Sotheby's is now featuring another iconic item in its auction that will soon be available for bidding, and it is none other than the first intergalactic message meant for extraterrestrial life, the Golden Record. NASA's Voyager space missions are one of the most iconic, but it carried more than its instruments and communication devices for the humans to benefit, also the renowned Golden Record time capsules.

It contained the messages of the humans in the 1970s who first created these messages meant for spacefarers or other forms of life to know more about the planet Earth and its inhabitants.

NASA's Voyager Golden Record Are Now On Sale via Sotheby's 

Sotheby's auction house has listed one of the most exclusive pieces of history on its site, and this is the master copy of NASA's Voyager Golden Record. This is the personal copy of astronomer Carl Sagan and director Ann Druyan, with the pair having a copy in their personal collection of the said Golden Record, now up for auction.

The Golden Record has two reels in it, and it is an exact copy of the famed ones that are currently onboard the Voyager spacecraft.

NASA launched this alongside the Voyager, with the 12-inch gold-plated copper disk Golden Record holding two reels in it, with run times of 51:38 and 60:49 minutes respectively. 

It contains specially-curated sounds in it including Sounds of the Earth, Whale Sounds, UN Delegates' messages, World languages, and Music of the World.

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Golden Record is Expected to Fetch as Much as $600,000

Sotheby's listing of the Golden Record is featuring a starting bid of $300,000, but there are more expected from it on its sale. 

It is estimated by the auction house to fetch around $400,000 to $600,000, with the lot closing by July 27, 11:20 PM Pacific Standard Time.

NASA's Voyager Missions, Still Present at 45

Back in 1977, NASA launched its Voyager mission for a probe at the universe, and since then, the spacecraft continued its exploration of the great beyond with its instruments, sensors, and more. NASA celebrated its 45th mission anniversary in 2022, and it was dubbed as the space agency's "Longest-lived" mission, to go beyond the Sun's heliosphere. 

It is important to note that in 2021, the Voyager 1 has already traveled as much as 14 billion miles away from the Earth, currently the only human-made spacecraft to go the furthest. It was also during this time that this longest-living mission heard a deep humming sound which it managed to capture on its deep space mission, believed to be interstellar gas.

Apart from its record-breaking missions and significance in the world today, the Voyager carried the Golden Record on its mission, and it was meant to be found by other life forms to gain an understanding of the Earth. Now, its master copy is available for collectors and space fans to buy via Sotheby's auction, for around $400,000 to $600,000 for this valuable piece.

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