonam erga vos voluntatem habemus, et pacem per astra ferimusGreetings to you, whoever you are; we have good will towards you and bring peace across space
20:01:19AramaicDavid L. Owen??? or שלם or ܫܠܡ ŠəlāmHello
20:01:22DutchJoan de BoerHartelijke groeten aan iedereenDear/sincere greetings to everyone
20:01:24GermanRenate BornHerzliche Grüße an alleWarm greetings to everyone
20:01:27UrduSalma Alzalالسلام و عليکم ـ ہم زمين کے رہنے والوں کى طرف سے آپ کو خوش آمديد کہتے ھيں Assalamu alaikum. Hum zameen ke rehne waalon ki taraf se aap ko khush aamdeed kehte hain.Peace on you. We the inhabitants of this earth send our greetings to you
20:01:37VietnameseTrần Trọng HảiChân thành gửi tới các bạn lời chào thân hữuSincere greetings to you
20:01:40TurkishPeter Ian KuniholmSayın Türkçe bilen arkadaşlarımız, sabah şerifleriniz hayrolsunDear Turkish-speaking friends, may the honors of the morning be upon your heads
20:01:45JapaneseMari Nodaこんにちは。お元気ですか? Konnichiwa. O genki desu ka?Hello. How are you?
20:01:48HindiOmar Alzalधरती के वासियों की ओर से नमस्कार Dharati ke waasiyon ki or se namaskarGreetings from the inhabitants of this world
20:01:51WelshFrederick M. AhlIechyd da i chi yn awr, ac yn oesoeddGood health to you now and forever
20:01:54ItalianDebby GrossvogelTanti auguri e salutiMany greetings and wishes
20:01:57SinhalaKamal de Abrewආයුබෝවන්! Āyubōwan!Wish You a Long Life.
20:02:00Zulu Fred DubeSiya nibingelela maqhawe sinifisela inkonzo ende.We greet you, great ones. We wish you longevity
20:02:05Sotho Fred DubeReani lumelisa marela.We greet you, O great ones
20:02:08WuYvonne Meinwald祝㑚大家好。 Tsoh3 na13 da11 ka53 hoa34Best wishes to you all
20:02:12ArmenianAraxy TerzianԲոլոր անոնց որ կը գտնուին տիեզերգի միգամածութիւնէն անդին, ողջոյններ To all those who exist in the universe, greetings
20:02:19KoreanSoon Hee Shin안녕하세요 Hello
20:02:22PolishMaria Nowakowska-StycosWitajcie, istoty z zaświatów.Welcome, beings from beyond the world.
20:02:25NepaliDurga Prashad Ojhaप्रिथ्वी वासीहरु बाट शान्ति मय भविष्य को शुभकामना Wishing you a peaceful future from the earthlings
20:02:29Mandarin ChineseLiang KuHow's everyone? We all very much wish to meet you, if you're free please come and visit
20:02:35IlaSaul MoobolaMypone kaboutu noose.We wish all of you well
20:02:38SwedishGunnel Almgren SchaarHälsningar från en dataprogrammerare i den lilla universitetsstaden Ithaca på planeten JordenGreetings from a computer programmer in the small university town of Ithaca on planet Earth
20:02:45NyanjaSaul MoobolaMulibwanji imwe boonse bantu bakumwamba.How are all you people of other planets?
20:02:48GujaratiRadhekeant Daveપૃથ્વી ઉપર વસનાર એક માનવ તરફથી બ્રહ્માંડના અન્ય અવકાશમાં વસનારાઓને હાર્દિક અભિનંદન. આ સંદેશો મળ્યે, વળતો સંદેશો મોકલાવશો. Greetings from a human being of the Earth. Please contact
20:03:03UkrainianAndrew CehelskyПересилаємо привіт із нашого світу, бажаємо щастя, здоров'я і многая літа We are sending greetings from our world, wishing you happiness, health and many years
20:03:09PersianEshagh Samehyehدرود بر ساکنین ماورای آسمان‌ها …Greetings to the residents of far skies …
20:03:22SerbianMilan Mihailo SmiljanićЖелимо вам све најлепше са наше планете We wish you all the best, from our planet
20:03:25OriyaRaghaba Prasada Sahuସୂର୍ଯ୍ୟ ତାରକାର ତୃତୀୟ ଗ୍ରହ ପୃଥିବୀରୁ ବିଶ୍ୱବ୍ରହ୍ମାଣ୍ଡର ଅଧିବାସୀ ମାନଙ୍କୁ ଅଭିନନ୍ଦନ Greetings to the inhabitants of the universe from the third planet Earth of the star Sun
20:03:34Ganda Elijah Mwima-MudeenyaMusulayo mutya abantu bensi eno mukama abawe emirembe bulijo.Greetings to all peoples of the universe. God give you peace always
20:03:38MarathiArati Panditनमस्कार. ह्या पृथ्वीतील लोक तुम्हाला त्यांचे शुभविचार पाठवतात आणि त्यांची इच्छा आहे की तुम्ही ह्या जन्मी धन्य व्हा. Greetings. The people of the Earth send their good wishes and hope you find good fortune in this life.
20:03:47Amoy Margaret Sook Ching See Gebauer太空朋友,恁好!恁食飽未?有閒著來阮遮坐喔。 Friends from space, how are you all? Have you eaten yet? Come visit us if you have time
20:03:55Hungarian Elizabeth BilsonÜdvözletet küldünk magyar nyelven minden békét szerető lénynek a VilágegyetemenWe are sending greetings in the Hungarian language to all peace-loving beings on the Universe
20:04:01TeluguPrasad Kodukulaనమస్తే, తెలుగు మాట్లాడే జనముననించి మా శుభాకాంక్షలు. Greetings. Best wishes from Telugu-speaking people
20:04:05CzechVaclav Otakar KostrounMilí přátelé, přejeme vám vše nejlepšíDear Friends, we wish you the best
20:04:08Kannada Shrinivasa K. Upadhyayaನಮಸ್ತೆ, ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರ ಪರವಾಗಿ ಶುಭಾಷಯಗಳು. Greetings. On behalf of Kannada-speaking people, 'good wishes'
20:04:12RajasthaniMool C. GuptaHello to everyone. We are happy here and you be happy there
20:04:18EnglishNick SaganHello from the children of planet EarthHello from the children of planet Earth
30:05:16EsperantoRalph HarryNi strebas vivi en paco kun la popoloj de la tuta mondo, de la tuta kosmo.We strive to live in peace with the peoples of the whole world, of the whole cosmos.
40:06:25!KungRichard Borshay Lee

Sounds

The next audio section is devoted to the "sounds of Earth" that include:
Included within the Sounds of Earth audio portion of the Golden Record is a track containing the inspirational message per aspera ad astra in Morse code. Translated from Latin, it means 'through hardships to the stars.'

Music

Following the section on the sounds of Earth, there is an eclectic 90-minute selection of music from many cultures, including Eastern and Western classics. The selections include:
CountryPieceComposerPerformerRecorded by / inGenre of musicLength
GermanyBrandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major, BWV 1047: I. AllegroJohann Sebastian BachMunich Bach Orchestra/Karl Richter featuring Karl-Heinz Schneeberger Recorded in Munich, Germany, January 1967Classical music / Baroque music4:40
IndonesiaKetawang: Puspåwårnå Mangkunegara IVPura Paku Alaman Palace Orchestra/K.R.T. Wasitodipuro featuring Niken Larasati and Nji Tasri Recorded by Robert E. Brown in Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia, on January 10, 1971Folk music / Gamelan4:43
BeninCengunméTraditionalMahi musicians of BeninRecorded by Charles Duvelle in Savalou, Benin, West Africa, January 1963Folk music / Percussion2:08
Democratic Republic of CongoAlima SongTraditionalMbuti of the Ituri RainforestRecorded by Colin Turnbull and Francis S. Chapman in the Ituri Rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo, circa 1951Folk music0:56
AustraliaBarnumbirr and Moikoi SongTraditionalTom Djawa, Mudpo, and Waliparu Recorded by Sandra LeBrun Holmes at Milingimbi Mission on Milingimbi Island, off the coast of Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia, 1962Folk music / Indigenous music of Australia1:26
MexicoEl Cascabel Lorenzo BarcelataAntonio Maciel and Los Aguilillas with Mariachi México de Pepe Villa/Rafael Carrión Recorded 1957, Musart RecordsMariachi3:14
USJohnny B. GoodeChuck BerryChuck Berry with Lafayette Leak, Willie Dixon, and Fred Below Recorded at Chess Studios, Chicago, Illinois, on January 6, 1958Rock and roll2:03
Papua New GuineaMariuamangɨTraditionalPranis Pandang and Kumbui of the Nyaura ClanRecorded by Robert MacLennan in the village of Kandɨngei, Middle Sepik, Papua New Guinea, on July 23, 1964Folk music1:20
Japan / USSokaku-Reibo Arranged by Kinko KurosawaGoro Yamaguchi Recorded in New York City, circa 1967, Elektra EntertainmentFolk music /Honkyoku4:51
Germany / BelgiumPartita for Violin Solo No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006: III. Gavotte En RondeauJohann Sebastian BachArthur Grumiaux Recorded in Berlin, Germany, November 1960, Decca Music Group LimitedClassical music / Baroque music2:55
Austria / GermanyThe Magic Flute, K. 620, Act II: Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen Wolfgang Amadeus MozartBavarian State Opera Orchestra and Chorus/Wolfgang Sawallisch featuring Edda Moser Recorded in Munich, Germany, August 1972Classical music / Opera / Singspiel2:55
GeorgiaChakruloTraditionalGeorgian State Merited Ensemble of Folk Song and Dance/Anzor Kavsadze featuring Ilia Zakaidze and Rostom Saginashvili Recorded at Melodiya Studio in Tbilisi, GeorgiaFolk music / Choral music2:18
PeruRoncadoras and DrumsTraditionalMusicians from AncashFrom recordings collected by Jose Maria Arguedas in the Ancash Region of Peru, 1964Folk music0:52
USMelancholy BluesMarty Bloom and Walter MelroseLouis Armstrong and His Hot SevenRecorded in Chicago, Illinois, on May 11, 1927Jazz3:05
Azerbaijan S.S.R.Muğam TraditionalKamil Jalilov Recorded by Radio Moscow, circa 1950Folk music2:30
Soviet Union / USThe Rite of Spring, Part II-The Sacrifice: VI. Sacrificial Dance Igor StravinskyColumbia Symphony Orchestra/Igor Stravinsky Recorded at the Ballroom of the St. George Hotel, Brooklyn, New York, on January 6, 1960Modern classical music / Ballet4:35
Germany / Canada / USThe Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II, Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV 870Johann Sebastian BachGlenn Gould Recorded at CBS 30th Street Studio in New York City on August 8, 1966Classical music / Baroque music4:48
Germany / UKSymphony No. 5 in C minor, Opus 67: I. Allegro con brioLudwig van BeethovenPhilharmonia Orchestra/Otto Klemperer Recorded at Kingsway Hall, London, on October 6, 1955Classical music / Romantic music7:20
BulgariaIzlel E Delyo HaydutinTraditionalValya Balkanska, Lazar Kanevski, and Stephan Zahmanov Recorded by Martin Koenig and Ethel Rain in Smolyan, Bulgaria, 1968Folk music4:59
USNavajo Night Chant, Yeibichai DanceTraditionalAmbrose Roan Horse, Chester Roan, and Tom RoanRecorded by Willard Rhodes in Pine Springs, Arizona, Summer 1942Folk music0:57
UKThe Fairie RoundAnthony HolborneEarly Music Consort of London/David Munrow Recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London, September 1973Classical music / Renaissance music1:17
Solomon IslandsNaranaratana Kookokoo TraditionalManiasinimae and Taumaetarau Chieftain Tribe of Oloha and Palasu'u Village Community in Small MalaitaRecording of Solomon Islands Broadcasting Services Folk music1:12
PeruWedding SongTraditionalPerformed by young girl of HuancavelicaRecorded by John and Penny Cohen in Huancavelica, Peru, 1964Folk music0:38
ChinaLiu Shui Bo YaGuan Pinghu Recording of Smithsonian Folkways RecordingsFolk music7:37
IndiaBhairavi: Jaat Kahan HoTraditionalKesarbai Kerkar with harmonium,Tanpura and tabla accompanimentRecorded in Bombay, India, April 1953Hindustani Shastriya Sangeet 3:30
USDark Was The Night, Cold Was The GroundBlind Willie JohnsonBlind Willie Johnson Recorded in Dallas, Texas, on December 3, 1927Blues3:15
Germany / Hungary / USString Quartet No. 13: in B-Flat Major, Opus 130: V. CavatinaLudwig van BeethovenBudapest String QuartetRecorded at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., on April 7, 1960Classical music / Romantic music6:37

It has been claimed that Sagan had originally asked for permission to include "Here Comes the Sun" from the Beatles' album Abbey Road; but while the Beatles favoured it, EMI opposed it and the song was not included. However, this has been refuted by Timothy Ferris, who worked on the selection with Sagan; he said the song was never even considered for inclusion.

Brainwaves

The Golden Record also carried an hour-long recording of the brainwaves of Ann Druyan, who would later marry Carl Sagan. In the epilogue of the book Billions and Billions, she describes the experience:
On February 12, 2010, an interview with Ann Druyan was aired on NPR during which the above was explained in more detail.

Images

Along with the audio, the record contains a collection of 116 pictures detailing but not limited to human life on Earth and the planet itself. Many pictures are annotated with one or many indications of scales of time, size or mass. Some images also contain indications of chemical composition. All measures used on the pictures are first defined in the first few images using physical references.
Following is a list of all the images contained in the Voyager Golden Record together with a description of the nature of the image and what annotations were included in them, and when copyright permits, the actual image.
PositionThumbnailDescriptionTypeAnnotations
1Calibration circleBlack-and-white diagram
2Solar location mapBlack-and-white diagram
3Mathematical definitionsBlack-and-white text
4Physical unit definitionsBlack-and-white text
5Solar System parametersBlack-and-white text
6Solar System parametersBlack-and-white text
7The SunBlack-and-white image
8Solar spectrumColor image
9MercuryBlack-and-white image
10MarsBlack-and-white imageSize
11JupiterColor imageSize
12EarthColor imageSize
13Egypt, Red Sea, Sinai Peninsula, and the NileColor imageChemical composition
14Chemical definitionsBlack-and-white diagramSize
15DNA StructureColor diagramSize
16DNA Structure magnified, light hitColor diagramSize
17Cells and cell divisionBlack-and-white imageSize
18Anatomy 1 Color diagram
19Anatomy 2 Color diagram
20Anatomy 3 Color diagram
21Anatomy 4 Color diagram
22Anatomy 5 Color diagram
23Anatomy 6 Color diagram
24Anatomy 7 Color diagram
25Anatomy 8 Color diagramSize
26Human sex organsBlack-and-white diagramSize
27Diagram of conceptionBlack-and-white diagramSize, time
28ConceptionColor image
29Fertilized ovumBlack-and-white imageTime
30Fetus diagramBlack-and-white diagramSize, time
31FetusColor image
32Diagram of male and femaleBlack-and-white diagramSize, time
33BirthBlack-and-white image
34Nursing motherColor image
35Father and daughter Color image
36Group of childrenColor image
37Diagram of family agesBlack-and-white diagramMass, time
38Family portraitBlack-and-white image
39Diagram of continental driftBlack-and-white diagramTime
40Structure of the EarthBlack-and-white diagramSize, chemical composition
41Heron Island Color image
42Snake River and Grand TetonsBlack-and-white image
43SeashoreColor image
44Sand dunesColor image
45Monument ValleyColor image
46Forest scene with mushroomsColor image
47LeafColor imageSize
48Autumn Fallen leavesColor image
49Snowflakes over SequoiaColor image
50Tree with daffodilsColor imageSize
51Flying insect with flowersColor imageSize, mass
52Diagram of vertebrate evolutionBlack-and-white diagram
53Seashell Color image
54DolphinsColor image
55School of fishColor image
56Tree toadColor image
57CrocodileColor image
58EagleColor imageSize
59WaterholeColor image
60Jane Goodall and chimpsColor image
61Sketch of bushmenBlack-and-white diagramSize
62Bushmen huntersBlack-and-white image
63Man from GuatemalaColor image
64Dancer from BaliColor image
65Andean girlsColor image
66Thailand master craftsmanColor image
67ElephantColor image
68Old man with beard and glasses Color image
69Leo Kenton Coleman with dog and flowersColor image
70Mountain climberColor image
71GymnastColor imageTime
72Sprinters Color image
73SchoolroomColor image
74Children with globeColor image
75Cotton harvestColor imageSize
76Grape pickerColor image
77SupermarketColor image
78Underwater scene with diver and fishColor imageChemical composition
79Fishing boat with netsColor image
80Cooking fishColor image
81Chinese dinner partyColor image
82Demonstration of licking, eating and drinkingColor image
83Great Wall of ChinaColor image
84House construction Color image
85Construction scene Color image
86House Color image
87House Color image
88Modern house Color image
89"House interior with artist and fire" Color image
90Taj MahalColor image
91English city Color image
92BostonColor image
93UN Building DayColor image
94UN Building NightColor image
95Sydney Opera HouseColor imageSize
96Artisan with drillBlack-and-white image
97Factory interiorColor image
98MuseumColor image
99X-ray of handColor image
100Woman with microscopeColor image
101Street scene, Asia Color image
102Rush hour traffic, ThailandColor image
103Modern highway Color image
104Golden Gate BridgeBlack-and-white imageSize
105TrainColor imageSize
106Airplane in flightColor image
107Airport Black-and-white image
108Antarctic ExpeditionColor image
109Radio telescope Black-and-white image
110Radio telescope Color imageSize
111Page of book Color image
112Astronaut in spaceColor image
113Titan Centaur launchColor image
114Sunset with birdsColor image
115String Quartet Color image
116Violin with music score Color image