Shuttle astronauts wake up to Elton John

Currently undertaking the 135th and final mission of its space shuttle program, which began in 1981, NASA has planned some pleasant surprises for its team of astronauts as they orbit in space.

Yesterday (July 14), the space shuttle crew of Atlantis were surprised to hear a recorded message from legendary British singer-songwriter Elton John.

"Good morning Atlantis, this is Elton John. We wish you much success on your mission. A huge thank you to all the men and women at NASA who worked on the shuttle for the last three decades."

Once the message was over, the crew was treated to a sample of the song Rocket Man, with lyrics written by John’s longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin, inspired by a Ray Bradbury short story about a Mars-bound astronaut’s mixed feelings about leaving his family in order to do his job.

Other wakeup calls for the mission so far have included Coldplay’s La Vida Loca, ELO’s Mr. Blue Sky, Chumbawamba’s Tubthumping, and Matthew West’s More.