Love and Sound in the Cosmos

If you were curating a mixtape that might be heard by aliens billions of years from now - but definitely would be seen by your fellow Earthlings - what would you put on it? In 1977, two Voyager spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral on a journey that would take them beyond our solar system. Affixed to the side of these two planetary explorers was the Voyager Golden Record — the ultimate mixtape of humanity — containing 27 pieces of music as well as pictures and sounds of Earth. But how did these selections get made? Nearly 50 years later, we're teaming up with our friends at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s podcast, AirSpace, to explore what's on the record, how it got made, and its legacy.

Learn more about AirSpace! 

Airspace Hosts: 

Matthew Shindell, curator of space history at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum

Emily Martin, planetary geologist at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum

Guests:

Ann Druyan, Voyager Golden Record Creative Director

Lawrence Azerrad, Co-founder of Macroscopic