Did we launch a bay-area ambient recording artist into orbit and give him a keyboard? No, actually, it's just NASA astronaut Piers J. Sellers working on a section of the International Space Station during a 2006 mission. (NASA/Getty Images)

Some of you out there, I know, are space junkies — constantly surfing Space.com, Discovery Space and NASA’s seemingly endless maze of online content for the latest on humanity’s dabbling in the final frontier. For my part, I certainly keep up with our adventures in space (yes, including the recent space underwear sensation), but my job here forces me to focus on a number of different scientific areas.

However, I do maintain a near constant stream of electronic music while I work. Maybe I’ll kick off the day with the latest Essential Mix or Data Transmission podcast before settling into a little Solid Steel or Mary Anne Hobbs. If I’m writing about a topic that’s sufficiently deep and thought provoking, I’ll run through a few Autechre albums and maybe come down from my caffeine high with some Boards of Canada or a bit of Helios. Throw in random trips to the coffee machine and restroom, and that’s basically my day. Occasionally, a coworker kicks my chair or throws thumbtacks at me to get my attention.

But I know what you’re thinking: Isn’t there away to stay on the cutting edge of NASA’s space missions while ALSO pumping hours of what my wife calls “robot music” through your headphones? Now there is, as popular Internet radio station SomaFM has unveiled a new channel “Mission Control.”

SomaFM offers more than a dozen different channels, ranging from such “robot music” hotspots such as “Space Station Soma” and “ClipHop” to the spy-themed, lo-fi “Secret Agent Radio” and even an Asian world music channel titled “Suburbs of Goa.”

What makes “Mission Control” particularly noteworthy (especially to a science blog) is that it mixes live NASA mission broadcasts and shuttle coverage with electronic ambient. When live stuff isn’t available, they use old Apollo transmissions and the like.

Granted, this isn’t hard science news by any stretch — but, hey, it’s Monday and it’s a pretty awesome way to celebrate past and present space exploration while chilling out to some awesome soundscapes. For maximum effect, I recommend listening to it while browsing one of Discovery Space’s mind-blowing sideshows, or reading any of the following HowStuffWorks.com space articles.

Float in a most peculiar way at HowStuffWorks.com:
How the Apollo Space Craft Worked
How Lunar Landings Worked
How NASA Works
How Space Suits Work
Why is NASA seeking out the MySpace generation?
NASA’s 10 Greatest Achievements
How will landing on Mars work?

More Space Music:
Vol. 1: Astronauts and Ambient Music
Vol. 2: Desert Island Reads… IN SPACE
Vol. 3: Symphonies of the Planets: Music from the Hearts of Space?
Vol. 4: Carl Sagan – “A Glorious Dawn”
Vol. 5: Johannes Kepler has an Opera
Vol. 6: Cory McAbee and the Space Musical
Vol. 7: The P-Funk Mothership