Voyager: Sounds of the Cosmos

Voyager: Sounds of the Cosmos
Mixtape by RazorEye
Released	March 20, 2011 (2011-03-20) (First Issue) August 26, 2011 (2011-08-26) (Second Issue) July 29, 2012 (2012-07-29) (Third Issue)
Recorded	September 1977, Earth July 1979, Jupiter August 1981, Saturn January 1986, Uranus August 1989, Neptune
Genre	Unorganised Dark Ambient
Length	527:57 (Second Issue)
Label	Independent
Producer	RazorEye
RazorEye chronology
Voyager: Sounds Of the Cosmos (2011) Crescendos (2012)
Singles from Voyager: Sounds Of the Cosmos (Original Singles)
"Jupiter Closest Approach" Released: July 10, 2011 "Uranus Bow Shock" Released: July 29, 2011 "Earth Launch" Released: October 10, 2011 "Volcanoes Of Io / Transition Into Saturn" Released: July 7, 2012
Singles from Voyager: Sounds Of the Cosmos (Re-issue Singles)
"Closest Approach To Jupiter (Jupiter Closest Approach)" Released: April 21, 2012 "Uranus Bow Shock" Released: April 28, 2011
Third Issue Legacy Edition
Previous Issue Coverarts
First Issue Standard/Legacy
First Issue Grand Tour
Second Issue Standard/Grand Tour/Legacy

Voyager: Sounds of the Cosmos is an unofficial digital download compilation album composed of recordings from NASA's Voyager program, individually from 1 and 2 during their launch and flybys of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. It was collaborated and originally released worldwide by RazorEye on March 10, 2011, with the original Final version of the album released later on August 26, 2011. The first revision of the Final Version (Third Issue of the album) is set to be released on July 29, 2012.

Background and development

The album is a collection of planetary radio emission signals recorded by the Voyager's Planetary Radio Astronomy Investigation Instrument during its mission. They were converted into Sound Files by NASA for further studies. They were individually released to the general public in the years following their original recordings.

The Voyager program is a series of United States unmanned space missions that consists of a pair of unmanned scientific probes, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. They were launched in 1977 to take advantage of a favorable planetary alignment of the late 1970s. Although they were officially designated to study just Jupiter and Saturn, the two probes were able to continue their mission into the outer solar system. The Voyager Spacecraft each had equipment capable of recording emission signals given off by the planets, their moons and their ring systems. These equipment were designated as Planetary Radio Astronomy Investigation Instruments (PRA) and are used in Radio astronomy. Recordings were made. Interractions of the solar wind with planet's magnetosphere, magnetosphere itself, electromagnetic fields, charged particles emissions, charged particle interactions of the planet, its moons, and the solar wind. All this electromagnetic phenomenons can be transformed into electric signals, which can in turn be amplified and used to excite the membrane of a loud speaker ; thus making audible to the human ear the rustling of the cosmos. All these sounds were recorded while the Voyagers were passing near their targets, and assembled without manipulation, using Audacity.

Development on Voyager: Sounds of the Cosmos started in January 2011, the 25th anniversary of Voyager 2's flyby of Uranus and 30th Anniversary of Saturn. The collaboration effort was made using tracks downloaded using various websites, including the NASA Archives and archives of news sources such as the Associated Press. Most of the files were corrupt from multiple usage, and was restored to full recording quality using Audacity. These New, refined audio files were then filed together and Uploaded to YouTube, and the Voyager: Sounds of the Cosmos website on Google Sites

Recording

Voyager 1

Main article: Voyager 1#Mission profile

Voyager 1 flew by Jupiter on March 5–6, 1979, recording radio emissions during the Io encounter and at closest approach of Jupiter, 349,000 km (217,000 mi). With a gravity assist via Jupiter, Voyager 1 then went on to Saturn, where it recorded the radio waves emitted by Saturn during its closest approach of 124,000 km (77,000 mi) on 12 November 1980, and during its outgoing retreat on 14 November. It also managed to achieve a Titan flyby, in which Voyager too did make readings.

Voyager 2

Main article: Voyager 2#Mission profile

Voyager 2 started recording emissions when it made its flyby of Saturn on 26 August 1981. During its crossing of the ring plane it picked up a number of signals emitted by the rings and Saturn itself respectively. During the encounter with Uranus, Voyager 2 recorded the sounds of Uranus during its closest approach on 24 January 1986 at a distance of 81,500 km (50,600 mi) and during its retreat towards Neptune on 26 January. It managed to pick up signals from Uranus' Rings during closest approach and Miranda when it flew by on 24 January. On 25 August 1989, Voyager 2 made its final planetary flyby, Neptune. Voyager's final PRA objective was to record emissions of Neptune's north pole on closest approach.

Release

RazorEyeDownloads (more commonly known as R.E.D.) had gathered all the original files and put them into a studio album-type collection of all the Voyager Recordings. Of course, the Voyager Recordings were the property of NASA, but because the Work of NASA is in the Public Domain, being property of the US Government (unless noted), RazorEye was legally allowed to do this. The audio pieces were restored to full quality as it was when they were originally released. Before the original Sounds Of the Cosmos was released, the album was released as a playlist on the RazorEye YouTube Channel. On April 10, 2011, the album was put up for digital download on the Sounds Of the Cosmos website.

Track listing

Second Issue

Legacy Edition
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Earth" (Launch)	30:36
2.	"Earth" (Echoes)	30:49
3.	"Jupiter" (Bow Shock)	30:15
4.	"Jupiter" (Closest Approach)	31:13
5.	"Jupiter" (Io Flyby)	29:52
6.	"Saturn" (Closest Approach)	30:43
7.	"Saturn" (Rings)	30:38
8.	"Saturn" (Voyager 1 Ring Crossing)	21:57
9.	"Saturn" (Voyager 2 Tour Guide)	32:01
10.	"Uranus" (Bow Shock)	32:12
11.	"Uranus" (Approach)	04:42
12.	"Uranus" (Crossing The Rings Part 1)	09:11
13.	"Uranus" (Crossing The Rings Part 2)	07:52
14.	"Uranus" (Crossing The Rings Part 3)	09:10
15.	"Uranus" (Echoes Of The Rings)	30:52
16.	"Uranus" (Miranda)	31:51
17.	"Uranus" (Echoes Of Uranus)	30:31
18.	"Neptune" (Closest Approach)	31:38
19.	"Neptune" (Out Of The Ecliptic)	30:46
20.	"Unspecified 1"	10:00
21.	"Unspecified 2" (Interplanetary Maybe?)	31:08
Total length:		527:57

Standard Edition
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Earth" (Launch)	30:36
2.	"Jupiter" (Bow Shock)	30:15
3.	"Jupiter" (Closest Approach)	31:13
4.	"Saturn" (Closest Approach)	30:43
5.	"Saturn" (Rings)	30:38
6.	"Uranus" (Bow Shock)	32:12
7.	"Uranus" (Crossing The Rings Part 1)	09:11
8.	"Uranus" (Crossing The Rings Part 2)	07:52
9.	"Uranus" (Crossing The Rings Part 3)	09:10
10.	"Uranus" (Miranda)	31:51
11.	"Uranus" (Echoes Of Uranus)	30:31
12.	"Neptune" (Closest Approach)
13.	"Neptune" (Out Of The Ecliptic)	31:38
Total length:		497:34

Grand Tour Edition
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Earth" (Launch)	30:36
2.	"Jupiter" (Closest Approach)	31:13
3.	"Saturn" (Closest Approach)	30:43
4.	"Uranus" (Approach)	04:42
5.	"Neptune" (Closest Approach)	31:38
Total length:		128:53

Release history

Albums

Region	Issue	Date	Format	Name
Worldwide	First	March 19, 2011	Digital Download	Grand Tour Edition
		March 20, 2011		Standard Edition
				Legacy Edition
	Second	August 26, 2011		Grand Tour Edition
		September 2, 2011		Standard Edition
		September 3, 2011		Legacy Edition
	Third	July 29, 2012		Grand Tour Edition
		August 4, 2012		Standard Edition
		August 5, 2012		Legacy Edition

Singles

Region	Issue	Date	Format	Name
Worldwide	Second	July 10, 2011	Digital Download	Jupiter Closest Approach
		July 29, 2011		Uranus Bow Shock
Australia		October 10, 2011		Earth Launch
		October 12, 2011	CD
North America		October 17, 2011	Digital Download
Europe		October 21, 2011
Worldwide	Third	April 14, 2012		Closest Approach To Jupiter
		July 7, 2012		Io Flyby / Transition Into Saturn

Promotional Singles

Region	Issue	Date	Format	Name
Worldwide	Third	February 26, 2012	Digital Download	Liftoff!

Other Releases

Region	Issue	Date	Format	Name
Worldwide	Second	July 1, 2011	Digital Download	Voyager: Sounds Of Jupiter EP

See also

• Radio astronomy
• NASA
• Voyager program
• Voyager 1
• Voyager 2