Author Topic: NASA and the Beatles Celebrate Anniversaries by Beaming Song 'Across the Universe' Into Deep Space  (Read 10785 times)

Offline jacqmans

  • Moderator
  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 21709
  • Houten, The Netherlands
  • Liked: 8562
  • Likes Given: 320
NEWS RELEASE 2008-019                                                                        Jan. 31, 2008

NASA and the Beatles Celebrate Anniversaries by Beaming Song 'Across the Universe' Into Deep Space

WASHINGTON – For the first time ever, NASA will beam a song – The Beatles "Across the Universe" -- directly into deep space at 4 p.m. Pacific Time (7 p.m. Eastern Time) on Monday, Feb. 4.

The transmission over NASA's Deep Space Network will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the day The Beatles recorded the song, as well as the 50th anniversary of NASA's founding and the group's beginnings. Two other anniversaries also are being honored: The launch 50 years ago this week of Explorer 1, the first U.S. satellite, and the founding 45 years ago of the Deep Space Network, an international network of antennas that supports missions to explore the universe.

Technicians at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., where the Deep Space Network is managed, will send the command that will start the transmission.

The transmission is being aimed at the North Star, Polaris, which is located 431 light years away from Earth. The song will travel across the universe at a speed of 186,000 miles per second. Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney expressed excitement that the tune, which was principally written by fellow Beatle John Lennon, was being beamed into the cosmos.

"Amazing! Well done, NASA!" McCartney said in a message to the space agency. "Send my love to the aliens. All the best, Paul."

Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, characterized the song's transmission as a significant event.

"I see that this is the beginning of the new age in which we will communicate with billions of planets across the universe," she said.  

It is not the first time Beatles music has been used by NASA; in November 2005,

McCartney performed the song "Good Day Sunshine" during a concert that was transmitted to the International Space Station. "Here Comes the Sun," "Ticket to Ride" and "A Hard Day's Night" are among other Beatles' songs that have been played to wake astronaut crews in orbit.

Feb. 4 has been declared "Across The Universe Day" by Beatles fans to commemorate the anniversaries. As part of the celebration, the public around the world has been invited to participate in the event by simultaneously playing the song at the same time it is transmitted by NASA. Many of the senior NASA scientists and engineers involved in the effort are among the group's biggest fans.

"I've been a Beatles fan for 45 years – as long as the Deep Space Network has been around," said Barry Geldzahler, the network's program executive at NASA Headquarters, Washington. "What a joy, especially considering that 'Across the Universe' is my personal favorite Beatles song."

JPL built the Explorer 1 satellite and is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its launch. JPL also operates NASA's Deep Space Network. For information about the Deep Space Network, go to:

http://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov

 
Jacques :-)

Offline SimonShuttle

  • Elite Veteran
  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1795
  • Manchester, England
  • Liked: 44
  • Likes Given: 89
Paul McCartney, grrr, bites tounge. At least he'll get to sell some more albums to an American public that laps up these has beens. Isn't that why the Rolling Stones World Tour comprises of nothing but America? Cringed through reading the above.

Offline strangeluck

  • Member
  • Posts: 31
  • Liked: 1
  • Likes Given: 105
Quote
jacqmans - 31/1/2008  11:32 PM

For the first time ever, NASA will beam a song – The Beatles "Across the Universe" -- directly into deep space at 4 p.m. Pacific Time (7 p.m. Eastern Time) on Monday, Feb. 4.

...

The transmission is being aimed at the North Star, Polaris, which is located 431 light years away from Earth.


So in 431 years, some alien in the Polaris system will be writing "Wow!" on a SETI printout? Kind of a tease if you ask me. ;-)

Offline psloss

  • Veteran armchair spectator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 17980
  • Liked: 4047
  • Likes Given: 2089
I love the Beatles and this track, but one of the first things that came to mind was Vonnegut's short story... :)

Offline MATTBLAK

  • Elite Veteran & 'J.A.F.A'
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5362
  • 'Space Cadets' Let us; UNITE!! (crickets chirping)
  • New Zealand
  • Liked: 2239
  • Likes Given: 3883

Has-beens.... Riigght!!!

Although you have a point (a small one) people like Lennon, McCartney, Jagger, Bowie etc will be remembered long after many of todays plastic, recycled, re-hashed, reality show and 'alternative' wannabes are struggling for a royalties cheque, let alone a real, live gig which they could barely do in their heyday.

"Those who can't, Blog".   'Space Cadets' of the World - Let us UNITE!! (crickets chirping)

Offline SimonShuttle

  • Elite Veteran
  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1795
  • Manchester, England
  • Liked: 44
  • Likes Given: 89
Yes, right :) Remember, he's only out to sell an album to those that he means anything to (over 45s). This will do nothing for making NASA seem attractive to those Xbox generation types.

Offline HIPAR

  • Member
  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 585
  • NE Pa (USA)
  • Liked: 1
  • Likes Given: 0
What kind of receiver would I need to hear the broadcast?

---  CHAS

Offline psloss

  • Veteran armchair spectator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 17980
  • Liked: 4047
  • Likes Given: 2089
Quote
SimonShuttle - 2/2/2008  9:42 AM

Yes, right :) Remember, he's only out to sell an album to those that he means anything to (over 45s). This will do nothing for making NASA seem attractive to those Xbox generation types.
If it plays to the 'Boomers, well, they have significantly higher voter turnout numbers.

Offline MATTBLAK

  • Elite Veteran & 'J.A.F.A'
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5362
  • 'Space Cadets' Let us; UNITE!! (crickets chirping)
  • New Zealand
  • Liked: 2239
  • Likes Given: 3883

Quote
SimonShuttle - 3/2/2008 1:42 AM Yes, right :) Remember, he's only out to sell an album to those that he means anything to (over 45s). This will do nothing for making NASA seem attractive to those Xbox generation types.

Although you are right, this whole exercise is about symbolism and using a song that is iconic to our modern, Western culture. Your cynicism is linked to this contemporary tendency of trashing anything outside of one's own era or viewpoint as unimportant. Anything 'old' is seen as 'bad' or useless. Our music and culture is cumulative and important to us both collectively and as individuals. I have a young work colleague who sees most music more than only 1 year old as "old junk", not worthy even of consideration. People like him see even great, iconic things as "crap", because it didn't emerge in their time. It's a lack of context and wisdom on their part.

Although people are entitled to their opinion, this does not automatically entitle them to be right. And I think there is ample evidence that those with opinions similar to my young colleague are wrong.

"Those who can't, Blog".   'Space Cadets' of the World - Let us UNITE!! (crickets chirping)

Offline penguin44

  • Member
  • Full Member
  • **
  • Posts: 246
  • Liked: 93
  • Likes Given: 334
will nasatv broadcast this?

Offline DaveS

  • Shuttle program observer
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8526
  • Sweden
  • Liked: 1199
  • Likes Given: 65
Quote
penguin44 - 4/2/2008  4:45 AM

will nasatv broadcast this?
No.
"For Sardines, space is no problem!"
-1996 Astronaut class slogan

"We're rolling in the wrong direction but for the right reasons"
-USA engineer about the rollback of Discovery prior to the STS-114 Return To Flight mission

Offline psloss

  • Veteran armchair spectator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 17980
  • Liked: 4047
  • Likes Given: 2089
Actually, considering the way that this was played on NASA TV last week, I'm not surprised that they are doing a live broadcast from JPL as I type this.

Edit: hmmm, I wonder if JPL will hear from the RIAA...

Offline Ford Mustang

  • Live Coverage Editor
  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12473
  • Virginia
    • Astro95Media
  • Liked: 375
  • Likes Given: 36
Some images:

Offline Ford Mustang

  • Live Coverage Editor
  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12473
  • Virginia
    • Astro95Media
  • Liked: 375
  • Likes Given: 36

Offline Ford Mustang

  • Live Coverage Editor
  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12473
  • Virginia
    • Astro95Media
  • Liked: 375
  • Likes Given: 36
Song finished!

Offline Ford Mustang

  • Live Coverage Editor
  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12473
  • Virginia
    • Astro95Media
  • Liked: 375
  • Likes Given: 36
"Gonna be a long time waiting..  And I'll be here!"

Offline lsullivan411

  • NASASpaceflight KSC Photographer
  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1399
  • Liked: 75
  • Likes Given: 0
On top of things again Steven!  Great job!

Offline Ford Mustang

  • Live Coverage Editor
  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12473
  • Virginia
    • Astro95Media
  • Liked: 375
  • Likes Given: 36
Coverage ending.

Thanks, Larry!  :)

Offline RHAnthony

  • I'm in yer planetz, talkin 2 ur roverz
  • Full Member
  • **
  • Posts: 220
  • Liked: 1
  • Likes Given: 0
I was going to post about this yesterday but as you can see it was very busy in this room!  I'll toss up a few photos I took of the event when I get the chance (busy morning today for other reasons).  It was amazing how many people they had in this room behind the cameras for this.  Actually heated up the huge "darkroom" quite a bit just from all of the bodies you don't see on these photos.  I think we had just as many, if not more people in here, than we do for a launch/landing event!

Offline eeergo

Thanks for that Steven, I saw it in the news on TV (major event that something like this gets time inside our news media :) ) and came back to the computer to see if I could catch the whole video... hopefully it'll show up in Space-Multimedia!
-DaviD-

Tags:
 

Advertisement NovaTech
Advertisement Northrop Grumman
Advertisement
Advertisement Margaritaville Beach Resort South Padre Island
Advertisement Brady Kenniston
Advertisement NextSpaceflight
Advertisement Nathan Barker Photography
0