Editing Voyager Golden Record (section)

==Manufacturing==
[[File:PIA17035 Mementos of Earth.jpg|thumb|Preparation for the record's packaging before the launch of ''[[Voyager 2]]'']]

Blank records were provided by the [[Pyral]] S.A. of [[Créteil]], France. [[Sony Music|CBS Records]] contracted the JVC Cutting Center in [[Boulder, Colorado]] to cut the [[Audio mastering|lacquer masters]] which were then sent to the James G. Lee record-processing center in [[Gardena, California]] to cut and gold-plate eight Voyager records. After the records were plated they were mounted in aluminum containers and delivered to JPL.<ref>{{cite web |title=Voyager & the Golden Record |date=29 October 2015 |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa-jpl/sets/72157676187916186 |via=Flickr |publisher=NASA/JPL}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Voyager Interstellar Record Collection, 1976-1977 |url=https://pub-lib.jpl.nasa.gov/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-533/JPL151,%20Voyager%20Interstellar%20Record%20Collection,%20%201976-1977.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131012624/https://pub-lib.jpl.nasa.gov/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-533/JPL151,%20Voyager%20Interstellar%20Record%20Collection,%20%201976-1977.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2017-01-31 |website=Jet Propulsion Laboratory |publisher=NASA}}</ref>

The record is a copper disk {{convert|12|in|cm}} in diameter plated first with nickel and then gold.<ref name="Voyager - Golden Record"/> The record's cover is [[Aluminium|aluminum]] and [[electroplating|electroplated]] upon it is an ultra-pure sample of the isotope [[uranium-238]]. Uranium-238 has a [[half-life]] of 4.468 billion years. It is possible (e.g., via [[Isotope-ratio mass spectrometry|mass spectrometry]]) that a civilization that encounters the record will be able to use the ratio of remaining uranium to the other elements to determine the age of the record.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/golden-record/making-of-the-golden-record/|title=Voyager - Making of the Golden Record|website=voyager.jpl.nasa.gov|language=en|access-date=2020-03-28}}</ref>

The records also had the inscription ''"To the makers of music – all worlds, all times"'' hand-etched on its surface. The inscription was located in the "takeout grooves", an area of the record between the label and playable surface. Since this was not in the original specifications, the record was initially rejected, to be replaced with a blank disc. Sagan later convinced the administrator to include the record as is.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/05/opinion/05ferris.html |title=The Mix Tape of the Gods |access-date=February 11, 2009 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |first=Timothy |last=Ferris |date=September 5, 2007}} The writer of the article claims to have made the inscription.</ref>

<gallery mode=packed heights=150px caption="Manufacturing at the James G. Lee Record Processing center in Gardena, California">
Voyager-phonograph-record-5-10-1977 30217463364 o.jpg|Phonograph record
Voyager-recording-session-6-29-77 30885251025 o.jpg|Recording section
Voyager-golden-record-etching-7-28-77 30812861006 o.jpg|Record etching
Voyager-golden-record-etching-7-28-77 30217512534 o.jpg|Record etching
Voyager golden record gold plating.jpg|Gold plating
Voyager-gold-record-gold-plating-8-23-77 30797169261 o.jpg|Gold plating
Voyager-golden-record-gold-plating-8-23-77 30217620534 o.jpg|Gold plating control
</gallery>