Will.i.am song to blast out from Mars tomorrow via Curiosity rover

27 Aug 2012

Photo of Will.i.am courtesy of the musician's Facebook page

Hip-hop is about to make a foray into space as a new song from the US musician, rapper and songwriter Will.i.am will be broadcast for the first time tomorrow on Mars via NASA’s Curiosity rover while also being streamed live back to Earth.

The Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am, otherwise known as William James Adams, will be debuting his latest single Reach for the Stars via speakers on Curiosity, the NASA rover that’s based on Mars for the next two years to carry out scientific exploration.

The unmanned Curiosity rover itself touched down on the Red Planet on 6 August following a 36-week flight that started last November. Over the next two years Curiosity will be investigating whether life ever existed, or could exist, on the planet via its scientific analysis of the region inside the Gale Crater region of Mars.

Apparently, the new song from Will.i.am will cover his passion for science, technology and space exploration.

The event itself will happen at 1pm PDT (4pm EDT) tomorrow and will be streamed via NASA TV.

According to the space agency, Will.i.am’s i.am.angel Foundation will also be announcing a new science, technology, engineering, arts and maths initiative tomorrow with Discovery Education, a US provider of digital resources for schools.

Carmel Doyle was a long-time reporter with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com