September 5, 1977

On September 5, 1977 NASA launched the Voyager 1 space probe. Voyager 1 has been traveling through space for the last 40 years and is still operational today.  

Voyager 1 carries the gold plated record called The Sounds of Earth which has recordings of a variety of natural sounds, musical selections, and spoken greetings in 55 ancient and modern languages.  

Voyager 1 has sent some truly amazing photos and recordings back to us here on Earth. In February 1990, Voyager 1 took its last photograph. This photo is called The Pale Blue Dot and shows how tiny Earth is against the vastness of space.  

In 2020, the science instruments will begin to be shut down on Voyager 1 and sometime in 2030 we will lose all contact with the probe.  

Carl Sagan once said, “…the launching of this bottle into the cosmic ocean says something very hopeful about life on this planet."