The Invisible Network theme music. A collage of historical plays overtop.

PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY

We choose to go to the Moon…

NEIL ARMSTRONG(Apollo 11)

That’s one small step for man…

COMMENTATOR(Voyager Launch)

We have ignition, and we have lift off!

CHILD FROM VOYAGER GOLDEN RECORDS

Hello from the children of planet earth…

COMMENTATOR(Cassini Launch)

Three… two… one… and liftoff, of the Cassini spacecraft…

COMMENTATOR(Perseverance Landing)

Touchdown confirmed, Perseverance safely on the surface of Mars…

Theme music fades.

NARRATOR

Apollo. Voyager. Galileo. Journeys to Venus and Mars.

The Deep Space Network has been critical to so many missions throughout NASA’s history. It has facilitated discovery and helped inspire generations to reach for the stars.

But that raises an important question…

Silence.

What is it?

In this season of NASA’s The Invisible Network podcast, we’ll explore the space communications and navigation technologies that have broadened our horizons in deep space.

An audio collage of prominent interviewees for the season.

SUZY DODD

We were involved with the first Apollo missions… in the late 60s. And we can go out as far as Voyager… 14 billion miles from us. We can get a signal out from interstellar space.

STEVE LEVIN

Everything on this spacecraft relies on the Deep Space Network for communication to the Earth.

JOE LAZIO

It’s really every aspect of the DSN needs to be understood or — in some sense — controlled.

PHILIP BALDWIN

We have to make sure that we have enough capacity and ability to support — not only our sustained presence on the Moon — but future exploration goals to Mars.

Audio collage ends.

NARRATOR

Join The Invisible Network for a new season about NASA’s Deep Space Network.

Journey through the network’s history, from inception to the present. Explore the hidden systems integral to the success of your favorite missions. Enjoy stories from NASA professionals advancing network capabilities. And understand space communications’ critical role in deep space exploration.

Connect with NASA. Commune with the Stars.

…

The Deep Space Network is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California with funding and strategic oversight of the Space Communications and Navigation, or SCaN, program at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The podcast is produced at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The trailer was written by Nathan Thomas, Fall 2021 SCaN intern.