What belongs?

Tags

historical record, modern achievements, NASA, planet, postaday2012, space travel, technology

Imagine a new Voyager spacecraft is being built by NASA, and like its earlier counterparts, it’s going to carry the best of modern human culture inscribed onto a record. What belongs on there and why?

I wonder if they mean a vinyl record because that would indeed be ironic, inscribing all of our detailed modern achievements into a quasi relic from the past. Moreover, by modern; how modern do they mean? I suppose by modern it would have to be within the last forty years or so. By that standard, I would include the internet as a modern achievement for all of its downsides, it has broadened many people’s horizons by making a whole world of information accessible to them, if they were curious enough to read about it. I still don’t want to include the cell phone because I think that the negatives to instant access at all times to others definitely outweigh the positives.

I would include the advancements of wind and solar energy as evidence that we care about our environment and planet. I would include the research lab in Switzerland to show that we are forever curious about our past, present and future in the universe and we think outside ourselves every once and a while. All of the research made in marine biology and ocean habitats would be included as well, to show that we understand that what happens beneath and around us is of vital importance to the health of us all. Basically I would be mindful of showing that despite most indicators, we are trying to be good stewards of our one and only planet. I’m not sure if the evidence that I would be sending would be sufficient enough to argue the point in our favor but we can only hope.