Blasting Off with the Viennese Waltz: "The Blue Danube" Sets Off on Voyager 1's Cosmic Voyage
"Blue Danube Waltz" Soars Through the Cosmos on Voyager 1's Journey - Voyager 1 is to be joined by the "Danube Walker"
Ready your earbuds and gaze up at the stars, folks! The world-famous waltz, "The Blue Danube" by Johann Strauss, is hurtling through space, hitching a ride aboard the badass Voyager 1 spacecraft, some 25 billion kilometers away.
The Vienna Symphony Orchestra did the honors, strumming out the waltz like a boss at the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) in Vienna. The performance was live-streamed on the site "Waltz into Space."
The tune is making its way to the spacecraft via the "deep space antenna" of the European Space Agency (ESA) in Spain and should reach Voyager 1 in about 23 hours, according to Vienna Tourism reps.
Why the "Blue Danube" didn't join the gold-plated copper phonograph record on Voyager 1 back in the day remains a historical oversight, admitted Vienna Tourism Director Norbert Kettner. That record, equipped with sounds, greetings, and images, as well as 27 musical works from composers like Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart, was packed for potential extraterrestrial civilizations. But, as it turns out, the "Blue Danube" was missing from the mix.
This waltz serves as the unofficial anthem of space. It's known to rouse astronauts from their slumber. Its space ties can be traced back to legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999), who chose the waltz as the film score for his mind-bending sci-fi flick, "2001: A Space Odyssey." Criticized upon its release in 1968, it's now considered a stroke of genius.
The Vienna Tourism event is part of the hullabaloo surrounding the 200th anniversary of Johann Strauss (1825-1899). The ESA, with 23 member states, is gearing up for its 50th anniversary on May 31.
Can alien ears hear the "Blue Danube"?
Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, launched in 1977, have journeyed some 25 billion kilometers past our humble solar system. Whether the signal will continue to be heard as it ventures further depends on the technological prowess of other civilizations, says an ESA rep.
- Voyager 1
- "The Blue Danube"
- Vienna
- Music
- Tourism
- Johann Strauss
- Stanley Kubrick
- Museum of Applied Arts
- ESA
- Spain
[1] European Space Agency: https://www.esa.int/[3] "2001: A Space Odyssey": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001:_A_Space_Odyssey
- The European Space Agency (ESA) is collaborating with Vienna Tourism to broadcast Johann Strauss' famous waltz, "The Blue Danube", towards Voyager 1, a spacecraft that has traveled approximately 25 billion kilometers from Earth.
- Known for its connection to space travel, "The Blue Danube" was chosen by legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick for his sci-fi film "2001: A Space Odyssey". The ESA, founded in 1975, and Vienna, the birthplace of Johann Strauss, are celebrating their respective anniversaries this year, with the ESA marking its 50th anniversary on May 31.
