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A well curated wake-up playlist is essential to start the day, as the right choice of tracks can make a morning feel brighter by dispelling the sounds of a blaring alarm clock.
Ever wondered what astronauts listen to in the mornings, 406,771 kilometers from Earth?
Well, wonder no more. NASA Mission Control uses music to greet astronauts and kick off their day in orbit – a practice which reportedly helps build camaraderie and boost morale among astronauts and ground teams.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has revealed the playlist of wake-up songs handpicked by the Artemis II crew – Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.
“You asked for it. Here it is. The official Artemis II wake‑up song playlist,” NASA wrote on Instagram. “Each track was selected by the Moon crew, continuing a tradition that started more than 50 years ago.”
‘Artemis II Wake-Up Songs’ begins – rather fittingly – with ‘Sleepyhead’ by Young & Sick, before moving into John Legend and Andre 3000’s song ‘Green Light’.
Chappell Roan’s hit ‘Pink Pony Club’ features, as well as Glass Animals / Denzel Curry’s collab ‘Tokyo Drifting’ and the classic Queen / David Bowie collab ‘Under Pressure’.
Here’s the full playlist (so far):
- ‘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
- ‘Under Pressure’ by Queen and David Bowie
- ‘Lonesome Drifter’ by Charley Crockett
“Thank you sooooo much for having me aboard!! My life will never be the same,” wrote Young & Sick in the comments on Instagram, while Glass Animals also shared their gratitude: “This is the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me in my life ever.”
As for Denzel Curry, he posted “To infinity and beyond muthafucka,” also claiming that he is now “the First Rapper Played in Space.”
The Artemis II mission was launched on 1 April and comes to an end today, with splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego scheduled for approximately 5:07 p.m. PT (Saturday 11 April at 2:07 a.m. CET).
The mission set a new record for the farthest distance that humans have ever traveled from Earth (252,756 miles / 406,771 kilometers).
The official broadcast of the Artemis II crew’s return to Earth will stream on YouTube, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, Netflix and NASA+.