Astronaut Plays a mean Flute on the International Space Station

[Ichingcarpenter]

Run time: 02:41 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3xNJDjlkrg   Posted on YouTube: February 09, 2011 By YouTube Member: VideoFromSpace Views on YouTube: 103   Posted on DU: February 10, 2011 By DU Member: Ichingcarpenter Views on DU: 431

 
It was a sea shanty turned space shanty. From 220 miles above the Earth, Cady Coleman brought out her flute aboard the International Space Station to play a melody about a seafaring vessel.

"It's about an old sailing ship, sailing the oceans, being away from home," the astronaut said in an NPR interview about her performance yesterday (Feb. 9). "And that's the kind of perspective you can't help but have when you're up here, looking down at the Earth, and you think about the early explorers.

“Here we are, more recent explorers, but we all have some things in common and there are jobs that we have to do far from home."


The song, called "Bluenose," was written by Canadian folk musician Stan Rogers. (Bluenose, according to the somber lyrics, is "the last of the Grand Banks schooners.")

In addition to her own flute, Coleman packed three from well-known musicians: an old-style flute called a penny whistle on loan from Paddy Moloney, leader of the Chieftains, who play traditional Irish music; an old Irish flute from Chieftains member Matt Molloy; and a flute from Ian Anderson, founder of the band Jethro Tull.

Coleman said she carried the flutes with her to space to reach out to the music community.

http://www.space.com/10817-astronaut-cady-coleman-flute-music-space-station.html