The four astronauts of NASA's Artemis II mission, having shattered the record for the farthest human travel from Earth, are maintaining a decades-old orbital ritual: being roused from sleep by carefully selected music. NASA and Spotify jointly released the mission's official wake-up playlist this week, offering the public a soundtrack to the historic lunar flyby.
The crew—NASA's Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Victor Glover, alongside Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen—selected the tracks in advance with input from friends and family. "The wakeup songs serve as alarms and are picked in advance of the mission by the crew and their friends and family. It is a longstanding tradition," a NASA spokesperson confirmed.
A Tradition Forged in Apollo
This practice is not new; it is a legacy program stretching back more than half a century. NASA records indicate that since the Apollo era, mission control has used music to awaken crews. Initially, flight controllers would serenade astronauts with lyrics from popular songs tailored to the day's events. Songs like Dean Martin's "Going Back to Houston" became staples for a crew's final day in space.
Retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who commanded the International Space Station, emphasized the importance of song choice in a 2000 interview. "You play some lively, peppy bit of music... and after a pause, you hear some groggy voice on the microphone mumbling, 'Good morning, Houston,'" Hadfield said. "You don't want to play a dirge or something uninspiring. You want to get them going in the morning." Over the decades, wake-up calls have featured an eclectic mix from John Philip Sousa marches and Frank Sinatra to David Bowie and theme music from "Rocky" and "Star Wars."
The Artemis II Soundtrack
The contemporary playlist for Artemis II reflects diverse personal tastes and morning energy needs. NASA announced the playlist on Instagram, stating, "Each track was selected by the Moon crew, continuing a tradition that started more than 50 years ago. Stay tuned to find out which songs they'll choose next."
The officially released tracks include:
- "Sleepyhead" – Young & Sick
- "Green Light (feat. André 3000)" – John Legend
- "In a Daydream" – Freddy Jones Band
- "Pink Pony Club" – Chappell Roan
- "Working Class Heroes (Work)" – CeeLo Green
- "Good Morning" – Mandisa, TobyMac
- "Tokyo Drifting" – Glass Animals, Denzel Curry
- "Under Pressure" – Queen, David Bowie
With the Orion spacecraft scheduled to splash down off the coast of San Diego, NASA indicated more songs may be added to the playlist before the mission concludes. The release underscores how space agencies are increasingly engaging with public culture and commercial platforms, a trend also seen as major technology firms develop their own media channels to control narratives.
Context of a Record-Setting Mission
The musical reveal comes as the Artemis II crew completes a journey that has already entered the history books, having traveled farther from Earth than any humans before them, surpassing the distance record set by Apollo 13. The mission is a critical precursor to NASA's planned return of astronauts to the lunar surface later this decade.
As the crew prepares for re-entry, NASA is expected to provide a detailed briefing on the mission's overall status and technical findings. The successful execution of Artemis II has significant implications for both international space cooperation and the burgeoning commercial space sector, which includes players like SpaceX, which is pursuing a landmark public offering. The blend of historic tradition and modern public engagement highlights the evolving nature of how government-led exploration connects with a global audience.
