Nasa transmits Missy Elliott’s hip-hop song to Venus via deep space network for the first time – Times of India

Nasa announced that it had transmitted the song “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” by hip hop artist Missy Elliot to Venus using its Deep Space Network (DSN).
The transmission, which included an inspirational message and lyrics from the song, was sent from the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California at 10:05 am PDT on Friday, July 12.
“Both space exploration and Missy Elliott‘s art have been about pushing boundaries,” said Brittany Brown, director, Digital and Technology Division, Office of Communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington, who initially pitched ideas to Missy’s team to collaborate with the agency.
“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,” Brittany added.
Nasa said that the song journeyed approximately 254 million km from Earth to reach Venus, which was known to be the artist’s most beloved planet. The radio frequency signal, traveling at the speed of light, took about 14 minutes to traverse the vast distance and arrive at its destination.
The transmission was carried out using the Deep Space Station 13 (DSS-13) radio dish antenna, which measures 34 meters (112 feet) in diameter. This antenna is situated at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, part of the Deep Space Network (DSN), near Barstow, California.
Interestingly, the DSS-13 antenna has been given the nickname “Venus,” adding a fitting coincidence to the event.
“I still can’t believe I’m going out of this world with Nasathrough the Deep Space Network when ‘The Rain’ (Supa Dupa Fly) becomes the first-ever hip-hop song to transmit to space. I chose Venus because it symbolises strength, beauty, and empowerment and I am so humbled to have the opportunity to share my art and my message with the universe,” said Elliott.
Nasa has planned two missions to study Venus, DAVINCI and VERITAS, which will transmit information back to Earth via the Deep Space Network (DSN). Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging or DAVINCI, is scheduled for launch by 2029.
The second mission, Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy or VERITAS, is anticipated to launch by 2031. Although this marks the first instance of a hip hop song being sent to outer space, it is not the first song overall.
In 2018, Nasa transmitted the Beatles’ song “Across The Universe” into deep space, making it the pioneering musical composition to achieve this feat.