November 11, 2005 10:13

Paul McCartney gig beamed into space

Former Beatle to broadcast a gig into orbit

Photo Gallery: Paul McCartney
Photo: Pa Photos

Paul McCartney is set to become the first artist to broadcast a live gig in space this weekend.

The former Beatle is to wake up the crew of the international space station with the track 'English Tea' from his latest album 'Chaos And Creation In The Backyard', as well as the Beatles classic 'Good Day Sunshine' on Saturday (November 12) from a US gig in Anaheim.

The call to the station will mark the first time a live concert has been linked to an American spacecraft.

It will take place as the concert comes to a close and NASA astronaut Bill McArthur and Russian cosmonaut Valery Tokarev are awakening for their 44th day in space.

Audio from the gig, the station and video footage of McArthur and Tokarev, will also be broadcast live on NASA Television.

The idea for the broadcast came after the crew of Space Shuttle Discovery were woken up by 'Good Day Sunshine' as they prepared for their second landing attempt back in August.

McCartney said: "I was extremely proud to find out that one of my songs was played for the crew of Discovery this summer. In our concert we hope to repay the favor.”

McArthur and Tokarev are the 12th crew of the station which has had a continuous human presence aboard for more than five years.