The Beautiful Horror of Deep Space
Curious Archive・17 minutes read
Images were selected to attach to the Voyager spacecraft to immortalize Earth's life, potentially lasting billions of years in space. Various media, like games and films, explore the existential dread of space, highlighting personal stories, potential extraterrestrial threats, and the horror of encountering unknown entities in the vastness of the universe.
Insights
- The Golden Record attached to the Voyager probes contains images, music, and sounds of Earth to communicate with potential extraterrestrial life, encapsulating the essence of our planet for eternity in the vast expanse of space.
- Space, often associated with existential dread and portrayed in various media as a cautionary tale against human exploration, reveals the fragility of existence and the overwhelming chaos of the universe, emphasizing the importance of individual experiences and memories even in the face of cosmic destruction.
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Recent questions
What is the purpose of the Golden Record attached to the Voyager probes?
The Golden Record includes images, music, and sounds of Earth, intended to inform potential extraterrestrial life about our planet.
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Summary
00:00
"Exploring Space: Memories, Madness, and Solace"
- In 1977, NASA faced the decision of selecting one hundred and sixteen images to attach to the Voyager spacecrafts as golden records to immortalize life on Earth.
- These images are now hurtling out into the cosmic dark, potentially lasting for billions of years, outliving Earth and the sun.
- Space has long been associated with existential dread, with concerns of "Space Madness" affecting early astronaut programs due to the hostile nature of space.
- Anxiety, mood swings, and emotional distress have been documented in those who have experienced space travel, hinting at the overwhelming vastness and chaos of the universe.
- The game Outer Wilds forces players to confront the nightmarish aspects of space through repeated deaths and time loops, reframing the significance of experiences.
- Despite the vastness of space, personal stories like Andrei Tarkovsky's film Solaris emphasize the intense impact of individual traumas and memories in space.
- In the face of cosmic destruction, characters in various media, like Silent Running and High Life, continue to care for plants aboard their doomed vessels, finding solace in routine and memories.
- The Golden Record attached to the Voyager probes includes images, music, and sounds of Earth, intended to inform potential extraterrestrial life about our planet.
- The Dark Forest Hypothesis suggests that the reason space seems devoid of life is due to the potential threat of hostile extraterrestrial beings extinguishing noisy civilizations.
- The horror of encountering unknown entities in the far reaches of space, as depicted in various science fiction stories, serves as a cautionary tale against human hubris and exploration into the unknown.
14:58
Alien: Isolation - Frightening Space Exploration Game
- The game Alien: Isolation is based on the iconic film franchise and involves exploring an empty ship with the presence of a scary alien.
- Techniques in the game that make the alien frightening include malfunctioning weapons, its ability to move through vents, and tracking it with a small analogue screen.
- The horror-genre space station setting is likened to a haunted house, with dim corridors and a sense of isolation from rescue.
- Details about the inhospitable nature of other planets in our solar system are provided, such as Jupiter's extreme temperatures and the freezing conditions on Uranus and Neptune.
- The text discusses the potential existence of life on other planets and the historical perspectives on space travel and extraterrestrial life.
- The fragility of Earth's atmosphere and the impermanence of the cosmos are highlighted, with mentions of future galactic collisions and the fleeting nature of existence.
