“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music,” said Aldous Huxley. Maybe that’s why NASA decided to approach faraway worlds by transmitting a song at the speed of light.

On July 12th, the music icon Missy Elliott marked history with her 1997 hit ‘The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),’ which became the first ever hip-hop song transmitted to space.

More info: NASA

Music icon Missy Elliott made history when her 1997 hit ‘The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)’ was transmitted to planet Venus

Image credits: ESA

Image credits: Missy Elliott

Image credits: Missy Elliott

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California sent the song’s transmission into space at 10:05 a.m. PDT on Friday, July 12.

“Both space exploration and Missy Elliott’s art have been about pushing boundaries,” explained Brittany Brown, who is the digital communications lead at the NASA headquarters in Washington and was the one to ask 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,” she added.

The song was sent to the artist’s favorite planet, Venus, traveling from Earth about 158 million miles (254 million kilometers). It took nearly 14 minutes to reach the hottest planet in our solar system. The remarkable transmission was made by the Deep Space Station 13 (DSS-13) radio dish antenna, which is located at the DSN’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, near Barstow in California. Interestingly enough, the DSS-13 is nicknamed Venus.

Besides Elliott’s 1997 hit ‘The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),’ only one other song has reached space – The Beatles ‘Across the Universe’ in 2008. Therefore, the singer couldn’t contain her joy and excitement about such an incredibly touching achievement in her music career.

“I still can’t believe I’m going out of this world with NASA through the Deep Space Network when ‘The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)’ becomes the first ever hip-hop song to transmit to space!” Elliott shared. “I chose Venus because it symbolizes strength, beauty, and empowerment and I am so humbled to have the opportunity to share my art and my message with the universe!” she added.

Known for her truly unique style and innovative music videos, Missy Elliott, in her music career, which started more than 30 years ago, became one of the most inspiring artists in the world. In 2019, she was highlighted by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Since her debut and very well-known album, ‘Supa Dupa Fly,’ in 1997, she has released 6 more creative studio albums and received several American Music Awards, as well as multiple ASCAP awards for her songwriting and contributions to the music industry. Elliott has sold millions of albums worldwide and earned numerous accolades, including multiple Grammy Awards.

‘The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)’ becomes the first ever hip-hop song to transmit to space

Image credits: NASA

Image credits: NASA

Image credits: NASA

Named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty, Venus often is called Earth’s twin. It is the 2nd planet from the Sun and spins backward compared to most of the other planets. A day on this hellish planet is longer than a year, and the atmospheric pressure could be compared to the same found at a depth of 1km in the Earth’s oceans.

It is interesting to mention that Venus was the second object in the solar system to be explored by radar from Earth, after the Moon. The first studies date back to 1961 as part of NASA’s Deep Space Network. Despite the intense heat and crushing air pressure on Venus, more than 40 missions have been launched to make more discoveries of the planet.

In 2021, two of NASA’s missions were selected to explore Venus and send data back to Earth using the DSN: DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging), with its launch no earlier than 2029, and VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy), launching no earlier than 2031.

Image credits: NASA

While NASA and the DSN, together with the European Space Agency, continue Venus’ exploration, Elliott’s music is trying to reach out to different worlds.

The four-time Grammy-winning rapper, who was also honored with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, has been inspiring people for decades all over the world, and who knows, maybe now she will find new fans far beyond Earth?

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