STS-135

DATE: July 13, 2011

✷ Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be A Long, Long Time) by Elton John (Rock: Pop Rock)

Comment:

• Flight Day 6 was kick-started for the STS-135 astronauts with a special wake-up message from Elton John and one of the legendary performer’s greatest hits. Rocket Man debuted around the time of the Apollo 16 mission, which sent men to the moon for the fifth time. The four-and-a-half minute song, which describes a long-term space bound astronaut’s mixed feelings at leaving his family to do his job, has been played to awaken four shuttle crews aboard Discovery and Atlantis. Rocket Man also, one of NASA’s top 40 wakeup call songs listed for voter selection during a contest to commemorate the Space Shuttle Discovery and Endeavour’s last missions, earned nearly 5,000 votes from the public. The song inspired by space exploration woke up the final space shuttle crew of Atlantis one last time: Good morning Atlantis, this is Elton John. We wish you much success on your mission. A huge thank you to all the men and women at NASA who worked on the shuttle for the last three decades.