The shuttle has been called the most complex machine ever built. But here are some of the words, along with some space shuttle details: It's hard to read too much into the song lyrics when applied to NASA, especially when there's not even consensus about what the song means back on earth. In a video on the NASA website, the wakeup music is followed by a mass greeting from employees of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., in charge of shuttle propulsion systems. They helped to maintain US leadership in space exploration, even as they also built bridges beyond US borders by serving the International Space Station.Īs the song faded out, Atlantis pilot Doug Hurley responded, 'Thanks for that great message and awesome ride to orbit, and the 134 before that with this tremendous space shuttle program.' Since the first launch in 1981, the orbiters may not have literally ruled the world, but they did soar above it. RECOMMENDED: After the space shuttle, astronaut corps awaits a new mission The current mission, by the Atlantis orbiter, is the final one.

To NASA workers and to shuttle fans alike, the song served as a wistful tribute to a vehicle that for three decades has been the leading symbol of America's space program. The song was Coldplay's 'Viva La Vida,' which leads off with the line 'I used to rule the world.'

When astronauts aboard the space shuttle Atlantis got their musical 'wakeup call' from earth on Saturday, the audio blended haunting instrumentals with a not-so-subtle message: An era of American space travel is ending.

Coldplay song when i ruled the world