The records are made of a. copper-plated gold b. gold-plated aluminum c. gold-plated copper
The records contain depictions of human a. religion b. language c. politics
The covers of the records have a. engravings of human anatomy b. engravings of important monuments on Earth c. engravings that explain how to retrieve the sounds and pictures
Discussion/essay questions
The Golden Record team chose not to include images of war, poverty, and other negative parts of humanity. Do you think this was a good decision? Why or why not?
Which sounds and images would you choose to represent Earth? Why?
Transcript
In 1977, NASA launched two space probes, called Voyager 1 and 2, to explore and photograph the solar system. They knew that the probes would eventually drift too far away to bring back to Earth, so they decided to use the opportunity to create a greeting for alien civilizations. Each Voyager craft contains a gold-plated copper record. A team of researchers chose a series of sounds and images to represent Earth, including drawings of human anatomy, photographs of nearby planets, and songs and languages from around the world. On the covers of the records, the researchers engraved pictures that explain how to retrieve the information. Although there is a very small chance that an alien civilization will ever discover the Golden Records, they are built to last for a billion years, and they will likely outlive the human race.
Neil Armstrong began his career as a. an astronaut b. a pilot c. a university professor
Gemini 8 was Armstrong’s a. first mission b. most famous mission c. last mission
Armstrong worked with NASA until a. 1966 b. 1969 c. 1971
Discussion/essay questions
While taking the first steps on the moon, Neil Armstrong said the famous quote “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Do you know of any other famous quotes from history? What is a quote that has changed your perspective?
Transcript
Neil Armstrong was an American astronaut and engineer. He was born in 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio. Armstrong began his career as a pilot for the US Navy. He joined NASA’s astronaut training program in 1962, and became one of only nine students in his class to succeed. His first command was on the Gemini 8 mission in 1966. In July 1969, he began the Apollo 11 mission with astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. He gained worldwide fame on July 20th for being the first person to walk on the moon. After the successful mission, Armstrong continued to work with NASA for two years. He left in 1971 to become an engineering professor. Despite his fame, Armstrong lived a very private life until his death in 2012.
On December 16th, 1965, two NASA astronauts on board the Gemini 6 spacecraft were preparing to return to . The astronauts, Thomas Stafford and Wally Schirra, sent a radio to Earth, claiming they’d seen a UFO with a pilot wearing a red suit. They asked the flight controllers to listen for a signal from the other spacecraft. As agents on the became concerned, Schirra began to play “Jingle Bells” on the harmonica while Stafford rang sleigh bells in the background. It was the first song ever played in space. Today, the from the mission can be found in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
Comprehension questions
[wp_quiz id=”20751″]
Discussion/essay questions
What are some of your favourite holiday traditions?
Transcript
On December 16th, 1965, two NASA astronauts on board the Gemini 6 spacecraft were preparing to return to Earth. The astronauts, Thomas Stafford and Wally Schirra, sent a radio message to Earth, claiming they’d seen a UFO with a pilot wearing a red suit. They asked the flight controllers to listen for a signal from the other spacecraft. As agents on the ground became concerned, Schirra began to play “Jingle Bells” on the harmonica while Stafford rang sleigh bells in the background. It was the first song ever played live in space. Today, the bells from the mission can be found in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
