Will.I.Am’s album “Reach for the Stars” features a recording of the transmission from the Red Planet.
Another first for NASA’s Curiosity Rover – the first music ever transmitted from another planet was Will.I.Am’s Reach For The Stars, composed expressly for the occasion. Students, special guests and news media gathered last Tuesday, August 28, 2012 to hear the transmission from the surface of Mars by the exploration and science platform “Curiosity”.
“Reach for the Stars,” which will.i.am said was backed by an orchestra to demonstrate “human collaboration,” begins with the lyrics:
Why do they say the sky is the limit, when I’ve seen the footprints on the moon? And I know the sky may be high, but baby it ain’t really that high. And I know that Mars might be far, but baby it ain’t really that far. Let’s reach for the stars.
The song made its interplanetary debut at an educational event hosted by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., from where the Mars rover Curiosity is controlled. Flight director Bobak “Mohawk Guy” Ferdowsi, whose haircut drew worldwide attention the night the rover landed, triggered the song’s playback after it was beamed back the 150 million miles (240 million kilometers) that separates Earth and Mars.
Yes, we’re adding this to the Krypton Radio play list.
Enjoy.
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