Or, what happened when I went down a rocket crash rabbit hole and decided everybody needed to know about it.
We all know explainer videos explain something. But “clear” can too easily become “flat” — especially when the tone defaults to an academic lecture or a monotone read.
Now, I love Spaceweather.com, and earlier this month one update caught my attention: a spent SpaceX Falcon 9 stage had crashed into the Moon. It had even left a fresh scar on the lunar surface.
But what really intrigued me was how we knew.
After completing its mission, SpaceX was finished with the spent stage. The “unemployed” craft was left on a trajectory pushed around by gravity. Independent astronomers first figured out where it was headed, and NASA and SpaceX later tracked its path. Then, after the impact, astronomers in Spain actually captured the plume of lunar debris rising into space, while South Korea’s Danuri spacecraft photographed the fresh impact scar from lunar orbit.
Wow, right?
So I clicked on the story. And kept digging.
The more I learned, the more interesting it became: abandoned rocket stages, orbital mechanics, deep-space debris, and all the other human-made hardware scattered throughout the Earth-Moon system and beyond.
At some point, reading about it wasn’t enough. I wanted to tell the story.
So that curiosity became a science explainer about the crash.
As a voice actor and director, the next question becomes:
What should it sound like?
I could take the narration in an academic direction — authoritative, measured and appropriately scientific. Or… lean into a quirky science-professor point of view. Yes.
The pacing is quick. Certain words and moments can carry a little attitude. I have permission to react to the sheer oddness of the story instead of simply reporting it.
I want you to feel the amazement with me.
And now? An explainer is also entertainment.
A technology video can have wit.
A corporate story can have personality.
Science can sound curious.
Training can actually be enjoyable to listen to.
The information still comes first. Clarity stays intact, and the voiceover performance supports it.
Sometimes the voice performance stays quietly underneath.
Other times, the subject itself gives the voiceover permission to have a little fun.
For a rocket stage that wandered through space for more than a year before eventually ramming the Moon at roughly 5,400 mph?
I went with fun.
Learn more about Rebecca’s voiceover at www.LovethatRebecca.com homepage or genre tabs.
I was both when I ventured out this week because