Space Songs for Susan aka WhyMommy

Growing up, I loved Sundays for the sole purpose of listening to Casey Kasem and the Weekly Top 40 on the radio. I was obsessed with what songs would be in the top 10 and annoyed by the long distance dedications got in the way of the music but today I’d like to do my own dedication to Susan (aka WhyMommy from Toddler Planet) as part of the Team WhyMommy Virtual Science Fair to let her know we are thinking of her and she is not alone.

The first time I met Susan, I served as her human shield as Jessica drove her minivan past Kristen’s ex-boyfriend’s house. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?

That night I learned that I was protecting Susan because, as Kristen said, “if Susan has survived cancer and a double mastectomy only to be shot by my ex, well then won’t we all feel bad?”

Indeed. Human shield engaged. There were no shots fired that night and everyone made it home safely.

Fast forward to two years later…What served as a strange initiation into a world of bloggers has resulted in amazing friends and an incredible community who has come together to support Susan as she prepares for surgery and the removal of six tumors that are a recurrence of breast cancer.

Before Susan’s diagnosis, we talked about a play date at NASA Goddard where our kids could pretend to be astronauts, run around the Goddard Rocket Garden among the real rockets on display, and peek into the mock-up of the Apollo Spacecraft Capsule.

Such a place is pure heaven for Little Miss Techie and Captain Computer who have a healthy obsession with all things space-related thanks to their Aunt A. who is a planetary physicist. When the kids found out that Aunt A. and Susan know each other and work in related fields, they took great delight upon realizing that the super-cool Susan who coached summer soccer could answer all the questions about the planets, stars, and atmosphere that Mommy can’t!

I love that Susan fuels Little Miss Techie and Captain Computer’s interest in space related topics by explaining things in a kid-friendly way that they understand. I also love that while there is a big push in education to expose girls to science, technology, engineering, and math in a positive way, I don’t need to look any further than Susan as an inspiration and role model for my own daughter.

While we haven’t had a chance to go to NASA Goddard with Susan yet, I know a visit will be in order soon after she is feeling up to a field trip. Until then, we want to dedicate our favorite space-related songs by our favorite kids’ band to Susan, a la Casey Kasem.

With permission from Rocknoceros, I present the lyrics to Blast Off, Apollo, and Pluto from their Dark Side of the Moon Bounce Album. I hope Susan will read this and picture Captain Computer rocking out to the songs wearing his space jammies as he admires the space swag she sent!

Blast Off!


(“Houston, come in Houston... do we have clearance to rock?”)


Well Once Upon a Time on a planet not far from here

The music played all day, you could hear it from afar and near

So we trained as astronauts

And built a spaceship fit for tots

To cruise the Milky Way, moving forward at a million knots 

Climb aboard our ship, buckle-up, and get ready to fly

Because it might get bumpy as we near the pie in the sky

And we’ll blast into orbit soon

And gravity will sing a different tune

As we hop into our rocket and we rock it all the way to the moon


(“Rockno Two, this is Houston... you have clearance to rock!”)


Coach will dance the Chicken 'cuz you know that he can't refrain

And Boogie’s gonna sing about bananas, cousin to plantains

Williebob’s gonna play guitar

And give a hand stamp to planet Mars

And if we work together we can catch a shooting star


Now we can count our fingers all the way up to ten

And in eleven measures we will learn to count-down and then

If the stars are all aligned

Then I’m sure we soon will find

It’s not rocket science, atmosphere is just a state of mind


10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1


Blast off!

Apollo


Well in nineteen-sixty-nine

A giant leap for mankind

Was a small step for a man you all should know

Neil Armstrong was his name

And the world's not been the same

Since he went to the moon in a ship called Apollo


Apollo flew from Earth to the great big moon

The spacecraft landed safe on a lunar dune

For a long time we had wondered

About this orb that we live under

So we built a ship and trained an able crew

Apollo flew from Earth to the great big moon


Well Neil brought his friend Buzz

To the moon with him because

A trip to the moon can not be done alone

Michael Collins waited high

Up in the lunar sky

And watched Neil and Buzz explore the great unknown

 Apollo’s crew

Was a select few

Who traveled from the earth to the great big moon


When the Eagle landed

The men would not be stranded

Ground control would help them get back home

And all the folks at NASA

Helped Apollo past the
 stratosphere to land safely in sea foam

Apollo led the world to the great unknown


Apollo flew from Earth to the great big moon

The spacecraft landed safe on a lunar dune

For a long time we had wondered

About this orb that we live under

So Michael, Buzz, and Neil got a closer view

Apollo flew from Earth to the great big moon

Apollo flew from Earth to the great big moon

Apollo flew from Earth...

Pluto

Long ago and late one night

A famous scientist looked into the sky

The image of a planet came

And Pluto was its name


Already around the sun

Eight more planets were having fun

Pluto joined to make it nine

But soon was left behind


Venus, Mercury, Saturn, Mars

All planets spinning below the stars

Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune, Earth

But poor Pluto lacks the girth


Now after intense debate

Scientists say of planets there are eight

Pluto’s fame will soon decline

Now that it’s not planet nine


Venus, Mercury, Saturn, Mars

Are flytraps, autos, or candy bars

Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune, Earth

But for Pluto there is no mirth


Long ago and late one night

A famous scientist looked into the sky

The image of a planet came

And Pluto was its name

This post was written in honor of Susan as part of the Team WhyMommy Virtual Science Fair. To see other posts written for the Team WhyMommy Virtual Science Fair, visit Stimeyland. Huge thanks to Jean for coordinating this bloggy effort!

Images and lyrics posted with permission from Rocknoceros.