Space Opera. The real thing, not a sci fi plot device.

The Canadian Space Agency has released the list of music that the latest Canadian astronaut, Julie Payette,will be bringing with her when she takes off for the International Space Station scheduled for June 13 and there's opera (or at least classical vocal music) on it. Measha Brueggergosman's 2008 album "Surprise" is along for the ride, along with discs from Tafelmusik and the Montreal Symphony (although the latter isn't of vocal music but is nice to have on there anyway.) It's not the first bit of opera in space, (most notably the Voyager spacecraft, launched in 1977, is bringing Der Holle Rache to whatever aliens might find it. I shudder at the thought and hope that they don't seriously question the parenting abilities of our entire planet based on it,) but I'm glad it's going up there anyway. Tres cool.