What do you do when you’re asked to conserve a message meant for extraterrestrials?

 

Recently, our team had the extraordinary opportunity to treat a rare copy of the Voyager Golden Record in collaboration with our neighbors at NASA Glenn Research Center.

 

In 1977, two spacecraft—Voyager 1 and Voyager 2—launched carrying these remarkable gold-plated copper records. Designed as a greeting to the cosmos, the records contain sounds of Earth (surf, wind, thunder), music from cultures around the world, and greetings in 55 languages. Instructions engraved on the aluminum jacket explain—in symbolic form—where the spacecraft came from and how the record should be played.

 

Only 12 copies of the record were produced, and two are still traveling through interstellar space today. In fact, Voyager 1 is currently the farthest human-made object from Earth.

So yes—we were pretty excited when one showed up in the lab.

 

The record we treated had developed a network of fine scratches, abrasions, fingerprints, and small pits where the gold plating had been damaged and copper corrosion was beginning to emerge. Cleaning required a careful balance: removing contaminants while preserving the delicate gold surface and, importantly, the playable grooves that carry its message.

 

Using a mild dilute acid followed by solvent cleaning, we carefully lifted surface contamination and corrosion products. But unlike most metal objects, we couldn’t apply a protective coating or wax—doing so would compromise the record’s function.

 

Instead, we worked with NASA Glenn to design a sealed display system. The record now sits between layers of Plexiglas, creating a controlled micro-environment that limits oxygen exposure and helps prevent corrosion from reforming. The sealed package is housed in a frame that allows the record to be safely displayed while remaining protected.

 

It’s not every day a conservator gets to work on an object designed for interstellar communication. Helping preserve this small piece of humanity’s message to the universe was an unforgettable experience—and a reminder that conservation sometimes intersects with exploration in the most unexpected ways.

 

🎧 Curious what humanity chose to send into space?
You can actually listen to the sounds and music from the Voyager record here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELnn9V01EiI