Burbank gave the Taylors and their invited friends a video tour of the space station. That describes the reaction of James Taylor, his wife Kim and their twin sons, Rufus and Henry, as well as 20 friends, relatives and associates gathered on Sunday for a close encounter of the most unusual kind with outer space.
Through an iPad and satellite hookup from the high-tech recording studio at Taylor's hilltop home base overlooking Lenox, to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and then miles above the Earth to flight commander Dan Burbank aboard the International Space Station, the conversation about space exploration and music flowed freely, thanks to a near-flawless technical setup.
A high-def, two-way video screen and camera displayed stunning images of the space station -- the size of a football field -- and its rotating view of planet Earth for the Taylor gathering, while Burbank had a chance to play a duet with his favorite singer.
At first I thought it was a hoax. But it wasn't. Final preparations for the technical setup were accomplished over the past week, leading to a "window" of available satellite time starting at 1 p. At that moment, the space station was over India, rotating in a low orbit to miles above the Earth at 17, miles per hour. Burbank, strapped into his chair in the gravity-free space station environment, made no effort to conceal his enthusiasm.
As a longtime fan of the singer-songwriter, Burbank has been taking virtual guitar lessons offered free on Taylor's website. The admiration was mutual as Taylor, a space buff deeply fascinated by science, technology and all matters mechanical, enthused that "we couldn't be more thrilled to have this opportunity to visit with you.
