Musician Peter Frampton chats with International Space Station crew from NASA's Mission Control. Photo Credit/NASA TV
Count British born musician Peter Frampton, who soared to fame in the 1970s for his arena rock concerts and best selling album Frampton Comes Alive!, as a big fan of NASA and space exploration.
The 61-year-old headliner and his band trekked to NASA’s Christopher C. Kraft Mission Control on Monday after a Sunday concert in Houston,Tex., for a visit and an opportunity to speak with the crew of the International Space Station.
“We are honored to meet you,” station commander Mike Fossum greeted Frampton on behalf of Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov. “I think it’s awesome that the whole band was able to come out today.”
Peter Frampton from his "Frampton Comes Alive!" days. Photo Credit/Starpulse.com
NASA astronaut Ron Garan, who returned to Earth in September after more than five months aboard the station, acted as host for Frampton, guitarist Adam Lester, keyboardist Rob Arthur, bassist Stan Sheldon and drummer Dan Wojciechowski.
“We are all big space nuts.” said Frampton.
“We all want the space program to continue. We have to keep exploring. That is what we were born to do on this Earth. We are all rooting for a destination for NASA to get to so we can all work toward getting there and beyond,” he added. “We can’t thank you enough for doing all you do to help that happen. We will never forget this.”
The station crew seemed just as grateful. From what Fossum said , Frampton’s music can be heard aboard the station.
“We really appreciate your interest — you reach the world the world in a different way. It really helps to tell the story,” said Fossum. “Your music is a really great background for looking out the window and watching the world and the universe roll by. We appreciate your work and enjoy it up here all the time.”
Musicians and entertainers are more than occasional guests of NASA and Mission Control. The lineup includes Aerosmith, the Wiggles, the cast of American Choppers, cook Rachael Ray, game show co-host Vanna White and actress June Lockhart.