From Earth to the Cosmos

Presented by Jocelyn Chang, D.M.A.
In collaboration with Michael Shaw, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

I am deeply honored to share From Earth to the Cosmos, a multimedia program created in collaboration with Michael Shaw from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

JPL is the only institution in the world to have sent spacecraft to all eight planets and many of their moons, expanding humanity’s reach across the solar system and inspiring generations to look upward and dream beyond.

This project aspires to build bridges between music and science, celebrating the shared spirit of curiosity and wonder that drives both exploration and creation. Through it, I hope to honor how scientific research and innovation enrich our lives and to let music speak as a language of reflection, gratitude, and reverence for the fragile beauty of our world.

I also wish to pay heartfelt tribute to the engineers, scientists, and explorers whose vision, courage, and devotion have expanded humanity’s understanding of the universe. Their tireless pursuit of knowledge continues to inspire deep appreciation, reminding us of the boundless human drive to explore, imagine, and create.

The Earth Prelude by Ludovico Einaudi (b. 1955)
A quiet meditation on the beauty and fragility of our planet. Accompanied by imagery from the International Space Station, orbiting roughly 250 miles above Earth, the music offers a perspective of serenity and vulnerability. The Station, about the size of an American football field, houses a rotating international crew of six astronauts who conduct research on Earth’s atmosphere, environmental systems, and the delicate balance that sustains life.

Man on the Moon by Dennis Korn (b. 1973)
This piece honors one of humanity’s most inspiring achievements: the Apollo 11 Moon landing in 1969. The United States’ Apollo program (1961–1972) accomplished six successful lunar landings, concluding with Apollo 17 in 1972. Neil Armstrong’s first step and his words, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” became a lasting symbol of human courage and collaboration.

Beneath its lyrical beauty, the music carries a tone of quiet melancholy, evoking both the triumph of that historic moment and the profound solitude of standing on another world. No human has returned to the Moon since 1972, largely because of cost, shifting national priorities, and the challenges of sustaining long-term lunar operations. NASA’s Artemis program is now preparing for a new era of crewed lunar exploration, with the first crewed mission, Artemis II, planned for 2026 and the next human lunar landing, Artemis III, targeted for 2028.

Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
Published in 1905 as the third movement of Suite Bergamasque, Clair de Lune (Moonlight) is one of Debussy’s most intimate and contemplative works, evoking the quiet poetry of a walk beneath a silvery sky.

The visualization accompanying this piece was created using a digital 3D model of the Moon built from global elevation maps and image mosaics by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission. Originally produced for NASA’s 60th-anniversary celebration in 2018, it follows the Sun across a lunar day, revealing sunrises and sunsets over craters such as Copernicus.

As sunlight glides across the Moon’s ancient surface, shadows recede and return, breathing in rhythm with Debussy’s timeless music. In this convergence of art and science, we glimpse both the beauty and mystery that lie beyond our world.

Venus, the Bringer of Peace by Gustav Holst (1874–1934)
Holst imagined Venus not as a planet of heat and storms but as a timeless image of tranquility. The flowing, luminous lines of the music evoke calm and introspection. Following the isolation and emotional depth of Man on the Moon, this movement offers a moment of stillness and renewal, reflecting both the harmony of the cosmos and the peace we seek within ourselves.

Mars, the Bringer of War by Gustav Holst
Scientists believe Mars once had rivers, lakes, and even oceans. In the presentation, you’ll see robots built at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory exploring its surface and preparing for future human missions.

Perseverance is a robotic rover that landed on Mars in 2021. It carried a small helicopter called Ingenuity, which became the first aircraft ever to fly on another planet. Initially expected to make only a few flights, Ingenuity completed more than seventy, far surpassing its planned mission and redefining the possibilities of planetary exploration.

Holst’s music mirrors this spirit of discovery through its intensity, rhythm, and dissonance, expressing both conflict and energy. His powerful harmonies accompany imagery from NASA JPL’s decades of Mars exploration:

Mariner 4 (first flyby, 1965)
Viking 1 and 2 (landings, 1976)
Spirit (2004)
Opportunity (2004)
Curiosity (2012)
Perseverance (2021)
Ingenuity helicopter (first powered flight on another planet, 2021)

These missions, developed and operated at JPL in California, embody humanity’s enduring curiosity and determination to explore beyond Earth.

The Earth Prelude, Man on the Moon, Clair de Lune, Venus, and Mars trace a journey from our living planet to the Moon and outward toward the stars. Together, they celebrate the shared human spirit that drives both artistic creation and scientific discovery.

May this program inspire curiosity, gratitude, and a renewed sense of wonder for our fragile planet and the infinite cosmos that surrounds it.