In 1977, President Jimmy Carter penned a letter to intergalactic aliens, and placed it on the Voyager spacecraft; the first letter to reach extrasolar space.

President Jimmy Carter’s 1977 Letter to Extraterrestrial Civilizations: A Historic Message in Interstellar Space

In the summer of 1977, a remarkable event unfolded that would forever alter our cosmic outreach endeavors. President Jimmy Carter authored a heartfelt letter intended for potential extraterrestrial intelligences, accompanying the Voyager spacecraft as it embarked on its pioneering journey beyond our Solar System. This succinct yet profound message marked a significant milestone in humanity’s efforts to communicate with the universe beyond Earth.

Comprising three carefully crafted paragraphs, President Carter’s letter served as a personal introduction from humanity to any advanced life forms that might someday encounter the Voyager spacecraft. It offered a glimpse into human civilization, our curiosity, and our hopes for peaceful contact. The letter was then secured aboard the Voyager 1 spacecraft, launched from Cape Canaveral on August 20, 1977, as part of NASA’s Voyager program—an ambitious mission to explore the outer planets and serve as a symbolic “messenger” to potential extraterrestrial civilizations.

Today, decades after its launch, the Voyager 1 spacecraft carries Carter’s message into the depths of interstellar space at incredible speeds of approximately eleven miles per second. It is now the first human-made artifact to voyage beyond the boundary of our Solar System, continuously transmitting data back to Earth. As it traverses the vast emptiness, the letter remains a testament to human curiosity, our desire for contact, and the enduring hope of establishing a connection with intelligent life beyond our planet.

This historic gesture exemplifies humanity’s innate drive to explore and communicate across the cosmos. It highlights our willingness to reach out beyond known boundaries, fostering a sense of global unity and shared wonder about our place in the universe. As Voyager continues its silent journey through the stars, President Carter’s letter stands as an enduring symbol of our curiosity and the timeless quest to find fellow explorers among the galaxies.