Space Jams

Sidedoor

Smithsonian Institution

African American History And Culture, American History, Exhibits, Dc, History, Science, Sidedoor, History Of The World, Society & Culture, The Smithsonian, Washington, Natural History, Pop Culture, Smithsonian, Exhibit, Tony Cohn, Zoo, National Museum, Air And Space, National Zoo, Art19, Museum, Postal Museum

4.6 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 28 May 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Side Door, a podcast from the Smithsonian with support from PRX.
0:13.7	I'm Lizzie Peabody.
0:26.4	Today on the show, we've got something a little different for you.
0:32.4	Our friends over at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum have a podcast called Airspace.
0:39.1	And the airspace crew invited me to come over to their show to guest host an episode all about the Voyager Golden Record. A gold-plated phonograph record launched into space back in the 1970s,
0:46.5	with the sole purpose of introducing all of humanity to aliens, some billions of years down the line.
0:54.0	So today on Side Door, we're sharing that episode.
0:57.1	And it's going to sound a little different from your typical Side Door.
1:00.7	Their show has two hosts.
1:02.4	Matt Chandel is a space history curator, and Emily Martin is a planetary geologist.
1:07.5	They both work at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
1:10.9	And their show has a bit of a more conversational format than Side Door.
1:14.9	But I think you'll like it.
1:16.8	All right, here's the Side Door Airspace Collaboration, Space Chams.
1:21.9	Welcome to Airspace from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.
1:26.2	I'm Matt.
1:26.9	And I'm Matt. And I'm Emily.
1:27.9	And I'm Lizzie.
1:29.0	Who led her in here?
1:30.1	Wait.
1:30.5	Matt be nice.
1:32.0	You invited me.
	...

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