NASA's Discovery space shuttle lift-off was apparently to be sound-tracked by the song 'Blue Sky' by US band Big Head Todd & The Monsters. The shuttle was due to be blasted into space yesterday, but was cancelled with just two hours to go. Sources suggest that the next attempt will be made on Monday.
Anyway, the band's song had been given the status of official theme tune to the launch, the track itself deriving from the group's interest in NASA and space exploration. Frontman Todd Park Mohr wrote the song after a meeting with John Horan, Deputy Program Manager for ASRC Aerospace Corporation.
Mohr said: "John's a fan and came on our BHTM Fan Cruise in Jan. We got to talking, and he said they've used 'Rocket Man' so much and wanted a song specifically about the American shuttle program. I drew on my experience from visiting the visiting the Kennedy Space Center with Brian and Rob, where we were given a behind-the-scenes tour, as well as astronauts' autobiographical material posted on the NASA website. I am a believer in space exploration and believe the effort is in many ways the cream and flower of human achievement."