On August 20th in celebrity history, a significant event occurred in 1977 when NASA launched the Voyager 2 space probe from Cape Canaveral, Florida. While this event might not seem directly related to celebrities at first glance, the Voyager 2 mission has an interesting connection to the world of music and pop culture.
Aboard both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, NASA included a special message for any extraterrestrial life that might encounter the probes: the Voyager Golden Records. These gold-plated copper records contain a variety of sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, including greetings in 55 languages, songs from various cultures, and even a message from then-President Jimmy Carter.
One notable inclusion on the Voyager Golden Records is a song by the legendary rock and roll band Chuck Berry, titled "Johnny B. Goode." The song was chosen as a representation of the evolution of rock and roll music, which had a significant impact on American culture in the 20th century.
Carl Sagan, the famous astronomer and science communicator who chaired the committee responsible for selecting the contents of the Golden Records, was quoted saying, "The spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced spacefaring civilizations in interstellar space. But the launching of this bottle into the cosmic ocean says something very hopeful about life on this planet."
As Voyager 2 continues its journey through the cosmos, carrying Chuck Berry's music and other aspects of human culture, it serves as a time capsule and a testament to the enduring legacy of human creativity and exploration. In a way, this significant event on August 20th, 1977, has forever linked the worlds of space exploration and celebrity culture.
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
