Voyager 1 is the farthesthuman-madeobject from Earth.
The incredible longevity of the Voyager spacecraft presents a uniquely tangible entry point into exploring ideas of immortality.
For many people, immortality is the everlasting existence of a soul or spirit that follows death.
It can also mean the continuation of ones legacy in memory and records.
Life after death
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Judaisms teachings about what happens after death are less clear.
In the Hebrew Bible, the dead are mere shades in a darkened place called Sheol.
Some rabbinical authoritiesgive credence to the resurrection of the righteousand even to the eternal status of souls.
Immortality is not limited to the individual.
It can be collective as well.
For many Jews, thefinal destiny of the nation of Israel or its peopleis of paramount importance.
Carters knowledge of his ultimate destiny is a measure of his deep faith in the immortality of his soul.
In this sense, he likely represents people of numerous faiths.
For those like Sagan there are other possible options for immortality.
Neither of these potential paths to physical immortality has proved to be feasible yet.
People want to be remembered and appreciated, even cherished.
Sagan summed it up nicely: To live in the hearts we leave behindis to live forever.
Only those records will likely remain as testimony and legacy of Earth, a kind of objective immortality.
