What was not included; the pinnacle of human literature, Pride and Prejudice. A grievous oversight, no? I also would have tossed in Prince of Ice by Emma Holly.
But that's just me. What romances would you have sent with Voyager?
Friday, June 22, 2012
Happy Trails, Voyager I
So today, after 35 years and 11 billion miles, the Voyager I spacecraft has arrived at the very edge of the solar system and is about to make the leap to interstellar space. And what will our emissary to the stars discover past the sun's heliosphere, you ask? Well, I personally hold out hope that someone like, oh, say, this guy
will warp by and pick it up. And just in case Voyager does happen to stumble across a civilization full of tall, dark, handsome dudes with interesting foreheads, it is carrying this
a golden record of Earth sounds and images, player needle included.
What was not included; the pinnacle of human literature, Pride and Prejudice. A grievous oversight, no? I also would have tossed in Prince of Ice by Emma Holly.
But that's just me. What romances would you have sent with Voyager?
What was not included; the pinnacle of human literature, Pride and Prejudice. A grievous oversight, no? I also would have tossed in Prince of Ice by Emma Holly.
But that's just me. What romances would you have sent with Voyager?
Will be interested in following this up, science wise. Thanks for the heads up. Heading across to the NASA site for more info.
ReplyDeleteYou actually raise a very interesting point. What makes us human? How would any alien life tell us apart from perhaps a million other species they've encountered? I would say Pride and Prejudice is a good example of a book that encompasses all of human emotion, human relationships, etc. And to anyone who says, "oh that book will make us look too silly," why not take a good look around at this world and tell me that it's not true!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I myself, wouldn't mind having a close encounter of the Worf kind....
Cool post Jael! I remember following the progress of Voyager 1 and 2 in my younger days. I like P&P as a romance choice. While I love JR Ward, it's a paranormal. Would alien visitors think we are a planet of vampires?
ReplyDeleteFabulous post, Jael, and once more...welcome to the Brigade!
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge fan of Voyager I and II. We sometimes forget they're out there. Traveling for over 35 years and just now reaching the edge of our own solar system certainly puts some perspective on the enormous distances in space travel. It's really difficult to get your head around.
I have no idea which ONE novel I'd send, but with the advent of digital publishing we could have sent a high capacity e-reader device with thousands of novels! I'd definitely include a few SFR.
I wonder, though, if the being who intercepts them might mistake novels for non-fiction and wonder where all these other alien species are hiding? :)
Great blog post Jael! Too many books to choose from, but I think maybe something old skool like Judith Krantz' Scruples or Shirley Conran's Lace or Colleen McCullough's Thornbirds
ReplyDeleteOnly one? How could I only pick one book? See I would put in the works of Julia Spencer-Fleming, all the SFR Brigader books :) So very much more.
ReplyDeleteAh well, alas it was 30+ years too late for most of us.