Wake up in space: Artemis II astronauts’ official playlist revealed
The four Artemis II astronauts made history earlier this week by breaking the record for the farthest distance any human has traveled in space during their 10-day lunar mission. While venturing beyond where Apollo crews went, the Artemis team is continuing several Apollo-era traditions – including being woken up by music.
“The wakeup songs serve as alarms and are picked in advance by the crew and their friends and family. It is a longstanding tradition,” a NASA spokesperson told Nexstar, News.Az reports, citing News Nation.
A Tradition Over 50 Years in the Making
NASA records show that since at least the Apollo program, astronauts have been awakened by music. Early crews were serenaded by mission control with lyrics from popular songs that suited the occasion. Dean Martin’s “Going Back to Houston” was a common choice for the final day in space.
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Retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield explained in 2000 that song selection is important: “You play some lively, peppy bit of music – normally just two minutes – and after a pause, you hear some groggy voice on the microphone mumbling, ‘Good morning, Houston.’ You don’t want to play a dirge or something uninspiring. You want to get them going in the morning.”
Astronauts have been woken to music by John Philip Sousa, David Bowie, Frank Sinatra, and more, as well as iconic film themes from Rocky and Star Wars.
Artemis II’s Official Playlist
NASA and Spotify released the official wake-up playlist for the Artemis II crew, featuring songs personally selected by the astronauts:
- “Sleepyhead” – Young & Sick
- “Green Light (feat. André 3000)” – John Legend
- “In a Daydream” – Freddy Jones Band
- “Pink Pony Club” – Chappell Roan
- “Working Class Heroes (Work)” – CeeLo Green
- “Good Morning” – Mandisa, TobyMac
- “Tokyo Drifting” – Glass Animals, Denzel Curry
- “Under Pressure” – Queen, David Bowie
With the Orion spacecraft scheduled to splash down off the coast of San Diego on Friday, more tunes are expected to be added to the playlist. NASA shared the list on Instagram, inviting the public to follow along as the mission continues.
By Nijat Babayev
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