This exquisite, exemplary science documentary, directed by Irish editor turned helmer Emer Reynolds, recounts the rich and fascinating story of the Voyager mission, arguably Nasa’s finest, noblest contribution to scientific understanding. Launched in 1977, Voyager I and II were sent billions of miles to the outer limits of our solar system to gather information about Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune and then into deep space. In 2012, Voyager I slipped through the heliopause and officially became the first human-made object to reach interstellar space, and it’s still going today, to infinity and beyond.
Although the main purpose of the trip was data collection, the thing most people remember about the Voyagers is that each of them contain a golden LP encoded with images, aural greetings in many Earth languages and, on the B-side, a playlist of top tunes (Beethoven, Bach, Pygmy tribespeople, Chuck Berry) to tickle the eardrums of any alien life form they might meet. A wide assortment of those involved are interviewed in depth – not just scientists but also people whose voices are on the LP – and one of the deeply admirable things about this film, in addition to the beauty of its imagery, its sprightly rhythm and its witty soundtrack, is that the science isn’t too dumbed down. It’s like one of those great Horizon episodes from the 1980s or 90s, before all science docs started sounding as if they were written for overexcited seven-year-olds. Grab the chance to see this in a cinema while it lasts.
