Queen Guitarist (And Astrophysicist) Brian May On His Work With NASA and His New Song About Ultima Thule

It’s the rare person who can call advanced astrophysics and deep space exploration a side hustle. That’s especially so when that person’s main job has been playing lead guitar for one of rock’s most legendary bands. But rare people do exist, and Brian May—that’s Dr. Brian May to you—is one of them. May is best know as part of the foursome that was Queen—whose story is being told in the recently released biopic Bohemian Rhapsody—and as the composer of multiple Queen hits, including “We Will Rock You.” As the movie reveals, however, May was studying astrophysics at Imperial College in London before detouring into music. A scant 33 years later, he returned to the classroom and completed his doctoral thesis. In that capacity, he became part of the NASA team responsible for New Horizons, the spacecraft that in 2015 reconnoitered Pluto and then, this just past New Year’s Eve, flew by Ultima Thule, a 22-mile long bowling pin-shaped object 4 billion miles from Earth—more instant than any object a human spacecraft has ever explored. May’s formal part of the mission involves data analysis and stereoscopic imagery. His less formal—but equally compelling—part involved composing a song, straightforwardly called New Horizons, that captures the thrill and the lure of distant exploration. With the spacecraft’s flyby having been successfully completed, May spoke to TIME about his dual career...
Source: TIME: Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Music onetime space Source Type: news