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Astronaut Chris Hadfield Performs Space Oddity On the ISS

An anonymous reader writes "With updated lyrics, commander of expedition 35 on the International Space Station, Chris Hadfield, sings Space Oddity on board the ISS. He's not Bowie, but he's pretty good."

33 of 212 comments (clear)

  1. Mission Accomplished by earlzdotnet · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That is all.

    1. Re:Mission Accomplished by DavidClarkeHR · · Score: 5, Insightful

      He's not Bowie, but he's pretty good.

      And, you know, he's actually in space.

      --
      - Nec Impar Pluribus, or so I'm told.
    2. Re:Mission Accomplished by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      He's not Bowie, but he's pretty good.

      And, you know, he's actually in space.

      And Bowie wasn't?

    3. Re:Mission Accomplished by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Nicely edited and well produced preproduction--obviously with sound in particular; this communist disregard for copyright law has been reported to DMCA Takedown.

    4. Re:Mission Accomplished by Joce640k · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I was expecting to hate it but I actually enjoyed it.

      --
      No sig today...
    5. Re:Mission Accomplished by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Funny

      DMCA only applies to Earth and one small part on it.

      For now.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  2. Ashes to Ashes by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 4, Informative

    That seems like such a weird song to sing up there sitting in a tin can.

    Bowie sorta updated the matter on Scary Monsters anyway.

    ashes to ashes funk to funky
    we know major tom's a junky
    strung out on heaven's high
    hitting an all time low

  3. Lens Flare by yincrash · · Score: 5, Funny

    Who knew that having that many lens flares was true to life?!

    1. Re:Lens Flare by sconeu · · Score: 5, Funny

      JJ Abrams?

      --
      General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
    2. Re:Lens Flare by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Funny

      Who knew that having that many lens flares was true to life?!

      Every video gamer.

      I've got retinal damage from all the flare in current games.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  4. Re:Viral Marketing by NASA by yincrash · · Score: 4, Informative

    Chris Hadfield is a Canadian (working for the CSA). I'm sure that Chris would like more people to want to go in to space and become scientists, etc. If you look at his previous videos though, I would say this is pretty in line with the other stuff he's done (just with more effort in to it).

  5. Um... by daveschroeder · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...he's Canadian.

    And stop being so cynical. Sometimes stuff can be cool without being "viral marketing".

  6. Re:Viral Marketing by NASA by yincrash · · Score: 4, Informative

    Additionally, this is the person in the credits who edited it, also a Canadian, and doesn't work for any space agency. Let's try not to think everything is a conspiracy, please.

  7. Hefty pricetag by Spazed · · Score: 4, Funny

    Most expensive music video ever.

  8. Re:If this is what we currently have on our task l by The+Bad+Astronomer · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "National pride"? He's Canadian, you know. Which nation do you mean? Do you also know they don't work 24 hours per day? And on their off time, ISS astronauts still breathe? Of course, he did use up a lot of electrons saving the files and transmitting them to Earth, so I'll make sure NASA or the CSA reimburses you per Coulomb.

    --
    *** Phil Plait, aka The Bad Astronomer http://www.badastronomy.com
  9. Re:Really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You are an idiot. The man is making space (geeky) real (taxpayers). Space is the future. Anyone with an actual personality is welcome up there. This is my new favorite astronaut. Neil Armstrong step aside. We need to get back. Did you see his other 50+ educational videos?

  10. Imagine How Disappointed Richard Branson Is.... by Petersko · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Bragging rights like "First Music Video in Space" don't come around every day!

  11. Re:Viral Marketing by NASA by DavidClarkeHR · · Score: 4, Funny

    Additionally, this is the person in the credits who edited it, also a Canadian, and doesn't work for any space agency. Let's try not to think everything is a conspiracy, please.

    The only conspiracy coming from up here (canada) is a push for more maple syrup for breakfast, and bacon in every meal. We're winning on one of those fronts.

    --
    - Nec Impar Pluribus, or so I'm told.
  12. Re:If this is what we currently have on our task l by hawguy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ... then we need to shut down this thing NOW! We seriously have NOTHING BETTER TO DO WITH BILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF TREASURE than to record a music video? This is rediculous. Let's turn off the lights, lock the door on the way out and save that money for something more important. Don't give me this "national pride" or "scientific discover" B.S. If that stuff needs to get done, then F'ing do it and don't waste time singing in space. This is probably the most collossal waste of resources imaginable. How many resources were needed to scrub the air necessary for the singing? When you are in space, that stuff matters, A LOT! The first take wasn't the last take, that I know. Don't give me the "get kids into science" schtick either. Kids who are swayed by silly things like this, statistically don't end up any good at the math needed for real science anyway. I teach our "future engineers" in a top state university. Most can't even solve a triangle, let alone deal with any higher math. If you are swayed by this commercial, you don't have the chops to stick with an engineering career.

    Humans, even astronauts, need downtime - If you want a human to be effective, then you can't fill 100% of their waking time with work.

  13. Re:Viral Marketing by NASA by H0p313ss · · Score: 4, Funny

    Additionally, this is the person in the credits who edited it, also a Canadian, and doesn't work for any space agency. Let's try not to think everything is a conspiracy, please.

    The only conspiracy coming from up here (canada) is a push for more maple syrup for breakfast, and bacon in every meal. We're winning on one of those fronts.

    Let's not forget about operation Poutine.

    --
    XML is a known as a key material required to create SMD: Software of Mass Destruction
  14. Congrats by n3r0.m4dski11z · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This guy's near daily media appearances has certainly inspired many canadians including myself. I have watched many children sing along with his ISS song (not as good as david bowie, but its the thought that counts) and it really inspires. Hopefully helping lots of kids to think about becoming scientists, researchers and yes astronauts. Space can seem so dull sometimes, he really brings it to life.

    I may not care for much patriotically these days, but hes really doing canada a service being so media savvy. I am not sure if american astronauts do so much singing, and perhaps its covered extensively by their local media and I just never hear about it. But he really could be one of a kind.

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    -
    1. Re:Congrats by tlhIngan · · Score: 4, Informative

      This guy's near daily media appearances has certainly inspired many canadians including myself. I have watched many children sing along with his ISS song (not as good as david bowie, but its the thought that counts) and it really inspires. Hopefully helping lots of kids to think about becoming scientists, researchers and yes astronauts. Space can seem so dull sometimes, he really brings it to life.

      I may not care for much patriotically these days, but hes really doing canada a service being so media savvy. I am not sure if american astronauts do so much singing, and perhaps its covered extensively by their local media and I just never hear about it. But he really could be one of a kind.

      Before he launched in December, Chris mentioned he was going to do the first album recorded in space, I'm hoping this was just a taste of what's coming.

      I have to be honest, I've been watching a LOT of Chris' videos that get posted by the CSA (Canadian Space Agency) (an agency facing budget cuts from the Harper Government(tm)). I don't think I've seen anyone from the ISS do so much media relations in their off time.

      I know a few other commanders have done media work - Don Pettit did some as well. With the American Physical Society (any physics major should know them) he did a bunch of videos called "Science off the Sphere" (which I apparently finally got my T-Shirt from that).

      Chris is definitely very media friendly and has hosted a LOT Of media events while aboard - he even keeps in touch with Discovery Canada's Daily Planet, the longest running science program around. Honestly, Chris Hadfield is awesome!

      Safe journey home - your country eagerly awaits your arrival!

      (Alas, Canada's first astronaut was snubbed recently...)

  15. Re:Viral Marketing by NASA by Demonantis · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I am a Canadian and have seen Chris Hadfield at several presentation. He didn't market anything other than promoting people to pick up an interest in science. I think the high quality video/data transmission capability is something NASA is really proud of technically and they are trying to come up with reasons to show it off. And I agree its really sad that America has forgot how much research and technology NASA has spit out and how much more it could spit out.

  16. Re:Great footage too by ldobehardcore · · Score: 5, Informative

    Skylab was never really meant to be a long-term satellite. It spent 2,249 and only 171 of those were spent occupied. In comparison, the ISS has been in orbit for 5288 days, 4575 of them occupied. So I'd say ISS is over twice as kickass, and over 25 times as habitable as skylab.

    --
    Hectice, baby, Mercator says hello to you
  17. Space by gd2shoe · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I disagree.

    America may have forgotten about the drive to build, explore, settle, create, but humanity hasn't. Space isn't sour grapes. It's hard, and settling it is going to be a lot harder. But it will happen.

    --
    I won't join Slashcott. OTOH, If Beta goes live, I just won't be back until it's fixed. Sorry Dice.
  18. Re:Great footage too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Yep, it makes it seem pretty fucking stupid that we used 37 Space Shuttle missions with a 25 tonne payload capacity to build and supply this space station when it could have been built simpler with a couple of Saturn Vs.

    The lesson here is that heavy lifting capability is how you win in space, not super fancy flying trucks. It probably would have been cheaper to build an ISS in orbit and another spare orbiting the Moon with heavy lift rockets than to go the piecemeal way that we did.

  19. Not very long delay, station is really close by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Informative

    Isn't there a lag in communications?

    The ISS orbits around 330km - 435 km above the earth (around 230 miles on average). That's less than the width of a single province in Canada!

    If you look at various communication delays based on distance, and assume that during the performance the ISS was basically roughly over Canada or even the U.S, you can see that the delay would be substantially less than for most international phone calls! In fact calling from one major city to another in the same country probably has as much delay, and there's no discernible delay to the caller in that case (well if you aren't using Skype).

    It just goes to show how there's not much up you have to go before you are in space.

    Also one could imagine that if you were "super serious" and kind of nerdy about doing a performance (as both the commander and BNL would be), that you might also set up a synchronized metronome that really did clock off at exactly the same time at the two locations to help the performer on the ISS stay in sync. But I doubt that was needed, and for a performance it's probably far more valuable to be able to riff off how the other performers are playing.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Not very long delay, station is really close by FireFury03 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Isn't there a lag in communications?

      The ISS orbits around 330km - 435 km above the earth (around 230 miles on average). That's less than the width of a single province in Canada!

      If you look at various communication delays based on distance, and assume that during the performance the ISS was basically roughly over Canada or even the U.S, you can see that the delay would be substantially less than for most international phone calls!

      As far as I can tell, the high bandwidth connections they use for media events are done by bouncing a Ku band signal off geostationary satellites(*), and the delay is significant (watch any of his videos taking questions from school kids and you'll see a noticable communications delay).

      (* they don't seem to have global coverage with Ku band, only being able to use it when in range of certain satellites. This surprises me because I would've expected there to be enough geostationary sats for one to be visible from anywhere in orbit and it can't be *that* expensive to buy bandwidth on several.)

  20. Can we at least spell the astronaut's name right? by cmason · · Score: 4, Informative

    I mean, in the title. Really? The dude's in space. I think the least we can do for him is not space out on the spelling of his name.

    --
    "If you are an idealist it doesn't matter what you do or what goes on around you, because it isn't real anyway."-R.P.W.
  21. Re:Guitar playing by tbird81 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Here's the video of him talking about playing the guitar in space.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLRunqi1mDM

    Advantage is that you don't need a guitar strap, disadvantage is that you float around if you'd not holding something with your feet. Also tend to mis-fret when first in space.

    You can see the velcro on it in the Bowie song, but i think that is more for stowage than use.

  22. Re:If this is what we currently have on our task l by fishybell · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wait, what?! They're allowed to sleep?! OUTRAGEOUS!

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    ><));>
  23. imagine that by reovirus1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    An astronaut and a rock star! Hope he doesn't try to run for Prime Minister next, that would be a downgrade.

  24. Re:Music recorded on Earth by _anomaly_ · · Score: 4, Informative

    The guitar and vocals were, in fact, recorded in space.

    The music was mixed with his guitar and vocals on Earth. What else do you want? Chris Hadfield in space, mixing tracks with the original recording in Pro Tools? Him playing the piano accompaniment on the ISS?

    --
    "I have no special gift, I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein