First musical performance in space

The first musical performance in space took place during the dual-spacecraft Vostok 3/4 mission, which saw two cosmonauts (Andriyan Nikolayev and Pavel Popovich) launched into space 24 hours apart (on 11 and 12 August 1962, respectively). The two cosmonauts were in direct radio communication for much of their flight and took advantage of this instantaneous communication link to sing some songs together for the benefit of ground control.

No recordings were made of this impromptu performance, so it is not known what song was the first to be performed in space. In the press conference afterwards, however, Pavel Popovich did mention singing the song "14 Minutes Until Start". This song – which was written in 1960 by Oscar Feltsman and Vladimir Voinovich to commemorate the flight of Yuri Gagarin – then served as the unofficial anthem of the Soviet space program.

Group singing was both popular and officially encouraged in the Soviet Union. The song "14 Minutes Until Start" was specifically commissioned by All-Union Radio as what was called a "mass song" – a piece intended to be performed by groups of ordinary people. In addition to Popovich and Nikolayev, the first woman in space – Valentina Tereshkova, is also recorded as having sung a few songs during her mission in June 1963.

The first music made by US astronauts was a performance of "Jingle Bells" by Walter "Wally" Schirra (harmonica) and Thomas Stafford (sleigh bells) on 16 December 1965.