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Missy Elliott Is Literally ‘Out Of This World’ As NASA Beamed ‘The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)’ To Venus

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Missy Elliott is currently on her Out Of This World tour, but her futuristic hip-hop is leaving Earth in more ways than one.

NASA — y’know, the ones who are actually good at spaceships — announced on Monday (July 15) that it had transmitted Missy Elliott’s 1997 breakout hit “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” to Venus through its Deep Space Network from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Deep Space Station 13 in California on Friday, July 12. According to NASA, the distance the song traveled is about 158 million miles, taking nearly 14 minutes to reach Venus at the speed of light.

This marks the first-ever time NASA has broadcast a hip-hop song into space — and they sure picked an appropriate one. NASA’s Deep Space Network system has transmitted only one other song into space: The Beatles’ “Across The Universe.” The Digital and Technology Division director of NASA’s Office of Communications, Brittany Brown, explained why Missy was chosen to be just the second musical act and the first hip-hop one transmitted to space.

“Both space exploration and Missy Elliott’s art have been about pushing boundaries,” Brown said. “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.”

Missy continues to make history; last year, she was the first female rapper to be inducted into the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame.

Texting on the Moon? Nokia and NASA Have Joined Forces

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Nokia and NASA have joined forces in an extraordinary venture to bring 4G connectivity beyond our planet’s bounds and into the depths of space. This groundbreaking collaboration is a giant leap forward in our quest to explore the cosmos and promises to revolutionize how we communicate during future space missions.

Nokia, a global leader in telecommunications technology, and NASA, the renowned space agency, are partnering to establish a reliable and high-speed communication network on the lunar surface. By utilizing Nokia’s expertise in developing cutting-edge telecommunications solutions and leveraging NASA’s vast experience in space exploration, the project seeks to overcome the challenges of operating in the harsh lunar environment.

At the core of this endeavor is deploying Nokia’s innovative 4G technology. Unlike traditional communication systems, 4G networks offer faster data transmission rates, greater bandwidth, and enhanced reliability. This means that astronauts, lunar rovers, and mission control on Earth can communicate seamlessly, enabling vital tasks such as real-time telemetry, remote monitoring, and command operations.

The introduction of 4G connectivity on the Moon opens up possibilities for future lunar missions. With a robust communication infrastructure, astronauts will have access to critical data and resources necessary for conducting scientific research, navigating lunar terrain, and ensuring the success of their missions. Moreover, this advancement lays the groundwork for developing a sustainable lunar economy and eventually establishing human colonies on the Moon.

While deploying 4G technology is a significant achievement, Nokia and NASA are already looking ahead to the next frontier: 5G and beyond. With the rapid advancement of telecommunications technology, future lunar missions could benefit from even faster data speeds, lower latency, and greater network capacity, opening doors to new levels of innovation and discovery in space exploration.

In conclusion, the collaboration between Nokia and NASA to bring 4G connectivity to space represents a monumental step forward in exploring the cosmos. By harnessing the power of telecommunications technology, we are extending our reach beyond Earth and paving the way for a future where space exploration is more accessible, efficient, and interconnected than ever before.

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Hip Hop Travels to Outer Space With “Pale Blue Dot” Released From Int’l Space Station

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Dr. Kamran Rashid Khan, also known as Lazarus, is ready to make world history by becoming the first music artist to debut his song from the International Space Station. Lazarus is a Detroit-based rapper who has been frequently touring with Wu-Tang Clan and also a practicing physician who treated patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. He has now teamed up with Jim Green, who has served as NASA’s chief scientist for 42 years, to bring the first song in music to realistically and accurately describe space travel from the point of view of an astronaut.

Hip Hop turned 50 this year as celebrated at the 2023 Grammy Awards. In a recent live Instagram broadcast with Jim Green, Lazarus discusses the power of Hip Hop over the years. “Hip Hop as a form of music has always been there for the art of expression and to bring awareness to subject matters. And now utilizing Hip Hop we can speak on topics like space travel, what’s going on in outer space, terraforming, insights we can gain about pollution, crops, agriculture.” 

This history-making song is called “Pale Blue Dot” and launches from the ISS on March 11th via a livestream and then is going to be released on all streaming platforms the next day on March 12th. This is an extremely proud moment for Hip Hop and shows once again that this art form has absolutely no boundaries or limitations.

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