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Photograph P-34966
Voyager Neptune Encounter Celebration

In August 1989 the Voyager 2 spacecraft flew by the planet Neptune.  There were many media events and celebrations on Lab, including this one on the JPL mall August 25.  The Planetary Society hosted an evening of entertainment that included Chuck Berry, whose song Johnny B. Goode was one of the pieces of music featured on the Voyager Golden Record.  A 1978 Saturday Night Live skit described extraterrestrials sending a message back to Earth — “Send more Chuck Berry.”

For more information about the history of JPL, contact the JPL Archives for assistance. [Archival and other sources: Universe, September 1, 1989; What is on Voyager's Golden Record, Smithsonian.com; Voyager: The Interstellar Mission web site.]