Space Wakeup Songs

Space shuttle crews in orbit probably don't need a prod from Mission Control to get going in the morning, but the wake-up song has become a NASA tradition.
Astronauts' families and friends often make suggestions for tunes and occasionally provide the music. Sometimes the wake-up song is very personal, such as the serenade of teacher-astronaut Barbara Morgan by her singer-songwriter son Adam. Often, it's the mission itself that provides the inspiration.
Here's a look at Discovery Space's favorites:
10. Mission: Impossible
Not taking any chances, Mission Control waited until the Hubble Space Telescope servicing crew of 2002 had completed most of its work before piping in the "Mission: Impossible" theme song to get things moving on flight day eight.
Recording: WAV - Net Show - RealAudio
9. Rocky
It was a moment of triumph when Kathryn Sullivan floated outside the airlock of space shuttle Challenger in October 1984 to become the first American woman to walk in space. Her crewmates included Sally Ride, NASA's first female astronaut. NASA marked the mission by playing the theme song from "Rocky."
8. Free Bird
Two Russians joined the crew of space shuttle Atlantis in September 2000 to get the newborn International Space Station ready for its first long-duration residents. After 10 days at the outpost, the astronauts were ready to come home. Wakeup music the day they departed -- Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird."
Recording: WAV - Net Show - RealAudio
7. Godzilla Vs. Space Godzilla
NASA wasn't anticipating any trouble when it woke the crew of shuttle Endeavour with the battle scene song from the movie "Godzilla Vs. Space Godzilla," then followed up with few bars of Blue Oyster Cult's "Godzilla." Astronaut Al Drew wrapped up by wishing Japanese astronaut Takao Doi good morning -- in Japanese.
Recording: MP3 - WAV
6. Pigs in Space
Joe Engle and Richard Truly had to end the second mission of the space shuttle program three days early when a generator failed. But the men worked through the night to complete a series of tests on the shuttle's new robot arm. They enjoyed a bit of comic relief with skits from The Muppets' "Pigs in Space."5. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
NASA's Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) was supposed to spend a year in orbit for tests of how various materials weathered the harsh space environment. But because of the Challenger accident, five years passed before LDEF came back to Earth. NASA didn't know what to expect from the experiments, which included 12.5 million tomato seeds. With tongue in check, Mission Control roused the LDEF retrieval crew with "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes."
4. Do You Want to Know a Secret?
After shuttle Atlantis lifted off in December 1988, NASA imposed a news blackout to keep details of its Department of Defense mission classified. Word leaked out about a special wake-up recording produced by a Houston radio station. With background music from the "Star Wars" theme song, the voice of Darth Vader greeted the crew. Satirical lyrics from The Beatles' "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" followed. Pentagon officials were not amused.
3. Monster Mash
Flight controllers opted for a bit of Halloween humor when it woke the crew of STS-58 with "Monster Mash," by Bobby "Boris" Pickett. Instead of goblins and bats, the shuttle had rats -- 48 of them (all caged, of course) -- for a series of life science experiments.
2. Woody Woodpecker
NASA delayed launching the STS-70 mission after discovering woodpeckers had drilled holes in insulation covering the space shuttle's fuel tank. During repairs, Woody Woodpecker was added to the crew patch as an ex-officio member of the crew. The first wakeup song of the mission was a homage to Woody, of course: the theme from Woody Woodpecker TV show.
1. We've Only Just Begun
The Apollo 17 astronauts left the moon in 1972 not knowing if or when people would be back. Among their wake-up tunes: The Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun."