A NASA spacecraft flyby is about to go further than we have ever gone before and Queen’s Brian Mary will be launching a new song from NASA’s control center in tribute.
It’s been 20 years since Brian May released his last solo single “Why Don’t We Try Again” in 1998. Now, May has picked a particularly special time to return with new single “New Horizons”. The track features words spoken by the late science legend Stephen Hawking and will celebrate a NASA spacecraft flyby achieving the furthest distance of any spacecraft in history.
Brian May is not just a legendary musician, but an astrophysics doctor too. He consequently speaks about the new track with not just the passion of a musician, but with the passion of a space enthusiast.
“This project has energized me in a new way,” said May. ” For me, it’s been an exciting challenge to bring two sides of my life together – Astronomy and Music. It was Alan Stern, the Project Instigator of this amazing NASA Mission, who threw down the glove last May. He asked if I could come up with a theme for Ultima Thule which could be played as the NH probe reached this new destination.”
He continued: “I was inspired by the idea that this is the furthest that the Hand of Man has ever reached – it will be by far the most distant object we have ever seen at close quarters, through the images which the spacecraft will beam back to Earth. To me, it epitomizes the human spirit’s unceasing desire to understand the Universe we inhabit.
“Everyone who has devoted so much energy to this mission since its launch in January 2006 will be feeling they are actually INSIDE that small but intrepid vehicle – only about the size of a grand piano – as it pulls off another spectacular close encounter. And through the vehicle’s ‘eyes’ we will begin to learn, for the very first time, what a Kuiper Belt Object is made of. And pick up precious clues about how our solar system was born.”
You can listen to the new track ‘New Horizons’ from 12:02 am EST on New Year’s Day.
