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QUINCY JONES SONG HEADED TO SPACE: Atlantis astronaut to bring along Grammy-winning track as alarm clock.

(December 5, 2007)

*Music from the legendary Quincy Jones will be among the cargo for tomorrow's scheduled launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis as it delivers the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station.

Astronaut Leland Melvin says he is bringing along Jones' Grammy-winning 1969 recording "Walking in Space" to use as his morning cup-of-joe during the mission.

"Quincy Jones is someone who I have a great deal of respect and admiration for and I couldn't think of a more appropriate selection to use as my wake-up music," Melvin said.

Once Jones' song gets him up and floating, Melvin's duties on the Shuttle Atlantis mission will be to support three space walks using the robotic arm and install the Columbus laboratory from Atlantis' payload bay to its permanent home on the International Space Station.

Quincy Jones

"I am truly honored that Mr. Melvin has chosen one of my pieces of work for this momentous occasion," said Jones. "I was inspired to record the 'Walking in Space' album in 1969 after Buzz Aldrin told me that he had played my arrangement of Frank Sinatra's 'Fly Me To The Moon' during his space flight to the moon, so to have it come full circle like this is quite remarkable and very humbling."

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