Space Jams: Voyager Golden Record

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 on a journey that would take them to our outer solar system and beyond. They carried with them the Voyager Golden Record, which contained sounds and images selected to portray life and culture on Earth, as a message for any form of life that might be encountered. The disc was mounted in plain view on the exterior of both Voyager spacecraft, along with a stylus and pictographic instructions on how to play it.

This ultimate mixtape of humanity contained not only 27 pieces of music but also pictures, greetings in many languages, and other sounds of Earth. In a recent episode of our AirSpace podcast, we explore what's on the record, how it got made, and its legacy — including an interview with the Golden Record's creative director.