NASA transmits Missy Elliott's hip‑hop track to Venus

NASA sent something unusual into space. A hip-hop song by Missy Elliott was transmitted to Venus via the Deep Space Network. Why was such an endeavour undertaken?

NASA announced that Missy Elliot's song "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" was sent to Venus via the Deep Space Network. This song uses samples and lyrics from Ann Peebles' 1973 soul song "I Can't Stand the Rain," also known from Tina Turner's 1984 version.

"Both space exploration and Missy Elliott's art have been about pushing boundaries. Missy has a track record of infusing space-centric storytelling and futuristic visuals in her music videos, so the opportunity to collaborate on something out of this world is truly fitting," Brittany Brown, Communications Office Director for the Digital and Technology Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C., said in a press release.

She added that the artist's "cosmic fascinations" are evident in her work, such as in the music video for the 1997 song "Sock It 2 Me." In the video, Elliott walks on the surface of Mars and fights humanoid robots. As noted in the NASA statement, the choice of title and timing for the space broadcast was also influenced by the fact that Missy Elliott was touring the USA and Canada until August 23 as part of the "Out Of This World" tour.

Before the radio signal with Missy Elliott's song "The Rain..." reached Venus, it travelled a distance of over 158 million miles, which took about 14 minutes. By broadcasting this hit to Venus, NASA aimed to draw the attention of Earth residents to upcoming exploratory missions of this planet. In the coming decade, missions such as DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) and the VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) orbiter are planned.

These spacecraft, which will gather data on Venus's atmosphere and map its surface, will communicate with Earth using the world's largest telecommunications network, the Deep Space Network (DSN). DSN antennas will also be used in the European Space Agency's EnVision mission. As part of this mission, a 5,500-pound satellite powered by solar energy will conduct research on Venus, from its inner core to the outer layer of the atmosphere.

Venus, often referred to as Earth's twin planet, has a size comparable to our globe. However, the conditions on its surface differ significantly from those on Earth. The temperature on Venus can reach nearly 932 degrees Fahrenheit, and the atmospheric pressure is about 100 times greater than on Earth.

The Deep Space Network, which has been operating continuously since 1963, was created as part of the NASA Space Communications and Navigation program. It consists of powerful radio antennas located in three strategic points around the world: Madrid (Spain), Goldstone in California (USA), and Canberra (Australia). This global network enables communication with unmanned space probes, including tracking their trajectories, sending commands, and receiving transmitted data.

The song "The Rain…" by Missy Elliott is the second musical track broadcast into space. The first was "Across the Universe" by The Beatles, transmitted in 2008 as part of NASA's 50th-anniversary celebrations. This message, directed towards the star Polaris, located 432 light-years from Earth, will be heard by those near the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor in about 415 years.