New Delhi, India

For the first time, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has transmitted the lyrics of popular Missy Elliot's song "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" to Venus, which is about 158 million miles (254 million kilometres) away. The lyrics were beamed using DSN (Deep Space Network). 

Advertisment

Venus is Elliot's favourite planet. 

In a report published on Monday (Jul 15), the space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California sent the transmission at 10:05 am PDT on July 12. 

In 2008, NASA beamed The Beatles song "Across the Universe" into space. Now, the rapper's 1997 debut single became the first hip-hop song sent to deep space. 

Advertisment

Also read: First-of-a-kind study investigates why food tastes bland in space

Elliott reacted to this historic moment as she said on X: "YOOO this is crazy! We just went #OutOfThisWorld with @NASA and sent the FIRST hip hop song into space through the Deep Space Network." 

"My song 'The Rain' has officially been transmitted all the way to Venus, the planet that symbolizes strength, beauty and empowerment. The sky is not the limit, it's just the beginning," she further said using alien emojis in the post. 

Advertisment

As quoted by NASA, Elliott said, "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! 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!" 

×

The DSN has an array of giant radio antennas that allow missions to track, send commands and receive scientific data from those spacecraft which are venturing to the Moon and beyond. It is the largest and said to be the most sensitive telecommunication service of NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) programme. 

"Both space exploration and Missy Elliott's art have been about pushing boundaries," said Brittany Brown, who is the director of the Digital and Technology Division, Office of Communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington. 

"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," added Brown, who initially pitched ideas to Missy's team to collaborate with the American space agency.  

Also read: Days are becoming longer as climate change is altering Earth's axis of rotation 

Will this hip-hop song interact with 'aliens'? 

Enthusiasts will keep probing the existence of life beyond planet Earth despite the fact that there's no solid proof to verify numerous claims regarding aliens and unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings over the centuries. 

However, scientists have said that Venus provides invaluable insights into the search for life on other planets despite its extreme conditions, including extreme surface temperatures that can melt lead, volcanoes that spew lava, and thick clouds of sulfuric acid. 

If speculations turn out to be true, Elliot's song might give 'aliens' a chance to groove. 

(With inputs from agencies)