Episodes
Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
A New Frontier: 1. A Message To Ourselves | 20240710 | 20240712 (R4) | In this special series from Sideways, called A New Frontier, Matthew Syed explores the most out of this world ethical questions posed by the evolution of human space exploration. He takes us into the cosmos with stories from astronauts who've been there and those who can only dream of going, to explore the moral debates that have permeated space exploration since before the moon landings, and are evolving dramatically today in a new era of commercial space flight, of asteroid mining and almost daily satellite launches. Matthew begins the series by diving into the ethics of humanity's search for extra-terrestrial life. In 1974, Richard Isaacman was a young graduate, studying to become an astronomer, from some of the field's biggest names - like Carl Sagan and Frank Drake. At just 21-years-old, he's asked to contribute to humankind's first ever deliberate attempt to send a targeted radio transmission to a cluster of stars in the outer reaches of the galaxy. A rudimentary picture, designed to be intercepted and decoded by aliens. Delving into our obsession with aliens, science fiction and the vastness of space, Matthew discovers how asking questions about space ethics can often lead us to answers that tell us much more about the ways we treat our own environment, other animals, and each other, than it does about little green men. With former NASA astronaut John Herrington, York University astronomer Sarah Rugheimer and space ethicist, podcaster and author Erika Nesvold. Presenter: Matthew Syed Producer: Leona Hameed Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey Sound Design and Mix: Rob Speight Theme music by Ioana Selaru A Novel production for BBC Radio 4 Matthew Syed traces humanity's first attempt to send a radio message to aliens. Matthew Syed explores the ideas that shape our lives, making us see the world differently. Matthew Syed explores the moral dilemmas at the heart of space exploration, starting with humanity's first attempt to send a radio message into space, to be decoded by aliens. | |
A New Frontier: 2. For All Humankind? | 20240717 | 20240719 (R4) | Matthew Syed continues his four-part mini series exploring the ethics of space exploration, by returning to the origins of the space race, which saw America and the USSR battling for supremacy. He takes a hard look into the reasons why we go to space and whether it has really benefited all humankind. When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon in July 1969, humanity as a whole felt like we'd reached a new frontier. The two astronauts left a plaque behind them, at the bottom of their lunar module. It said “we came in peace for all mankind”. But while Armstrong and Aldrin were ambassadors of the entire species, it was an American flag which was planted on the surface of the moon. This was a time of fear of Cold War competition amidst fear of nuclear annihilation. Despite the altruistic ideals encapsulated in NASA's motto 'for the benefit of all', the geopolitical stakes of the space race were paramount. Matthew explores how this combined with America's perception of its exceptionalism and how the post-war period was filled with nationalistic ambitions and controversies. With historians Roger Launius and Neil Maher, Science and Religion Professor Catherine Newell, Space Lawyer Michelle Hanlon and retired astronaut John Herrington. Presenter: Matthew Syed Producer: Julien Manuguerra-Patten Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey Sound Design and Mix: Rob Speight Theme music by: Ioana Selaru A Novel production for BBC Radio 4 Featuring archive from: Apollo moon landing archive: NASA, Apollo 11 Moonwalk - Original NASA EVA Mission Video - Walking on the Moon, 1969. Archive Rev Ralph Abernathy at Cape Kennedy. From Library of American Congress and WGBH. Extract from the 3 parts documentary series “Chasing the Moon” directed by Robert Stone for PBS, 2019. Wernher Von Braun - extract from “Disneyland, Man on the Moon” documentary produced by Walt Disney and directed by Ward Kimball, ABC tv 1955. Archive JF Kennedy at the United Nation. From the United Nations Archives. General Assembly (20 September 1963) First International crew arrives at Space Station - CNN reports, 2 November 2000. Archive Space Treaty - British Pathé, Space Treaty February 1967 NASA Artemis launch - @NASA, produced by Sonnet Apple, 2022. Matthew Syed goes back to the origins of the space race to question who benefited. Matthew Syed explores the ideas that shape our lives, making us see the world differently. Matthew Syed explores the original purpose of space exploration during the Cold War between America and the USSR, and whether it can ever be for the benefit of all humankind. | |
A New Frontier: 3. Life On Mars | 20240724 | 20240726 (R4) | Matthew Syed continues his four-part mini-series from Sideways examining the ethics of space exploration in a rapidly expanding era of travel and transformation. In this episode, he explores the role and ambitions of the new actors in space exploration. More people than ever before can now aspire to travel into space with private companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic. This democratisation of space allows those who can afford it to become astronauts and view our world from a different perspective. But new actors and new purposes bring new challenges. Spacefaring billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos openly share their ambitions to settle on celestial bodies like the Moon or Mars. With a limited body of space laws, questions about land ownership and governance in space - and on Earth - arise. With sculptor and new astronaut Ed Dwight, anthropologist Deana Weibel, NASA consultant Linda Billings and space Lawyer Michelle Hanlon. Presenter: Matthew Syed Producers: Vishva Samani and Julien Manuguerra-Patten Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey Sound Design and Mix: Rob Speight Theme music by Ioana Selaru A Novel production for BBC Radio 4 How commercial companies in space are expanding the possibilities for colonisation. Matthew Syed explores the ideas that shape our lives, making us see the world differently. With actors from the private sector now playing an important role in space exploration, Matthew Syed examines the consequences and opportunities of the commercialisation of space. | |
A New Frontier: 4. With The Gods | 20240731 | 20240802 (R4) | When astronauts journeyed to the moon in the early 1970s, few were paying attention to the psychological impact of the experience. Yet many among those who have left the Earth's boundary say it is extraordinary and life-changing. They experience a cognitive shift known as the 'overview effect'. Matthew ponders the potential of staring down at Earth for our collective good and charts how, decades on, the overview effect has found its place at the heart of space tourism. He also delves into the unlikely religious roots and moral complexity behind the billionaires striving to make it possible for humans to live in space one day. With former NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, new astronaut Ed Dwight, Space Philosopher and author Frank White, Anthropologist of Space and Religion, Deana Weibel, Professor of Religion at Knox College Robert Geraci and former ISRO scientist, Jijith Nadumari Ravi. Presenter: Matthew Syed Producer: Vishva Samani Editor: Katherine Godfrey Sound Design and Mix: Rob Speight Theme music by: Ioana Selaru A Novel production for BBC Radio 4. Matthew Syed explores the transcendental possibilities of living in space. Matthew Syed explores the ideas that shape our lives, making us see the world differently. Matthew Syed explores whether taking a perspective from space could make us better custodians of Earth or justify poor decisions because we have an escape route to another planet. | |
Introducing, A New Frontier | ||||
01 | A Message To Ourselves | 20240710 | 20240712 (R4) | In this special series from Sideways, called A New Frontier, Matthew Syed explores the most out of this world ethical questions posed by the evolution of human space exploration. He takes us into the cosmos with stories from astronauts who've been there and those who can only dream of going, to explore the moral debates that have permeated space exploration since before the moon landings, and are evolving dramatically today in a new era of commercial space flight, of asteroid mining and almost daily satellite launches. Matthew begins the series by diving into the ethics of humanity's search for extra-terrestrial life. In 1974, Richard Isaacman was a young graduate, studying to become an astronomer, from some of the field's biggest names - like Carl Sagan and Frank Drake. At just 21-years-old, he's asked to contribute to humankind's first ever deliberate attempt to send a targeted radio transmission to a cluster of stars in the outer reaches of the galaxy. A rudimentary picture, designed to be intercepted and decoded by aliens. Delving into our obsession with aliens, science fiction and the vastness of space, Matthew discovers how asking questions about space ethics can often lead us to answers that tell us much more about the ways we treat our own environment, other animals, and each other, than it does about little green men. With former NASA astronaut John Herrington, York University astronomer Sarah Rugheimer and space ethicist, podcaster and author Erika Nesvold. Presenter: Matthew Syed Producer: Leona Hameed Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey Sound Design and Mix: Rob Speight Theme music by Ioana Selaru Matthew Syed traces humanity's first attempt to send a radio message to aliens. Matthew Syed explores the moral dilemmas at the heart of space exploration, starting with humanity's first attempt to send a radio message into space, to be decoded by aliens. |
02 | For All Humankind? | 20240717 | 20240719 (R4) | Matthew Syed continues his four-part mini series exploring the ethics of space exploration, by returning to the origins of the space race, which saw America and the USSR battling for supremacy. He takes a hard look into the reasons why we go to space and whether it has really benefited all humankind. When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon in July 1969, humanity as a whole felt like we'd reached a new frontier. The two astronauts left a plaque behind them, at the bottom of their lunar module. It said “we came in peace for all mankind”. But while Armstrong and Aldrin were ambassadors of the entire species, it was an American flag which was planted on the surface of the moon. This was a time of fear of Cold War competition amidst fear of nuclear annihilation. Despite the altruistic ideals encapsulated in NASA's motto 'for the benefit of all', the geopolitical stakes of the space race were paramount. Matthew explores how this combined with America's perception of its exceptionalism and how the post-war period was filled with nationalistic ambitions and controversies. With historians Roger Launius and Neil Maher, Science and Religion Professor Catherine Newell, Space Lawyer Michelle Hanlon and retired astronaut John Herrington. Presenter: Matthew Syed Producer: Julien Manuguerra-Patten Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey Sound Design and Mix: Rob Speight Theme music by: Ioana Selaru Featuring archive from: Apollo moon landing archive: NASA, Apollo 11 Moonwalk - Original NASA EVA Mission Video - Walking on the Moon, 1969. Archive Rev Ralph Abernathy at Cape Kennedy. From Library of American Congress and WGBH. Extract from the 3 parts documentary series “Chasing the Moon” directed by Robert Stone for PBS, 2019. Wernher Von Braun - extract from “Disneyland, Man on the Moon” documentary produced by Walt Disney and directed by Ward Kimball, ABC tv 1955. Archive JF Kennedy at the United Nation. From the United Nations Archives. General Assembly (20 September 1963) First International crew arrives at Space Station - CNN reports, 2 November 2000. Archive Space Treaty - British Pathé, Space Treaty February 1967 NASA Artemis launch - @NASA, produced by Sonnet Apple, 2022. Matthew Syed goes back to the origins of the space race to question who benefited. Matthew Syed explores the original purpose of space exploration during the Cold War between America and the USSR, and whether it can ever be for the benefit of all humankind. |
03 | Life On Mars | 20240724 | 20240726 (R4) | Matthew Syed continues his four-part mini-series from Sideways examining the ethics of space exploration in a rapidly expanding era of travel and transformation. In this episode, he explores the role and ambitions of the new actors in space exploration. More people than ever before can now aspire to travel into space with private companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic. This democratisation of space allows those who can afford it to become astronauts and view our world from a different perspective. But new actors and new purposes bring new challenges. Spacefaring billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos openly share their ambitions to settle on celestial bodies like the Moon or Mars. With a limited body of space laws, questions about land ownership and governance in space - and on Earth - arise. With sculptor and new astronaut Ed Dwight, anthropologist Deana Weibel, NASA consultant Linda Billings and space Lawyer Michelle Hanlon. Presenter: Matthew Syed Producers: Vishva Samani and Julien Manuguerra-Patten Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey Sound Design and Mix: Rob Speight Theme music by Ioana Selaru How commercial companies in space are expanding the possibilities for colonisation. With actors from the private sector now playing an important role in space exploration, Matthew Syed examines the consequences and opportunities of the commercialisation of space. |
04 | With The Gods | 20240731 | 20240802 (R4) | When astronauts journeyed to the moon in the early 1970s, few were paying attention to the psychological impact of the experience. Yet many among those who have left the Earth's boundary say it is extraordinary and life-changing. They experience a cognitive shift known as the 'overview effect'. Matthew ponders the potential of staring down at Earth for our collective good and charts how, decades on, the overview effect has found its place at the heart of space tourism. He also delves into the unlikely religious roots and moral complexity behind the billionaires striving to make it possible for humans to live in space one day. With former NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, new astronaut Ed Dwight, Space Philosopher and author Frank White, Anthropologist of Space and Religion, Deana Weibel, Professor of Religion at Knox College Robert Geraci and former ISRO scientist, Jijith Nadumari Ravi. Presenter: Matthew Syed Producer: Vishva Samani Editor: Katherine Godfrey Sound Design and Mix: Rob Speight Theme music by: Ioana Selaru A Novel production for BBC Radio 4. Matthew Syed explores the transcendental possibilities of living in space. Matthew Syed explores whether taking a perspective from space could make us better custodians of Earth or justify poor decisions because we have an escape route to another planet. |