Voyager 1 launched on September 5th, 1977.  In August of 2012 it left the solar system, becoming the first human-made object to reach interstellar space.  In November 2023 the spacecraft began transmitting a repeating pattern of ones and zeroes.  In December 2023, NASA announced that Voyager was no longer capable of transmitting usable scientific data.  In January 2024, a group of retired NASA engineers that worked on Voyager decide to break the silence about what was really on "The Golden Record".  This website and the accompanying photos and music are an attempt to tell their story. 

In 1975, at the request of NASA, the Ford administration approached a talented, futuristic sounding band that was just about to go on tour as the opening act for Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" tour.  Enticed by the proposition, this little-known band called Megarush dropped out of the tour and was replaced by The Steve Miller Band.  As we all know, The Steve Miller Band went on to great success and critical acclaim.

During a secret meeting with President Gerald Ford and NASA Administrator Dr. James C. Fletcher, Megarush was tasked with recording an album that would accompany the Voyager 1 space probe on its journey through the galaxy.  Ford and Fletcher knew that Voyager would outlive them both and become the first human-made object to leave the solar system, so they wanted a soundtrack that would best represent the journey that Voyager would experience should it ever be discovered by intelligent life.  The resulting album was titled "Over The Beyond" and the truth has been shrouded in secrecy for 47 years.

From 1975-1976, Megarush was given exclusive access to the NASA Jet Propulsion Labratory in southern California to watch the construction of Voyager 1 and work on the music.  To maintain secrecy, the band left California in January 1977 to record the album in a small studio in Osceola, Indiana.  As a smokescreen, NASA and the US Government contracted Carl Sagan to created a collection of music and sounds that would become known as "Murmurs of Earth."  While the international community has been lead to believe this collective album was sent out with Voyager, this did not happen.  In March 1977, Megarush completed the recording of "Over The Beyond".  A few months later the band met with NASA engineers in the summer of 1977 to place what is known as "The Golden Album" on the spacecraft.  

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So what happened to Megarush?  First off, the band's sound was far ahead of its time, and they knew that.   They had two options - go on tour with Pink Floyd and possibly become stars on Earth, or take the deal offered by the US Government and potentially become stars throughout the galaxy.  They chose the second option, which also required them to retire from professional music and never speak about the album they created.

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Read more about Megarush in the bio section HERE.