This 1972 Space-Inspired Pop Song Became One of NASA's Most-Played Wake-Up Songs
Long before streaming playlists existed, NASA had already figured out the power of a great morning song. Wake-up calls date back to the Gemini program in the 1960s, when mission controllers began using music to greet crews at the start of a new day in orbit. Family members, friends, and even celebrities have selected songs for individual astronauts over the decades - but few songs found their way back into space as often as this 1972 Elton John classic.
The Song That Was Always Going to End Up in Space
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"Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long, Long Time)" was released in March 1972 as the lead single from John's album Honky Château. Written by John and longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin, the song was itself inspired by Ray Bradbury's short story "The Rocket Man" - a tale about an astronaut whose work keeps pulling him away from the family he loves. That tension between duty and longing, ambition and home, rocketed the emotional song beyond the charts and into space.
According to NASA records, "Rocket Man" was played to wake up at least four shuttle crews aboard Discovery and Atlantis across the Space Shuttle program's history - more than almost any other song in the tradition. By the time the Space Shuttle program was nearing its end, the pop-rock ballad had become one of NASA's most recognizable musical choices.
The Morning NASA Beamed Elton John Into Orbit
The song's most memorable NASA moment came on July 13, 2011, during STS-135 - the final flight of the Space Shuttle program and the closeout of 30 years of missions. As Commander Christopher Ferguson, Pilot Douglas Hurley, Mission Specialist Sandra (Sandy) Magnus, and Mission Specialist Rex Walheim began their sixth day in orbit on Atlantis, mission controllers played "Rocket Man" followed by a personal message from Elton John himself.
"Good morning Atlantis, this is Elton John," he said. "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."
How a 1972 Pop Song Became Part of Space History
Few songs have traveled a more fitting path than "Rocket Man." Written during the height of the Space Age, the 1972 hit eventually accompanied astronauts aboard Discovery and Atlantis, spanning nearly three decades of Space Shuttle history.
Although sound can't move through the vacuum of space, Elton John's classic crossed that cosmic boundary countless times, becoming part of a uniquely human tradition: bringing the music, memories, and comforts of Earth to astronauts.
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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 9:38 AM.