In what is believed to be the first violin performance in space, SpaceX engineer and astronaut Sarah Gillis performed ‘Rey’s Theme’ from Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the Crew Dragon spacecraft on 13 September. The performance was transmitted to Earth via SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation.
Gillis and the Polaris Program released the video, Harmony of Resilience, on X (formerly Twitter). It features Gillis playing the song’s solo violin part alongside videos of orchestras performing the song in studios and on soundstages. In her introduction, Gillis says: ‘As we travel around our beautiful planet Earth on this five-day mission, we wanted to share this special musical moment with you. Bringing together global talent, this performance symbolises unity and hope, highlighting the resilience and potential of children everywhere.’
The day before, Gillis was one of two Polaris Dawn astronauts to perform a historic 106-minute spacewalk outside the spacecraft. This constituted the world’s first commercial extravehicular activity (EVA).
The astronauts aboard the mission, have already conducted a wide range of science experiments to help gather data on how the human body is affected by spaceflight.
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