Wc.203 Review

In the year 1977, NASA launched two space probes--the Voyager 2 and Voyager 1--to explore the outer reaches of the solar system. In August 2012, Voyager 1 was the first human-made object to reach interstellar space. In November 2018, Voyager 2 also entered the interstellar medium, the space between star systems. Each probe carries a copy of what is called The Golden Record, a golden phonograph record which contains sounds and data to reconstruct images, all selected to portray the "diversity of life and culture on Earth." The cover of each record contains diagrams that function as instructions for playing the record and reconstructing the embedded image, as well as a pulsar map to give directions to the planet Earth. 

Given the vastness of space, this message from Earth to extraterrestrial life is considered to be largely symbolic. As Carl Sagan, an astronomer, planetary scientist, and public figure who chaired the selection committee for the records' contents, remarked, "The spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced spacefaring civilizations in interstellar space. But the launching of this bottle into the cosmic ocean says something very hopeful about life on this planet." Both the Voyager probes continue to fly further away from Earth, possibly forever. In testament to human ingenuity, NASA engineering, and robust technology, both probes continue to transmit data back to Earth, 48 years and 15 billion miles after their launches.

To learn more about the Voyager Probes, check out NASA's Voyager website.

On sol-date July 28th, 2024, the Intergalactic Federation of Planets' Regulatory Council, at the behest of the Trensu Prime, called for a planetary investigation of planet Wc.203 to prepare for a Special Session to determine the Federation's ruling for the planet. Tkeh'r Bay'li Suhst'k, alias Prof S, was assigned to the planet, locally called "Earth," to assemble and supervise a team of Pleakleys-in-Residence (PiRs) to establish a database entry on the native species, designation: Human, for the Planetary Hierarchical Index. Tsat Feihan K'rah and Tsat Burd'i were assigned as support staff for the mission. 

On December 15th, 2025, earth-time, the Regulatory Council Special Session: Wc.203 was convened to deliberate on the status of Wc.203 per Federation guidelines. Tkeh'r Bay'li Suhst'k and Tsat Burd'i were summoned to report on the work of the Wc.203 Wofford Cohort Pleakley-in-Residences and answer questions about the PHI database entry for species-designation: Human.