After last week’s failed attempt to launch due to bad weather, Saturday saw the successful liftoff of the SpaceX rocket, owned by Elon Musk’s company of the same name.
The launch was a historic event, marking the first time that NASA astronauts had entered the International Space Station from a commercially-made spacecraft, and also the first time in nine years that America had launched people into space.
What would you listen to before being blasted into space? Turns out SpaceX astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley opted for none other than some classic Aussie rock.
Ahead of the launch, NASA posted a Tweet asking what “space jams” users would add to their “launch day playlist”:
Tell us: what space jams would you add to your launch day playlist?#LaunchAmerica pic.twitter.com/iSfVkETcZP
— NASA (@NASA) May 27, 2020
It turns out that astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley did, in fact, listen to something whilst preparing to hurtle away from the Earth’s surface. What would that be, you may ask? Well according to CNN, it was none other than Aussie rock legends AC/DC:
.@JohnBerman anchoring CNN coverage of the #spacexlaunch is 💯: “We were told the astronauts listened to ‘Back in Black’ from AC/DC on their way to the rocket. In that vein let’s just say, for those about to launch, we salute you.”
— Caroline Kenny (@carolinerkenny) May 30, 2020
The pair purportedly chose the song because they were “back” after the initial launch was postponed.
NASA also revealed that there were a few other songs on their playlist, including The Blues Brothers‘ rendition of The Girl From Ipanema and the national anthem The Star-Spangled Banner – as performed by the French horn section of the US Army Field Band.
Nineteen hours after take-off, the astronauts reached the International Space Station. It has not yet been decided how long they will remain there, however, it will likely be somewhere between one and four months.
This is the first time in human history @NASA_Astronauts have entered the @Space_Station from a commercially-made spacecraft. @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug have finally arrived to the orbiting laboratory in @SpaceX‘s Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. pic.twitter.com/3t9Ogtpik4
— NASA (@NASA) May 31, 2020
“This is hopefully the first step on a journey toward a civilization on Mars,” Musk has described of the launch.
