11. Voyager Golden Record
I remember having an argument with someone, I think on Twitter, about how funding space exploration was some kind of elitist diversion and that the millions of dollars spent on it would be better spent helping people out down here on Earth. While I obviously agree that there are people on Earth who desperately need help, there are not many examples of humanity putting forward a united front, which is what I like to hope space exploration is about, as opposed to some extension of the Cold War. I know in reality the Voyager programme isn’t a united gathering of the people of the world, but the Golden Record is still a beautiful idea, especially the idea of including Ann Druyan’s meditation on life on earth in the form of brain waves. It’s a crazy eclectic compilation album and we’ve fired it out of the solar system, on vinyl (sort of).
