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Here’s what the SpaceX astronauts listened to during their historic launch

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.

astronauts, spacex, ac/dc
Photo: John Raoux/Shutterstock

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”:

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:

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 hopefully the first step on a journey toward a civilization on Mars,” Musk has described of the launch.