NASA landed on the Moon 50 years ago this month, completing a challenge set by President John F Kennedy in 1961. As such, NASA’s musical wake up playlist calls for some of the most recognisable Moon-related songs to be played. Today, July 16, NASA celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch and on July 20, the US space agency will celebrate the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Celebrate the Moon landing with NASA this week by listening to nearly 200 Spotify Moon Tunes listed below.
According to music streaming service Spotify, there are more than 185,000 tracks with the word Moon in the title.
To whittle down the playlist to a manageable scale, Spotify listed its favourite 50 songs for the Moon landing anniversary.
Some of the songs that have made the cut are David Bowie’s Moonage Daydream and R.E.M.’s Man on the Moon.
Spotify said: “According to NASA, it was customary for flight crews to be roused with wake-up songs played from Mission Control – tunes alluding to space or the Sun rising were common choices.
“Along with being music lovers, quite a few astronauts also possess musical skill – and have even demonstrated it by rocketing instruments into space.”
You can also check out NASA’s own Spotify playlist, embedded below, curated by the space agency’s Third Rock Radio station.
It was customary for flight crews to be roused with wake-up songs pla
Spotify
The playlist includes songs such as Frank Sinatra’s rendition of Fly Me to the Moon and Eton John’s Rocketman.
The playlist was curated based on public submissions, with more than a million votes cast around the world.
Third Rock Radio said NASA’s Moon Tune Playlist is “stellar trip through space songs and fan favourites” from a wide range of genres and musical generations.
You can listen to the playlist in the Spotify player below.
The use of music to wake up NASA’s astronauts dates back to the historic Apollo programme.
According to Steve Knopper, a former Rolling Stone editor, flight controllers in Mission Control would serenade astronauts on return trajectories to Earth.
Mr Knopper said: “Several crews have awakened on their final day in space to Dean Martin’s popular song Going Back to Houston.
“The common element of all of these selections is that they promote a sense of camaraderie and esprit de corps among the astronauts and ground support personnel.”
The first time NASA woke its astronomers to the sound of music was in December 1965 during the Gemini 6 mission.
On Gemini 6, astronauts Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford were crammed into a tiny tin can spacecraft as they rendezvoused in orbit with the crew of Gemini 7.
NASA’s Mission Control played to the astronauts Jack Jones Hello Dolly.
At the same time, the two astronauts participated in a bit of music themselves, by playing Jingle Bells on the harmonica and some small bells.
Listen to NASA’s Moon Tunes playlist below:
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