Behold, the Soundtrack of Space

Technically, there is no sound in space: What we think of as sound is a series of vibrations in the air; and there is, to the ongoing frustration of NASA and Hollywood producers, no air beyond Earth's atmosphere. Space does, however, have a soundtrack: a series of noises created by humans as we've taken our first tentative steps into the beyond.

Rockets blasting off. Machinery churning. Eagles landing. These are the sounds humans have put into, and around, space. And now NASA has put them together in an online collection: audio clips that capture our relationship with space, as heard through the rumbles of rockets and the tinny murmurs of human voices.

You can listen to the clips individually, seconds-long bits of history. (The sounds are broken into categories like "Rocket Engine," "Space Shuttle Mission," "Apollo," and "Solar System and Beyond.") The best way to listen, though, is on a loop—as a sonic documentary that captures where we've been. And hints at where we're headed.


Via the BBC



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