Here is a concise summary of the provided text:
**Title:** Decoding the Voyager Golden Record
**Summary:**
* In 1977, NASA launched Voyager 1 & 2 with Golden Records containing audio and images of Earth.
* By 2030, both spacecraft will cease communications, but may be intercepted by another civilization.
* The record's cover features symbols explaining how to play and decode its contents.
* Using these symbols, the audio waveform is decoded to reveal:
+ Audio: greetings in 55 languages, global music, and Earth's sounds.
+ Images: 115 encoded pictures, decoded using the provided symbols and audio waveform analysis.
* With the help of experts and software (Audacity, Excel, Python), the decoding process was successfully replicated, demonstrating the record's enduring message for potential extraterrestrial life.
**Key Takeaway:** The Voyager Golden Record's encoded messages remain accessible, serving as a time capsule for humanity's achievements and a potential greeting for other civilizations.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text, numbered and in short sentences:
**Spacecraft and Golden Records**
1. In 1977, NASA sent two golden records into space aboard the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft.
2. The Voyager probes are among the farthest-reaching objects launched by humanity.
3. The golden records are real, functioning LPs containing audio and images from Earth.
**Spacecraft Lifespan and Speed**
4. By 2030, both Voyager 1 and 2 will cease communications with Earth.
5. The spacecraft will continue traveling through space at approximately 60,000 km/h.
**Golden Record Content and Decoding**
6. The record contains greetings in 55 languages, music from around the world, and sounds of Earth.
7. The record also contains image data, but no digital images (e.g., JPEGs, TIFFs) are included.
8. The image data is encoded within the audio waveforms.
9. The record's cover features symbols explaining how to play and decode the record.
10. A specific radio wavelength (1420 megahertz, or 21 centimeter line) is used as a constant for decoding.
**Decoding Process**
11. Converting the 1420 megahertz signal to seconds yields 0.7 nanoseconds, a key decoding value.
12. Binary numbers on the record's cover, when decoded, reveal the record's total run time (approximately 53.82 minutes).
13. Another binary number, when decoded, reveals the time for one record rotation (approximately 3.59 seconds).
**Image Rendering**
14. Each section of waveform data takes 0.0008 milliseconds to play, forming 512 scan lines per image.
15. An alternate method using audio software (Audacity) and spreadsheet software (Excel) can render images.
16. Manual or automated code (e.g., Python) can accelerate the image rendering process.
**Experts and Resources**
17. Experts from various fields (astronomy, anthropology, coding) contributed to understanding and decoding the record.
18. Code for decoding the images is available on GitHub.