The lighter side of spacewalking

Doug Fingles, Warner Robins, Georgia — Wed, 20 May 2009 01:16:55 GMT

Deep Purple's Space Truckin', no doubt about it...

The lighter side of spacewalking

Sherwyn Johnson Mt pocono PA — Wed, 20 May 2009 01:25:16 GMT

i suggest "in the end" by linken park, "when i'am gone" by doors down and numb by linken park

The lighter side of spacewalking

W. Clausen — Wed, 20 May 2009 01:53:47 GMT

Also sprach Zarathustra featured in 2001 Space Odyssey.
I remember the docking sequence and the melody.. Absolutely haunting

The lighter side of spacewalking

Gilbert Nelson — Wed, 20 May 2009 01:57:58 GMT

Space Cowboy by Steve Miller.

The lighter side of spacewalking

A T Crocker — Wed, 20 May 2009 02:36:19 GMT

Over The Rainbow/Wonderful World by Isreal Kamakawiwo'ole

The lighter side of spacewalking

Mike — Wed, 20 May 2009 02:38:59 GMT

how about "Space Lord" by Monster Magnet

The lighter side of spacewalking

Donald II, Charlotte, NC — Wed, 20 May 2009 02:49:18 GMT

Ya know, one has to have a sense of humor, when even the slightest nick in a space suit that causes a leak, means almost instant death to the astronaut. All this stuff is so intricately engineered and well thought out that most observers have no point of reference. Thank you, thank you, thank you, a thousand times over to all you engineers and support staff that make all this stuff really work. I was 9 years old in July 1969, and remember watching CBS night and day covering the moon landing. And certainly there have been times since then when I've been less captivated, but I've never ceased to be interested. We all seem to remember the triumphs of manned spaceflight, and both the successes and failures should be celebrated, but let's not forget that those Martian rovers are still at work, many, many months beyond their design parameters. I'm just a regular guy that happens to appreciate beautiful things; whether it be nature or man-made; and what Man has done in space is nothing short of spectacular. From my heart, I love all of you that make it happen.

The lighter side of spacewalking

MAB, Phoenix, Arizona — Wed, 20 May 2009 03:07:10 GMT

8 miles high by the Byrds

The lighter side of spacewalking

Mackenzie Marie Perriaeux — Wed, 20 May 2009 03:27:10 GMT

What is the fine for "littering" in SPACE? (I was thinking of the shuttle as a red VW micro bus...the telescope as "junk" (in 10 years...)and Officer "OBIE WAN KANOBIE" THE POLICE OF THE UNIVERSE....AND "ALICES RESTAURANT".) GREAT JOB!!!!

The lighter side of spacewalking

Jim Courtney, Mpls, MN — Wed, 20 May 2009 05:40:35 GMT

Break on Through : The Doors

The lighter side of spacewalking

Sean Cassell, Lake Monticello, VA — Wed, 20 May 2009 06:08:06 GMT

I always hoped if I became an astronaut that I could have been able to be on a spacewalk, assembling something on the ISS, listening to Glen Campbell's Wichita Linemen.
My best to all spacewalkers.

The lighter side of spacewalking

D.M., County Dublin, Ireland — Wed, 20 May 2009 06:30:15 GMT

Can the astronauts sense the earth spinning in some way? (not related to songs, I am just so fascinated by all this space activity) Is there another site to go to for this information?

The lighter side of spacewalking

James C. Arthur, RN, Nashville, TN — Wed, 20 May 2009 07:53:04 GMT

Oh for sure...Howard Stern on Sirius Satellite radio!!! Him and Artie Lange wake me like nothing else. Love those guys!!!

The lighter side of spacewalking

Ron, Tucson, AZ — Wed, 20 May 2009 10:55:01 GMT

C'mon! Ground control to Major Tom. Space Oddity - David Bowie

The lighter side of spacewalking

Andy, Rockville, MD — Wed, 20 May 2009 12:40:02 GMT

"magic Carpet Ride", also played (will be?) by Zephram Cochran on the first warp drive ship.

The lighter side of spacewalking

Jerry Dobrianski, Morristown, Tn — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:47:03 GMT

Wanna Take you HIGHER ! ! by Sly and the Family Stone

The lighter side of spacewalking

Michael, Atlanta, GA — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:02:00 GMT

Anything upbeat by Capercaillie - Coisich A Ruin, Beautiful Wasteland, Bonaparte, Alasdair Mhic Cholla Ghasda.

Shlomo Artzi's "Shir Baboker Baboker"

The lighter side of spacewalking

Luke, Seattle, WA — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:06:50 GMT

"8 Miles High" by Husker Du

The lighter side of spacewalking

Eric, Salinas, CA — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:39:40 GMT

Great article Alan! I sure enjoyed watching the 5 spacewalks this past weekend fixing Hubble. I was puzzled when Massimino got to that stuck bolt why NASA never heard of that Grabit screw/bolt extractor. Now that was a tool missing from the astronaut's bag of tricks. It was interesting watching them mess around with a stripped bolt for almost two hours before doing the brute force and ignorance routine of just breaking the bolt. I was worried that not getting one of the NOBL's installed Sunday would be bad but Grunsfeld and Fuestel did a bang up job getting it on as well as the bonus blanket on bay 7.

It's a pity we won't be seeing anymore exciting Hubble repair missions and the work on the ISS is almost finished. It's been exciting watching humans work in space constructing things or repairing Hubble. I can't wait for the brand new pictures that Hubble can take now. Excellent work Atlantis crew on fixing Hubble!

The lighter side of spacewalking

Michael / Michigan — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:57:11 GMT

Lost In Space / Aimee Mann
Weight of the World / Chantal Kreviazuk
Old Devil Moon / Chet Baker
Beginnings / Chicago
Moonlight Serenade / Chicago
Night and Day / Chicago
Planet X / Christine Lavin
Speed of Sound / Coldplay
New Frontier / Donald Fagan
Here Comes the Sun / George Harrison
The Only Night / Ian Love
Constellations / Jack Johnson
Chiron Beta Prime / Jonathon Coulton
Skullcrusher Mountain / Jonathon Coulton
Last Night / The Mar-Keys
Here Comes the Sun / Nina Simone (Francois K remix)
Man on the Moon / R.E.M.
Black Hole Sun / Soundgarden
Telescope / Andy Hill and Renee Safier
Planet Claire / The B-52's
A Hard Day's Night / The Beatles
Ticket to Ride / The Beatles
It Came Out of the Sky / Creedence Clearwater Revival
Satellite / Dave Matthews Band
Gravity / Embrace
Mundos Diferentes [Different Worlds] / Gabby Villanueva
Terrapin Station Medley / The Grateful Dead
Sun Touch / Herbie Hancock
Rockit / Herbie Hancock
Across the Universe / Across the Universe Soundtrack
Universe & U / KT Turnstall
The Galaxy Song / Monty Python
Spirit in the Sky / Norman Greenbaum
Jupiter / An Pierle & White Velvet
Waling on the Moon / The Police
Tom Lehrer's The Elements / Jesse Dangerously
Aquarius / The 5th Dimension
Happier than the Morning Sun / Stevie Wonder

[I need a lot of songs, 'cause when I go up I plan on staying up there for a while]

The lighter side of spacewalking

Mike C, Knightsen, CA — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:01:57 GMT

Tho' it's probably been used, I suggest 'Rosket Man', by Elton John, as a wake-up.

The lighter side of spacewalking

Ken Mundelein IL — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:12:05 GMT

I agree wholeheartedly with Donald II regarding his appreciation of the stellar nature of the Space Program. Forget the expense, technological advances, and just think of the ingenuity and overall awesomeness of the accomplishment. 100 years ago most people had not yet ridden in a car. What a great time to be alive!

The lighter side of spacewalking

Thomas Ashby, Calgary — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:19:11 GMT

Look at how much hazier and dirtier the atmosphere has become since at least 1999. Compare the images above and here
http://hubblesite.org/the_telescope/team_hubble/image.php?image=sm3a-fgs

The lighter side of spacewalking

Rich Simon, Otego, NY — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:48:15 GMT

Ground Control to Major Tom <<< I watched with awe thru pretty much all of the EVA's to repair the telescope.. Totally enthralled with their work, views of planet Earth, and the fact you can move a piece of equipment the size of a double wide refrigerator as effortlessly as a feather. The entire crew gets a big Thank You and Well Done from me and I cant wait for the New and Improved Hubbel to perform. Proud of the Atlantis Crew and all concerned !!

The lighter side of spacewalking

laura — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:51:29 GMT

Kudos to those brave individuals who have given our wonderful, incomparable, space telescope a new lease on life. Thank you to all the tax payers who coughed up money for this mission and the bureaucrats who gave it a thumb's up. May hubble's light continue to shine.

The lighter side of spacewalking

Chuck Williamson, Junction City, KS — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:56:03 GMT

"With a Little Help From My Friends" by Joe Cocker.

The lighter side of spacewalking

Lou, OKC OK — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:32:18 GMT

Wake up Little Susie, The Everly Brothers

The lighter side of spacewalking

Tim Jablonski, Holland, Michigan — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:52:31 GMT

Joy (Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring) - Apollo 100

Godspeed on your return STS-125. Thanks for opening up the heavens a little more!

The lighter side of spacewalking

Michael / Michigan — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:23:49 GMT

D.M. - you asked; "Can the astronauts sense the earth spinning in some way?"

They can not sense it moving below them, directly. After all, they are traveling about 17,500 mph / 28,000 KPH, orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes or so. It's like trying to observe the motion of a distant freighter when you are miles above it in a supersonic jet. (Please ignore the ship's wake in that analogy.)

However, an observant astronaut would notice the change in the terminator line (the line separating the day and night sides of the planet), noting that a place they observed in daytime on the previous orbit was now in night.

The lighter side of spacewalking

Debi, Nashville, TN — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:11:42 GMT

The overture of Jesus Christ Superstar

The lighter side of spacewalking

Fred M, New York, NY — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:21:06 GMT

All future satellites and telescopes will be use once and throw away, as only the shuttle could make possible the Hubble repairs and space station construction.

After 2010, NASA will be paying Russia $35 Million an astronaut for launching them in to space until we have the small Orion capsule ready to fly in 2015 (maybe?). And unlike the Russian and Chinese capsules which land on earth (land), our Orion will land in the water like the old Apollo.

I will miss the Shuttle very much.

The lighter side of spacewalking

Guy S. Newell — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:30:21 GMT

The ISS and the Space Shuttle have set human space exploration back 40 years. I can't wait until some Gov't agency is put in charge of our health care system. This is a military project, pure and simple. That's why there hasn't been and never will be a Chinese visit the ISS.

The lighter side of spacewalking

Joe Hubble — Wed, 20 May 2009 21:16:00 GMT

For Eric, in Salinas, the stripped bolt on the STIS arm was quite large - it looked like a metric 6.5 or #12, but not as large as 1/4, socket head cap screw.
It was determined before launch that a stripped bolt removal tool would not be needed for such a large screw, as the possibilty of stripping it was viewed as very small. Stripped bolt removal tools and specialized tool bits to drill off the heads were included for the smaller screws on the STIS panel. (but not needed)
I guess you can't plan for everything.

The lighter side of spacewalking

TB, Los Angeles, CA — Wed, 20 May 2009 23:56:30 GMT

On Earth As It Is In Heaven by Ennio Morricone (sound track to the Mission)

My Thanks to every machinist, scientist and everyone in between for such a wonderful mission to watch and learn from. Thanks to MSNBC for making it possible to view this every day and night in real time via the web...

The lighter side of spacewalking

Diana Easson, Fortuna, CA — Thu, 21 May 2009 02:37:40 GMT

I love it! From some of the song titles I see there are a lot of responders that are still in awe of us being in Space in the first place.....we remember Sputnik, the dogs, and the monkeys that went up first....a time when flying in an airplane was a big deal!

My vote is the overture from Jesus Christ Superstar....turned up to the max.

The lighter side of spacewalking

Thomas Ashby, Calgary — Thu, 21 May 2009 04:36:05 GMT

Thank humanity for figuring out there was and is a place and idea called America where this and much more can happen!

The lighter side of spacewalking

Russ, Central Texas — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:37:13 GMT

First choice: The Rodeo Song by David Allan Coe (probably wouldn't be allowed), so ...

Second Choice: Fireball by Barry Gray.

The lighter side of spacewalking

Frank Glover, Rochester, NY — Thu, 21 May 2009 15:45:43 GMT

"The ISS and the Space Shuttle have set human space exploration back 40 years."

There is *no* certainty that humans would have gone farther than LEO by now without them, either. Like it or not, Apollo was considered a 'done deal' by the mid 70's. There's no way to know what would have been proposed in the absence of the Shuttle, but in those times, there was *no* appetite for any other large manned program. And any of whatever you consider 'exploration' would've easily met the definition of 'large.'

In 1993, the ISS project came within one vote of cancellation. But I don't recall one member of Congress in that debate saying something like; "We should be spending this money on going back to the Moon, instead."

http://www.astronautix.com/craft/intation.htm

http://rs9.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d103:6:./temp/~bdms0h::

The lighter side of spacewalking

Sam California — Thu, 21 May 2009 23:45:50 GMT

as always, a big thank you and salute to the astronauts, engineers, technicians and everyone in the shuttle program for making it happen so we can watch in realtime.
A few songs, among many, that come immediately to mind:

Fly From Heaven - Toad The Wet Sprocket
Banditos - The Refreshments
It's The End Of the World As We Know It - R.E.M.

The lighter side of spacewalking

Jason Stansell — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:30:52 GMT

MUSIC SELECTION:

"Leave Out All The Rest," - Linkin Park
"By Myself," - Linkin Park
"Zyzzyx Road," - Stone Sour
"Dream On," - Kelly Sweet's remake

The lighter side of spacewalking

Jackie Derby, Youngstown OH — Sat, 23 May 2009 03:13:32 GMT

"Spaceman" by The Killers

The lighter side of spacewalking

c. russo zhills floirda — Sun, 24 May 2009 16:20:14 GMT

a big thank you to all the nasa people that made this mission possible and to the continuing success of all future missioins that they undertake. maybe steve miller "fly like a eagle"

The lighter side of spacewalking

Rob Bowerman, Raleigh, NC — Sun, 24 May 2009 23:12:18 GMT

Rush - Countdown, Def Leppard - Rocket

The lighter side of spacewalking

johnny boyz — Sun, 24 May 2009 23:22:10 GMT

white lightning or orange blossom special

The lighter side of spacewalking

Tish Smith Greensburg, Kansas — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 07:07:12 GMT

Artist: Chris Rice Song: And Your Praise Goes On. It is beautiful.

The lighter side of spacewalking

Richard, Sydney, Australia — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 09:19:31 GMT

Every day is exactly the same - Nine Inch Nails.

Because earth just keeps on rolling around and around.