6 replies to this topic

[Ged Lent's sis]

By now most of you are familiar with the lines:

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"We enjoyed the music, Bob. Thank you."

"We enjoyed it, just wanted to share some with you."

We know who said the words. At least that's easy enough to find. But does anybody know just what music is being referred to?
I remember when the album came out I'd assumed they were referring to "Countdown", which cannot be, because it wasn't written yet — unless they used audio from a later mission than the one that inspired the song.

[goose]

https://www.google.c...d=1614750148024

Here's a link to a pdf of all NASA wakeup calls and other music.  Space Shuttle flight 1 is on page 12.

[Ged Lent's sis]

goose, on 03 March 2021 - 12:43 AM, said:

https://www.google.c...d=1614750148024

Here's a link to a pdf of all NASA wakeup calls and other music.  Space Shuttle flight 1 is on page 12.

Good find. Thanks for the response. I still wonder because, although the NASA list also references that "Countdown" was used as wakeup calls in 2002 and 2011, the only information I can find about the audio on "Countdown" itself is that was taken from...

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voice communications between astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen and ground control, specifically Ascent CAPCOM Daniel C. Brandenstein and with commentary from Hugh Harris, Kennedy Space Center Public Affairs Officer, leading up to the launch through to LOS just after Press to Rota.

...none of which would include wakeup calls. So, either someone played music subsequent to the launch, or uncredited on the track (because "Bob" wasn't on another mission until after the album release) is a wakeup response to either the typical military call of "Reveille" or the morning after the launch, which was (some version of) this:
https://youtu.be/Dj9oJk4RgIE

[dream & vapour]

The music referenced in this interaction between CAPCOM and STS-1 is--believe it or not--Waltzing Matilda performed by Slim Dusty.  Bob Crippen played it on a cassette player, as Columbia passed over Australia (nighttime in Australia).  This occurred just prior to a communications blackout period (LOS--loss of signal).  Thus, CAPCOM was thanking Bob before they entered LOS.

The 'see you in Madrid' is snipped from another portion of the spaceflight.  In reality, Columbia would have next linked to CAPCOM via Tula Peak, New Mexico.

[Ged Lent's sis]

dream & vapour, on 08 March 2021 - 11:47 AM, said:

The music referenced in this interaction between CAPCOM and STS-1 is--believe it or not--Waltzing Matilda performed by Slim Dusty.  Bob Crippen played it on a cassette player, as Columbia passed over Australia (nighttime in Australia).  This occurred just prior to a communications blackout period (LOS--loss of signal).  Thus, CAPCOM was thanking Bob before they entered LOS.

The 'see you in Madrid' is snipped from another portion of the spaceflight.  In reality, Columbia would have next linked to CAPCOM via Tula Peak, New Mexico.

Thank you, dream & vapour. Was this in the Signal's tour book? Or did you just happen to read or hear it in the rare interview?

[dream & vapour]

No, this is not from the Signals tour book.  Rather, it is from the murky depths of the NASA archives--the communications logs of STS-1.

Yours is a great question.  Like you, for years I wondered, "What music?  Perhaps Bob was playing Red Barchetta as Columbia burned proverbial rubber 'round the globe.(?)".  Now the truth is known.

If one were to draw a Venn diagram, with one set representing Rush fans, and the other set representing space program scientists and technicians, a rather significant overlap of these two sets would be indicated.

[Ged Lent's sis]

dream & vapour, on 09 March 2021 - 06:55 PM, said:

No, this is not from the Signals tour book.  Rather, it is from the murky depths of the NASA archives--the communications logs of STS-1.

Yours is a great question.  Like you, for years I wondered, "What music?  Perhaps Bob was playing Red Barchetta as Columbia burned proverbial rubber 'round the globe.(?)".  Now the truth is known.

If one were to draw a Venn diagram, with one set representing Rush fans, and the other set representing space program scientists and technicians, a rather significant overlap of these two sets would be indicated.

That's some stellar research, my Long Awaited Froind;-)  Not to put too fine a point on it, but it's amusing to me just how wrong I'd had it, what with Bob being the astronaut playing the music, which is the last thing I'd have expected.

Still, somehow, my fantasy at that time is the reality I prefer, which lends retroactive appreciation for the console stereo system my parents had in our living room. It was truly a hifi quality to behold that I somehow remained ignorant of, despite it's having been that which led to those many moments of my youth, as when I spun Signals for the first time and marvelled from go on the brand new sound of the opening track, until the end of side 2 when I heard "We enjoyed the music, Bob. Thank ya," and thought, wow. They recorded this song and mission control played it for them! How cool is that? Again, in retrospect, I suppose that's the effect the edit is supposed to give you. Mission accomplished.