NASA has released the playlist of wake-up songs chosen by the Artemis II astronauts during their mission around the moon, continuing a tradition that began with the Apollo program over 50 years ago. The eight-song playlist, made public on April 8, reflects the crew’s music selections as they complete their 10-day lunar mission.
The playlist includes tracks such as “Sleepyhead” by Young & Sick, “Green Light (feat. André 3000)” by John Legend and André 3000, “In a Daydream” by Freddy Jones Band, “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan, “Working Class Heroes (Work)” by CeeLo Green, “Good Morning” by Mandisa and TobyMac, “Tokyo Drifting” by Glass Animals and Denzel Curry, and “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie.
Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman, along with astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, launched on April 1 and completed a historic flyby of the moon earlier this week. They are the first astronauts in over half a century to orbit the lunar surface and travelled farther from Earth than any humans before, reaching a maximum distance of approximately 252,756 miles.
During their mission, the crew captured striking images of Earth, the far side of the moon, and a solar eclipse from space. The use of wake-up music has been a NASA tradition to support crew morale and camaraderie, dating back to the Apollo missions when mission control played songs with lyrics relevant to the astronauts’ experiences.
Why it matters
The continuation of this wake-up music tradition highlights NASA’s commitment to astronaut well-being and mission culture during historic spaceflights. The Artemis II mission marks a significant step in NASA’s ongoing Artemis program aimed at returning humans to the moon and eventually preparing for manned missions to Mars.
The crew is scheduled to return to Earth with a planned splashdown off the California coast near San Diego on April 10. NASA has not yet disclosed the wake-up song selected for the astronauts’ final day in space, a moment often commemorated by symbolic music selections in past missions.
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