This was a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at the ambitious efforts to send an "emissary to the stars" on both Voyager spacecraft (successfully launched in 1977). Not since the Pioneer space probes (launched in 1973), had an attempt been made to send a message to be (hopefully) picked up by some future space-faring civilization.
...But this was to be a far more ambitious effort, and "Murmurs of Earth" tells the intriguing story of this effort and its ultimate success. Being a Carl Sagan fan, I've read all but two of his books (and his book collaborations - such as this one). Since this was one I hadn't read, I bought it without really knowing what it was about.
At first I was a bit disappointed that I'd bought a book that did not focus specifically on cosmology - but mostly on the details and logistics of creating and deploying something that was fastened to a space probe. But after a short while, I became as fascinated and entertained with "Murmurs of Earth" as I was with any other Carl Sagan book (or any other book on astrophysics or cosmology).
From how they went about selecting the music, to the ingenious language they created, you get to see he collaborative efforts of many interesting characters on what is arguably the most unique project ever undertaken. (And, after all, it IS about cosmology, albeit from a different angle - but told with the same enthusiasm and drama.)
The Voyager "Golden Records" project was a triumph in teamwork - especially given their (often unrealistic) deadlines. And it had some hilarious moments: Some of the 'greetings to alien civilizations' given by various heads of states had me laughing out loud!
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