Turns out, Nasa isn’t just OK at this space-exploration thing, the aeronautics agency is also a dab hand at musical parodies.
To help celebrate this week’s successful Orion mission-to-Mars practice launch, a group of Nasa interns has performed a cover of pop star Meghan Trainor’s hit song All About That Bass (did you see what they did there? Space? Bass? Rhyming, yeah?).
The video features young people on the Pathways internship programme, dancing to choreographed routines in various locations in the Johnson Space Center, intercut with some quite stunning photographs from around the universe and footage of rockets.
The cover also features alternate lyrics, such as:
Yeah it’s pretty clear / I ain’t commercial crew / but I can launch it, launch it / like I’m supposed to do
If you’ve got boosters, boosters / now put them up, up / because every spacecraft needs propulsion from the bottom to the top
Since its launch on Thursday, All About That Space has been viewed over 200,000 times on YouTube.
The best thing about this video is that it’s probably the most interesting task a bunch of interns has ever been asked to perform. It’s not fetching tea or coffee; or having to take the office dog for a walk (RIP, Alan, the Tatler dog, killed by an intern when caught in a revolving door).
It doesn’t involve filing or stapling, or running out to Pret with a coffee order for 15 different people, at least four of whom are allergic to something or other.
There are, however, some strange things about the video. This guy, for instance, appears to be incongruously dressed as a waiter, or a croupier:
This lady appears to be stuck in a washing machine. But we’ve all been there.
As far as parody covers go though, Nasa has done a pretty good job. The vocal is easier on the ears than Trainor’s is, and the production is almost as good (although that isn’t saying much).
It’s not awful, basically. Who could, forget, for instance this truly heinous Naughty Boy parody, courtesy of Loughborough University?
In fact, we’d say the Nasa interns are stars. And this song may well launch their careers into orbit.
• Nasa prepares Orion for second launch attempt on Mars mission
