Detroit-based Third Man Records attempts to play first record in space

DETROIT (WJBK) - To celebrate its seventh anniversary, one locally based record company decided to reach for the stars -- literally.

Third Man Records was launched by singer-songwriter Jack White of the band The White Stripes in Detroit in 2001. The company opened at its current location in Nashville in 2009.

In honor of its seventh year, they decided to attempt to play the first phonographic record in space on Saturday. The record of choice was their 3 millionth record pressed -- a gold-plated 12" master of Carl Sagan's "A Glorious Dawn."

To send the record into space, they launched the Icarus Craft, a custom-built turntable attached to a high-altitude balloon.

Assisting Third Man Records in the special mission was SATINS, or Students and Teachers in Near Space, a program that helps K-12 students create STEM research projects.

Jack White himself attended the viewing party.

"It's sort of pointless and beautiful at the same time," Jack White told FOX 2. "Sort of takes elements of frivolity and some sort of deep respect for Carl Sagan and for what he brought to the idea of imagination and dreamers around the world."

White said the company was lucky to have been able to press Sagan's first record for him when they first started.

"We have three million vinyl records pressed in our seven years, so  we thought  there was nothing better than to have Carl Sagan be the 3 millionth record and to try do to something audacious and put it into outer space," he said.