Metal legends Iron Maiden took a break from their North American tour to pay NASA’s Houston Space Center a visit this week.
Members of the band were given a tour by Astronaut Michael J. Massimino which included a look at the newly developed Saturn V Rocket, a glimpse at the space shuttle and a go at the shuttle simulator."We appear to have a lot of fans at NASA, and it was a real pleasure to meet some of them, especially, of course, a bona fide astronaut who has made a number of space walks," singer Bruce Dickinson said of the visit. "Hearing first hand of Michael's experiences was fascinating. He took us round the Space Station and Shuttle and up close to the incredible Saturn V rocket. Fans working in the Mission Control room had even put up pictures of the band on the huge screens where you would normally see the rockets taking off!
"The highlight was unquestionably the Apollo Room, from where the moon landings were coordinated, this was to step back into history. Looking at the relative simplicity of the equipment compared to today, it is amazing how they managed to pull it off. Each of us even got to take off, fly and land the Space Shuttle on the simulator, a real thrill. We felt very privileged and hope that Michael and our NASA fans enjoyed our Houston show as much as we enjoyed our visit with them."
Iron Maiden opened their 'Final Frontier' tour of North America with three Texan shows totaling over 36,000 fans in the Lone Star state alone.
Fittingly with their space center visit, the band's newly reincarnated Eddie is an alien, first seen in Texas!
The band's fifteenth studio album, 'The Final Frontier' will be out on August 17 in the USA and around then for fans around the world.
Thanks to @NASA for the tip.
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