Who chaired the committee that selected the Golden Record contents?

Who chaired the committee that selected the Golden Record contents? Carl Sagan chaired it. The Cornell University astronomer led the NASA committee that decided what messages, images, sounds, and music should represent Earth aboard Voyagers 1 and 2.

The record contains 116 images, including one calibration image, plus natural sounds, human greetings in 55 languages, footsteps, laughter, a heartbeat, brainwaves, and music from several cultures and eras. The selection process took almost a year and balanced scientific information with a broad portrait of human life.

The project involved several notable collaborators. Frank Drake helped with scientific and technical elements, Ann Druyan served as creative director, and Timothy Ferris worked as producer. Their involvement can cause a common mix-up: Drake was a major contributor, but Sagan chaired the committee.

The finished record also includes a pulsar map and a hydrogen-molecule diagram, intended to provide universal clues about its origin. It was attached to both spacecraft before their launches in 1977.