Research / MUS

MUS — Music Theory Mission Series

Music-theory subjects derived from each NASA degree's S36 artist × SPS species × mission cadence. Parallel to NASA, ELC, and the broader Research corpus.

67 degrees shipped
360 total target
12 domains
3 passes

Domain Coverage

1. Pitch & scales
6/6
2. Rhythm & meter
8/8
3. Harmony
6/6
4. Counterpoint
4/4
5. Form
6/6
6. Timbre & orchestration
8/8
7. Production & mix
5/5
8. Notation & analysis
4/4
9. Acoustics & psychoacoustics
5/5
10. Computational music
6/6
11. History & culture
4/4
12. Performance practice
4/4

Completed Degrees

MUS 1.0 · D11 History & culture
Foundation documents in music: charters scores and the long-form historical archive
S36: Quincy Jones
SPS: Armillaria ostoyae (humongous fungus mycelial mat)
NASA: NASA Agency Founding
MUS 1.1 · D8 Notation & analysis
Contour notation: musical line, radiation flux density, and dendrochronological ring-as-score
S36: Bill Frisell
SPS: Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii ring-width profile)
NASA: Explorer 1
MUS 1.10 · D4 Counterpoint
Polyphonic improvisation against partial-success and symbiotic-pair counterpoint
S36: Hadley Caliman
SPS: Ramalina menziesii (lace lichen obligate fungus-alga symbiosis)
NASA: Pioneer 3
MUS 1.11 · D2 Rhythm & meter
Dormancy-modulated pulse: long-period rhythmic events with phase-preserving silent intervals
S36: Joe Brazil
SPS: Tardigrade (Ramazzottius varieornatus rhythmic-dormancy framing; 2nd appearance after 1.5)
NASA: Pioneer 4
MUS 1.12 · D7 Production & mix
Audiophile production-from-altitude: low-rate scan, uncompressed multi-mic, and predator-from-above
S36: Marc Seales
SPS: Osprey (Pandion haliaetus plunge-dive-from-altitude; 2nd appearance after notation-and-analysis-domain hover-track)
NASA: Explorer 6
MUS 1.13 · D3 Harmony
Keystone harmony: tritone substitution, intertidal balance, and the radiation-budget closure equation
S36: Don Lanphere
SPS: Pisaster ochraceus (literal keystone species; Paine 1966 Mukkaw Bay coinage)
NASA: Explorer 7
MUS 1.14 · D8 Notation & analysis
Multi-frame-rate score notation: variable-resolution analytic surface across selectable telemetry bit-rates, modern-jazz analytic strata, and the
S36: Thomas Marriott
SPS: Monarch (Danaus plexippus multi-generational continental migration cognition; 2nd appearance after 1.28, framed on
NASA: Pioneer 5
MUS 1.15 · D8 Notation & analysis
Spectrographic and aerial-imagery notation: the 2D analytic surface as score
S36: Aaron Parks
SPS: Osprey (Pandion haliaetus aerial-search pattern)
NASA: TIROS-1
MUS 1.16 · D2 Rhythm & meter
Round-trip rhythm: passive-reflector timing, loop-station phase-buildup, and yodel-cycle 4-syllable repetition
S36: Reggie Watts
SPS: Common Loon (Gavia immer territorial yodel call + lake-acoustic round-trip echo)
NASA: Echo 1
MUS 1.17 · D10 Computational music
Deceptive-signal algorithm: programmed misdirection as computational primitive for harmonic-stack jazz-fusion arrangement, broken-wing distraction
S36: Jeff Lorber
SPS: Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus broken-wing distraction display + kill-deer two-syllable klaxon at 2.5-4 kHz)
NASA: Mercury-Redstone 1
MUS 1.18 · D10 Computational music
Operant-conditioning algorithm: reinforcement-driven state update as computational primitive for cognitive-task primate orbital flight, vocal-stack
S36: Maktub
SPS: Bull Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana 30 cm/day annual growth-rule + canopy-rasp at peak summer density)
NASA: Mercury-Atlas 5 (Enos)
MUS 1.19 · D5 Form
Cyclic-return form: natal-return cadence as multi-stage life-cycle closure
S36: Allen Stone
SPS: Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha six-stage anadromous life cycle alevin-fry-parr-smolt-ocean-spawning return)
NASA: Mercury-Redstone 3 / Freedom 7
MUS 1.20 · D5 Form
Unfinished cycle: form as interrupted closure, recovery as narrative continuation
S36: Fly Moon Royale
SPS: Pacific Harbor Seal (mother-pup contact-call dive cycle 2nd appearance)
NASA: Mercury-Redstone 4 / Liberty Bell 7
MUS 1.2 · D7 Production & mix
Chamber-production aesthetic: room-acoustic instrumentation, fractal-frond arrangement, and partial-success as mix decision
S36: Wayne Horvitz
SPS: Western Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum fractal frond geometry + rhizomatous-clonal-spread)
NASA: Explorer 2
MUS 1.21 · D10 Computational music
Recursive return: PID feedback as computational primitive for natal-stream homing and R&B sample stutter
S36: Whitney Menge
SPS: Pacific Salmon (Oncorhynchus 5-species genus natal-stream olfactory homing)
NASA: Ranger 1
MUS 1.22 · D12 Performance practice
Sustained collective execution: attitude-control rehearsal, jazz/funk live-improv stamina, and colonial-mud-nest cooperative construction
S36: Polyrhythmics
SPS: Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota colonial mud-nest construction + colony chorus)
NASA: Ranger 2
MUS 1.23 · D5 Form
Schedule-driven multi-section form: reinforcement-schedule structure as song-form template
S36: Foxy Apollo
SPS: Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes pant-hoot 4-section call)
NASA: Mercury-Atlas 5 (Enos)
MUS 1.24 · D3 Harmony
Missed-target harmony: secondary-dominant chains, modal-mixture cadences, and the stray as harmonic boundary data
S36: Night Owls
SPS: Oregon Junco (Junco hyemalis oreganus; vagrant strays drawing species range envelope)
NASA: Ranger 3
MUS 1.25 · D3 Harmony
Long-form harmonic motion (substrate-with-excursion-and-return)
S36: Ron Artis II
SPS: Gray Whale (long-form song-phrase)
NASA: Friendship 7 / Mercury-Atlas 6
MUS 1.26 · D1 Pitch & scales
Sympatric pitch-divergence: chorus pitch-shifting, neo-soul close-microtonal collectivity, and silent-impact pitch-frequency loss
S36: Black Stax
SPS: Pacific Tree Frog (Pseudacris regilla chorus pitch-shifting)
NASA: Ranger 4
MUS 1.27 · D9 Acoustics & psychoacoustic
Locating-the-source psychoacoustics: time-delay-of-arrival, register-shift placement, and burrow-to-deep-dive cross-medium localization under
S36: Shaina Shepherd
SPS: Sooty Shearwater (Ardenna grisea trans-equatorial figure-eight migrant ~65000 km/yr)
NASA: Mercury-Atlas 7 / Aurora 7
MUS 1.28 · D9 Acoustics & psychoacoustics
Wing-beat acoustics and Soul-era density: ultrasonic mate-detection psychoacoustics, low-frequency wing resonance, and the failure-mode noise spectrum
S36: The Dynamics
SPS: Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus wing-beat 8-12 Hz + chordotonal ultrasonic)
NASA: Mariner 1
MUS 1.29 · D6 Timbre & orchestration
Matrilineal timbral signature: family-band orchestration as identity-marker transmitted along a maternal lineage
S36: Ray Charles
SPS: Southern Resident Killer Whale (Orcinus orca J/K/L pod matriline-specific call dialects per Ford 1989/1991 + Yurk 2002
NASA: Mariner 2
MUS 1.30 · D2 Rhythm & meter
Polyrhythm with terminal accelerando/ritardando
S36: Ivan "Boogaloo Joe" Jones
SPS: Pileated Woodpecker (drum)
NASA: Mercury-Atlas 8 / Sigma 7
MUS 1.3 · D9 Acoustics & psychoacoustics
Persistent-source acoustics: long-duration broadcast carrier, intimate-recording acoustic-physics, and wood-resonance harmonic spectrum
S36: Ernestine Anderson
SPS: Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata quarter-sawn soundboard 1f:2f:3f:4f at 0/-7/-12/-18 dB)
NASA: Vanguard 1
MUS 1.31 · D9 Acoustics & psychoacoustic
Species-discriminative natal-stream psychoacoustics: cross-modal olfactory-and-acoustic stream-fingerprinting under intermittent-channel signal
S36: Brenda Lee Eager
SPS: Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch species-specific framing; 3-yr life cycle, narrow smoltification imprint window,
NASA: Ranger 5
MUS 1.32 · D12 Performance practice
Manual-fallback performance practice: rehearsed redundancy under degraded primaries
S36: Luther Rabb
SPS: White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii migratory subspecies dual-compass parallel-mode architecture;
NASA: Mercury-Atlas 9 / Faith 7
MUS 1.33 · D4 Counterpoint
Counterpoint as displacement (rival-voice intrusion partial-displacement silenced-but-present countervoice)
S36: Damien Jurado
SPS: Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina; Barred Owl displacement)
NASA: Ranger 6
MUS 1.34 · D7 Production & mix
Multi-frame production assembly: progressive close-approach photo sequence as cinema-vérité tracking shot, R&B period-singles cut as
S36: Larry English
SPS: River Otter (Lontra canadensis multi-medium chuff/whistle/surface/underwater stem mix)
NASA: Ranger 7
MUS 1.35 · D4 Counterpoint
Counterpoint as redundancy (chorus alternation mission backup logic Soul-era call-and-response)
S36: The Tempos
SPS: Western Toad (Anaxyrus boreas lek-style chorus)
NASA: Mariner 3
MUS 1.36 · D3 Harmony
Question-resolving harmony: blues-rock IV-substitution and quick-change variants as cadential disambiguation primitive
S36: Robert Cray
SPS: Selaginella oregana (Oregon spikemoss heterosporous lycophyte; complementary megaspore/microspore reproductive pair)
NASA: Mariner 4
MUS 1.37 · D1 Pitch & scales
Bent-string blue-third microtonality: continuous-pitch ornamentation, mechanically-produced microtonal events, and the compressed-pitch-arc
S36: Jimi Hendrix (1962-1966 R&B sideman context)
SPS: Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna display-dive tail-feather chirp)
NASA: Ranger 8
MUS 1.38 · D11 History & culture
Live broadcast as historical inscription: televised mission events blues-rock tradition lineage and the recovery-narrative archive
S36: Ayron Jones
SPS: Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus DDT-era collapse and post-1972 captive-breeding-and-release recovery archive)
NASA: Ranger 9
MUS 1.39 · D11 History & culture
Institution-building as historical archive: long-period site-fidelity practice multi-generation continuation and recovery-after-loss narrative
S36: Booker T. Jones
SPS: Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas natal-beach philopatry)
NASA: Gemini 3 / Molly Brown
MUS 1.40 · D7 Production & mix
EVA, overdub, and the aerial mating-stack: production-as-extension-of-the-instrument
S36: Ron Artis Jr
SPS: White-throated Swift (Aeronautes saxatalis aerial mating tumble + colony chatter stack)
NASA: Gemini 4
MUS 1.4 · D3 Harmony
Resolution-from-tension harmony: gospel left-hand voicing, soil-enrichment succession, and the radiation-belt hypothesis closure
S36: Overton Berry
SPS: Alnus rubra (red alder PNW pioneer-broadleaf nitrogen-fixing keystone of post-disturbance succession)
NASA: Explorer 3
MUS 1.41 · D2 Rhythm & meter
Diel-tracking long-period rhythm: phase-locked daily-cycle pulse anchoring an annual macro-cycle
S36: Alice Smith
SPS: Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea pole-to-pole annual migration; longest of any animal at ~71000 km/yr per Egevang et al.
NASA: Gemini 5
MUS 1.42 · D12 Performance practice
Long-form endurance practice: continuous coupled performance across multi-band, multi-orbit, and multi-generation timescales
S36: Shawn Smith
SPS: Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis unison-call duet + V-formation migration)
NASA: Gemini 7
MUS 1.43 · D7 Production & mix
Rendezvous-production aesthetic: the lock-in mix where two independent production threads must close formation in time and space
S36: Erica Campbell
SPS: Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus twice-daily ocean-to-nest rendezvous + 5-30 s station-keeping nest-exchange
NASA: Gemini 6A
MUS 1.44 · D6 Timbre & orchestration
Broadband-continuous-spectrum timbre as long-lifetime archival signature: timbre that records its environment over decades of continuous emission
S36: Ann Wilson
SPS: Pacific Geoduck (Panopea generosa; 168-yr individual lifespan + four-channel shell-isotope deposition per Bureau et al.
NASA: Pioneer 6
MUS 1.45 · D10 Computational music
Granular synthesis as controlled disorder
S36: Chong the Nomad
SPS: Peregrine Falcon (stoop aeroacoustic)
NASA: Gemini 8
MUS 1.46 · D5 Form
Landing-and-rooting form: arrival-then-residency as sustained closure (the form whose closure-event is the touch-down, after which the work remains
S36: Fleet Foxes
SPS: Oregon White Oak (Quercus garryana 200-300-year in-place developmental arc; multi-century rooted residency at fixed
NASA: Surveyor 1
MUS 1.47 · D1 Pitch & scales
Infrasonic-floor pitch: the sub-audible fundamental as compositional substrate
S36: Rocky Votolato
SPS: American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis male advertisement bellow + 7-10 Hz infrasonic dorsal-muscle pulse /
NASA: Gemini 9A (angry alligator ATDA)
MUS 1.48 · D1 Pitch & scales
Modal vocabulary against pop-rock convention: Mixolydian/Dorian/Lydian dialect choices and the orbital-resonance ratio
S36: Pedro the Lion
SPS: White-crowned Sparrow (Z. l. pugetensis terminal-trill collection-dialect)
NASA: Gemini 10
MUS 1.49 · D8 Notation & analysis
Photographic-plate notation: lunar imagery, lyric-as-place-coordinate, and the silent-habitat map
S36: Sera Cahoone
SPS: Common Raven (Corvus corax principalis territorial cache map + kraa labels)
NASA: Lunar Orbiter 1
MUS 1.50 · D1 Pitch & scales
Microtonal dialect: song-pitch population variation as natural just-intonation lab
S36: Kimya Dawson
SPS: Fox Sparrow (Sooty group song dialect)
NASA: Gemini 11
MUS 1.5 · D12 Performance practice
Performance preservation through extreme dormancy: the cryptobiotic encore
S36: Floyd Standifer
SPS: Tardigrade (Ramazzottius varieornatus / cryptobiotic recovery cycle)
NASA: Explorer 4
MUS 1.51 · D2 Rhythm & meter
Information-theoretic rhythmic encoding: pulse-count-as-message
S36: Lemolo
SPS: Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli chick-a-dee call D-note count graded threat encoding; second SPS appearance after
NASA: Surveyor 2
MUS 1.52 · D10 Computational music
Single-output algorithmic computation: the once-and-for-all definitive computational result
S36: Death Cab for Cutie
SPS: Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina four-note territorial call as Bayesian template-detection target;
NASA: Lunar Orbiter 2
MUS 1.53 · D11 History & culture
Program closure as institutional history: tradition-rearticulation and the corvid memory archive
S36: Brandi Carlile
SPS: Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri cache-and-recover cycle + mimicry repertoire)
NASA: Gemini 12
MUS 1.54 · D3 Harmony
Memorial harmony: lament-and-reform cadence as resolution of unresolvable loss through reformed-system architecture
S36: Mirah
SPS: Common Raven (Corvus corax 200+ call types Heinrich harmonic-palette)
NASA: Apollo 1 / AS-204
MUS 1.55 · D9 Acoustics & psychoacoustics
Spectral-content as identity (overtone-emphasis close-harmony stacking biophony psychoacoustics)
S36: Ivan & Alyosha
SPS: Varied Thrush (territorial whistle 3rd appearance)
NASA: Lunar Orbiter 3
MUS 1.56 · D6 Timbre & orchestration
Irregular percussion timbre: Morse-cadence drum signatures, solo-vs-full-band timbral compression, and impulse-bounce energy-shaping
S36: Shelby Earl
SPS: Red-breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber arrhythmic accel-decel-accel drum cadence)
NASA: Surveyor 3
MUS 1.57 · D10 Computational music
Mosaic-assembly computation: tiled-pattern reconstruction from independent sparse samples
S36: Laura Gibson
SPS: American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus underwater bottom-walking + bubbling song)
NASA: Lunar Orbiter 4
MUS 1.58 · D6 Timbre & orchestration
Vocal repertoire as timbral identity: individual song-type variation, sparse arrangement, and atmospheric-spectrum encoding
S36: Shelby Earl
SPS: Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii 9-22 culturally-learned song types per male)
NASA: Mariner 5
MUS 1.59 · D6 Timbre & orchestration
Elegy timbre: sustained acoustic-source loss-vector and the lo-fi recording as artifact-of-mourning
S36: Mount Eerie
SPS: Southern Resident Killer Whale (Orcinus orca J/K/L pod elegy-call signature; sustained dialect by surviving matrilineal
NASA: Surveyor 4
MUS 1.60 · D6 Timbre & orchestration
Dual-medium vocal timbre
S36: Modest Mouse
SPS: Pacific Harbor Seal (air-water vocal repertoire)
NASA: Explorer 35
MUS 1.6 · D2 Rhythm & meter
Even-subdivision pulse and the abbreviated bloom-cycle: straight-eighths cool-jazz feel, 77-second flight envelope, and pioneer-bloom seed dispersal
S36: Bud Shank
SPS: Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium cymose-raceme bloom-cycle + 80000-seed plumed-dispersal cadence)
NASA: Pioneer 0 / Thor-Able I
MUS 1.61 · D5 Form
Program-as-suite: 5-of-5 successful closure, completed-arc form, and the satisfaction-curve cadence
S36: Death Cab for Cutie
SPS: Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae hierarchical song)
NASA: Lunar Orbiter 5
MUS 1.62 · D5 Form
Album-as-thesis closure-form
S36: Grand Archives
SPS: Pileated Woodpecker (laughing call)
NASA: Surveyor 5
MUS 1.63 · D6 Timbre & orchestration
Monophonic timbral signature: the single-voice/single-note as displacement gesture
S36: Ben Gibbard (solo)
SPS: Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans banjo-plunk advertisement call)
NASA: Surveyor 6
MUS 1.64 · D2 Rhythm & meter
All-up first take: live-tracked record-as-recital and the single-take territorial declaration as compositional gambit
S36: The Sonics
SPS: Common Loon (Gavia immer territorial yodel)
NASA: Apollo 4
MUS 1.65 · D1 Pitch & scales
Sustained-pitch as identity: drone-as-form, the unwavering held tone as compositional carrier, and the territorial-bugle as sustained-tone
S36: Earth (Dylan Carlson)
SPS: Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis territorial bugle / unison call from 5-meter coiled trachea half-wave resonator)
NASA: Pioneer 8
MUS 1.66 · D5 Form
Form-as-multiplicity-coordination: structural form persisting through cohort turnover and across coordinated multiple platforms; the work's identity
S36: John Luther Adams
SPS: Olympic Marmot (Marmota olympus colony alarm-chorus coordination)
NASA: Pioneer 9
MUS 1.67 · D7 Production & mix ·
Production-aesthetic-as-thesis: the founding-instance grunge LP whose two-pedal title literally names its production decision; intentional fuzz-pedal
S36: Mudhoney (Superfuzz Bigmuff, Sub Pop SP21, October 1988; Jack Endino at Reciprocal Recording, Ballard)
SPS: Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator; Banko 1960 NAF 63 founding-instance recovery monograph)
NASA: OAO-2 Stargazer (NSSDC 1968-110A)
MUS 1.68 · D3 Genre & lineage · P
Science-maximized-final-of-series at the album scale: Columbia→Atlantic platform-qualification arc producing a portfolio-peak terminal output where
S36: Aretha Franklin (Lady Soul, Atlantic SD 8176, 1968-01-22; Jerry Wexler + Tom Dowd + Arif Mardin produced)
SPS: Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina; Forsman/Meslow/Wight 1984 Wildlife Monographs 87 founding
NASA: Surveyor 7 (NSSDC 1968-001A)
MUS 1.69 · D5 Harmony · Pass
Unmanned-precursor-validation at the album scale: jazz-harmonic vocabulary deployed at album length in rock context; Kooper-debut as platform-test
S36: Blood, Sweat & Tears (Child Is Father to the Man, Columbia CS 9619, 1968-02-21; John Simon producer; Al
SPS: Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri; Brown 1963 Condor 65(6):460-484 founding monograph; first-year floater
NASA: Apollo 5 LM-1 (NSSDC 1968-007A)
MUS 1.70 · D7 Lyrical narrative · Pas
Unmanned-precursor-validation 2nd-exemplar at the album scale: orchestral folk-rock final-album dyad sealing the founder duo's joint-output era;
S36: Simon & Garfunkel (Bookends, Columbia KCS 9529, 1968-04-03)
SPS: Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus)
NASA: Apollo 6 (NSSDC 1968-025A; SA-502 Saturn V uncrewed)
MUS 1.71 · D9 Extended form · Pass
Domain 9 (Extended Form / Double Album) origination 1-exemplar: depth-axis double-album as unified extended canvas; first-command-authority
S36: Jimi Hendrix Experience (Electric Ladyland, Reprise RS-6307, 1968-10-16; double LP / 4 sides / 16 tracks /
SPS: Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens; SPS #68 Hutchinsonian congener pair)
NASA: Apollo 7 (NSSDC 1968-089A; first-crewed Apollo; POST-FIRE-PROGRAM-RECOVERY 1-ex)
MUS 1.72 · D9 Extended form · Pass
Domain 9 (Extended Form / Double Album) reproducibly-stable advance from 1-ex (Electric Ladyland depth-axis) to 2-ex (White Album breadth-axis);
S36: The Beatles (The Beatles White Album, Apple SAPCOR 7 UK 1968-11-22 / Capitol SWBO-101 US 1968-11-25; double LP
SPS: Common Raven (Corvus corax; SPS #69 cognitive-navigation parallel to Lovell CMP star-sightings)
NASA: Apollo 8 (NSSDC 1968-118A; first-crewed Saturn V + first-crewed translunar; ALL-UP COMMITMENT 2-ex)
MUS 1.73 · D10 Supergroup
Domain 10 (Supergroup / Cross-Pollination Debut) origination 1-ex; three solo-career veterans (Crosby ex-Byrds + Stills ex-Buffalo Springfield + Nash
S36: Crosby, Stills & Nash (Crosby, Stills & Nash debut, Atlantic SD-8229; 1969-05-29; 12 tracks; producer
SPS: Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana; SPS #70 spatial-memory cache-recovery parallel to Spider 115-mile
NASA: Apollo 9 (NSSDC 1969-018A; first crewed LM Earth-orbit shakedown; UPV outcome-validation 2nd-instance)
MUS 1.74 · D11 Rock opera
Domain 11 (Rock Opera / Complete Narrative Arc) origination 1-ex; first full rock-opera concept album in pop catalog; complete narrative arc stopping
S36: The Who (Tommy double LP, Track Records 613 013/4 UK 1969-05-23 / Decca DXSW-7205 US 1969-05-19; 24 tracks / 4
SPS: Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri; SPS #71 deep cobalt-blue plumage = deep-space color parallel; site
NASA: Apollo 10 (NSSDC 1969-043A; full lunar-orbit dress rehearsal; LM-4 Snoopy descended to 14.4 km perilune; F-mission per
MUS 1.75 · D12 candidate Era
Structural pair "the goodbye album / the goal achieved" — both Abbey Road and Apollo 11 close an era of unprecedented ambition with completion rather
S36: The Beatles (Abbey Road, Apple PCS 7088 UK 1969-09-26 / Apple SO-383 US 1969-10-01; 17 tracks / Side 2 medley;
SPS: American Marten (Martes americana; SPS #72 first MAMMAL category origination in SPS series; arboreal weasel;
NASA: Apollo 11 (NSSDC 1969-059A; FIRST CREWED LUNAR LANDING; Eagle on Mare Tranquillitatis 1969-07-20 20:17:40 UTC; ALL-UP
MUS 1.88
pair with Skylab 3 First Long-Duration Crewed Mission (NASA 1.88) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: Skylab 3's first-long-duration-crewed-mission +
S42: Stevie Wonder (Innervisions Tamla T7-326L / Motown US release 1973-08-03; producer Stevie Wonder; engineers
SPS: Pacific Marten (Martes caurina; SPS #85 PNW old-growth keystone; family Mustelidae; Order Carnivora — first
NASA: Skylab 3 (NSSDC 1973-050A; FIRST LONG-DURATION CREWED MISSION + 59d 11h 9m 1s longest US mission to that date +
MUS 1.89
pair with Mariner 10 First Mercury Flyby (NASA 1.89) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: Mariner 10's first-operational-gravity-assist + first multi-flyby
S43: The Who (Quadrophenia Track Records 2657 013 UK 2-LP / MCA US 2-LP; release 1973-10-26 US / 1973-10-29 UK;
SPS: Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus; 2017 G. oregonensis Coastal Pacific Northwest split per
NASA: Mariner 10 (NSSDC 1973-085A; FIRST OPERATIONAL GRAVITY-ASSIST MISSION + FIRST MULTI-PLANET-FLYBY CAMPAIGN + FIRST
MUS 1.90
pair with Skylab 4 / Comet Kohoutek (NASA 1.90) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: Skylab 4's longest-US-crewed-spaceflight-to-date 84d 1h 16m +
S44: Brian Eno (Here Come the Warm Jets Island ILPS 9268 UK / EG ENOLP 1 / Island ILPS 9268 US 1974-02; release
SPS: Red Tree Vole (Arborimus longicaudus; SPS #87 PNW old-growth keystone; family Cricetidae subfamily
NASA: Skylab 4 (NSSDC 1973-090A; LONGEST US CREWED SPACEFLIGHT TO DATE 84d 1h 16m + FIRST ALL-ROOKIE CREW SINCE ARMSTRONG
MUS 1.91
pair with Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (NASA 1.91) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: ASTP first-international-crewed-spaceflight + Stafford/Brand/Slayton
S45: Fleetwood Mac (Fleetwood Mac "the White Album" Reprise MS 2225 US release 1975-07-11; producer Fleetwood Mac +
SPS: Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator; SPS #88 PNW Anseriformes Anatidae Cygnus genus; first PNW waterfowl Order
NASA: Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (NSSDC 1975-066A US side / 1975-065A Soyuz 19; FIRST INTERNATIONAL CREWED SPACEFLIGHT + FIRST
MUS 1.92
pair with Viking 1 (NASA 1.92) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: Viking 1's FIRST-SURVIVAL-AT-AN-EXTRATERRESTRIAL-SURFACE (first Mars soft-landing that
S46: Bruce Springsteen (Born to Run Columbia PC 33795 US release 1975-08-25 = Viking 1 launch +5d INSIDE; producer
SPS: Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus; SPS #89 PNW apex predator; family Accipitridae Order Accipitriformes
NASA: Viking 1 (NSSDC 1975-075C lander / 1975-075A orbiter; FIRST SURVIVAL AT AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL SURFACE + FIRST MARS
MUS 1.93
pair with Viking 2 (NASA 1.93) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: Viking 2's PAIR-OF-MISSION-AS-CROSS-VALIDATION (second-of-pair biology-experiment
S47: Pink Floyd (Wish You Were Here Harvest SHVL 814 UK release 1975-09-12 / Columbia PC 33453 US release
SPS: Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus; SPS #90 PNW apex raptor; family Falconidae Order Falconiformes genus
NASA: Viking 2 (NSSDC 1975-083C lander / 1975-083A orbiter; SECOND MARS LANDING + PAIR-OF-MISSION-AS-CROSS-VALIDATION +
MUS 1.94
pair with HEAO-1 (NASA 1.94) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: HEAO-1's FIRST-ALL-SKY-SURVEY-AT-HIGH-SENSITIVITY (first complete high-sensitivity
S48: Steely Dan (Aja ABC Records AA-1006 US release 1977-09-23; recording-session-anchor sub-form: tracking
SPS: Northern Pintail (Anas acuta; SPS #91 PNW waterfowl monitoring instrument; family Anatidae order Anseriformes
NASA: HEAO-1 (NSSDC 1977-075A; FIRST HIGH-ENERGY ASTROPHYSICS OBSERVATORY + FIRST-ALL-SKY-SURVEY-AT-HIGH-SENSITIVITY +
MUS 1.95
pair with Voyager 2 (NASA 1.95) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: Voyager 2's TWIN-MISSION-PAIR-ARCHITECTURE (Voyager 1 + Voyager 2
S49: Motörhead (Motörhead Chiswick Records WIK-2 UK release 1977-08-21 = Voyager 2 launch +1d INSIDE strict
SPS: Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch; SPS #92 PNW first salmonid in cohort; family Salmonidae order Salmoniformes
NASA: Voyager 2 (NSSDC 1977-076A; FIRST AND ONLY SPACECRAFT TO COMPLETE OUTER-PLANETS GRAND TOUR; Titan IIIE-Centaur from
MUS 1.129
Whitney Houston Greatest Love of All paired with NASA 1.129 Rogers Commission Report + memorial substrate continuation
S76: Whitney Houston (Greatest Love of All; Arista; chart 1986-05-17)
SPS: SCAFFOLD-PENDING (deferred per cc-cluster precedent)
NASA: Rogers Commission Report (1986-06-06; investigation substrate)
MUS 1.128
pair with STS-51-L Challenger Disaster (NASA 1.128): Falco Rock Me Amadeus + In Memoriam crew
S75: Falco (Rock Me Amadeus; A and M Records; chart 1986-03-29)
SPS: SCAFFOLD-PENDING (no new species; cc-cluster precedent)
NASA: STS-51-L Challenger (NSSDC 1986-009A; CATASTROPHIC-CLOSURE substrate-state)
MUS 1.127
pair with Voyager 2 Uranus Encounter (NASA 1.127): VOYAGER-2-URANUS-FIRST-FLYBY-FIRST-ONLY-EVER obs#1
S75: SCAFFOLD-PENDING (acceptable per cc-cluster precedent)
SPS: SCAFFOLD-PENDING (no new species; cc-cluster precedent)
NASA: Voyager 2 Uranus (NSSDC 1977-076A; FIRST-URANUS-FLYBY-FIRST-ONLY-EVER obs#1)
MUS 1.126
pair with STS-61-C Columbia Chang-Díaz (NASA 1.126): FIRST-HISPANIC-AMERICAN-ASTRONAUT obs#1
S75: SCAFFOLD-PENDING (acceptable per cc-cluster precedent)
SPS: SCAFFOLD-PENDING (no new species; cc-cluster precedent)
NASA: STS-61-C Columbia (NSSDC 1986-003A; FIRST-HISPANIC-AMERICAN obs#1)
MUS 1.125
pair with STS-61-B Atlantis 2nd Flight EASE/ACCESS (NASA 1.125): ATLANTIS-OPERATIONAL-CADENCE obs#1 + FIRST-MEXICAN-ASTRONAUT obs#1
S75: SCAFFOLD-PENDING (acceptable per cc-cluster precedent)
SPS: SCAFFOLD-PENDING (no new species; cc-cluster precedent)
NASA: STS-61-B Atlantis (NSSDC 1985-104A; ATLANTIS-OPERATIONAL obs#1)
MUS 1.124
pair with STS-61-A Challenger Spacelab-D1 (NASA 1.124): SPACELAB-D1-INTERNATIONAL-FUNDED obs#1 + 8-PERSON-CREW-FIRST-INSTANCE obs#1
S75: SCAFFOLD-PENDING (acceptable per cc-cluster precedent)
SPS: SCAFFOLD-PENDING (no new species; cc-cluster precedent)
NASA: STS-61-A Challenger (NSSDC 1985-090A; SPACELAB-D1-INTERNATIONAL obs#1)
MUS 1.123
pair with STS-51-J Atlantis Maiden-Flight DoD-Classified (NASA 1.123): ATLANTIS-MAIDEN-FLIGHT obs#1 + 4TH-OPERATIONAL-ORBITER-FIRST-FLIGHT obs#1
S75: SCAFFOLD-PENDING (acceptable per cc-cluster precedent)
SPS: SCAFFOLD-PENDING (no new species; cc-cluster precedent)
NASA: STS-51-J Atlantis (NSSDC 1985-092A; ATLANTIS-MAIDEN obs#1)
MUS 1.122
pair with STS-51-I Discovery LEASAT-3 Rescue-Recovery (NASA 1.122): DIRECT-SPACEWALKER-CONTACT-RESCUE obs#1 + LEASAT-3 forward-shadow closure
S75: SCAFFOLD-PENDING (acceptable per cc-cluster precedent; backfill candidate for future counter-cadence cluster)
SPS: SCAFFOLD-PENDING (no new species this milestone; cc-cluster precedent)
NASA: STS-51-I Discovery (NSSDC 1985-076A; DIRECT-SPACEWALKER-CONTACT-RESCUE obs#1)
MUS 1.121
pair with STS-51-F Challenger Spacelab-2 (NASA 1.121): FIRST-MAIN-ENGINE-IN-FLIGHT-ATO + Spacelab-2 cohort completion
S75: John Mellencamp (Scarecrow Riva/PolyGram 824 865-1 1985-08-05 = launch +7d INSIDE strict; HEARTLAND-AMERICANA obs#1)
SPS: Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri; SPS #118; family Corvidae order Passeriformes class Aves)
NASA: STS-51-F Challenger Spacelab-2 (NSSDC 1985-063A; FIRST-MAIN-ENGINE-IN-FLIGHT-ATO obs#1; Spacelab-2 cohort closure)
MUS 1.120
pair with STS-51-G Discovery (NASA 1.120): first French on Shuttle + first Arab + first royalty + first Muslim in space
S74: Sting (The Dream of the Blue Turtles A&M SP-3750 1985-06-01 = launch -16d INSIDE strict; FIRST-SOLO-DEBUT)
SPS: Mountain Goat (Oreamnos americanus; SPS #117; family Bovidae order Artiodactyla class Mammalia)
NASA: STS-51-G Discovery (NSSDC 1985-048A; Baudry + Al-Saud international PS pair; triple-satellite-deploy)
MUS 1.119
pair with STS-51-B Challenger (NASA 1.119): Spacelab-3 + first African-American Shuttle pilot + 57° high-inclination atmospheric science
S73: Dire Straits (Brothers in Arms Vertigo/Warner Bros 25264-1 1985-05-13 = STS-51-B launch +14d INSIDE strict)
SPS: Roosevelt Elk (Cervus canadensis roosevelti; SPS #116; family Cervidae order Artiodactyla class Mammalia)
NASA: STS-51-B Challenger Spacelab-3 (NSSDC 1985-034A; first African-American Shuttle pilot Gregory; Spacelab-3 cadence)
MUS 1.118
pair with STS-51-D Discovery (NASA 1.118): first politician in space + first unscheduled improvised EVA-rescue (Hoffman+Griggs flyswatter)
S72: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (Southern Accents MCA Records 5486 1985-03-26 = STS-51-D launch -17d INSIDE strict)
SPS: Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus; SPS #115; family Alcidae order Charadriiformes class Aves)
NASA: STS-51-D Discovery (NSSDC 1985-028A; Sen. Jake Garn first politician; Hoffman+Griggs flyswatter EVA)
MUS 1.117
pair with STS-51-C Discovery (NASA 1.117): First Dedicated DoD Classified Shuttle Mission (USA-8 Magnum/Orion SIGINT for NRO via Boeing IUS-2) +
S71: USA for Africa (We Are the World Columbia 38-04839; RECORDING 1985-01-28 21:00 PST – 1985-01-29 08:00
SPS: Pacific Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris kenyoni; SPS #114; family Mustelidae order Carnivora class
NASA: STS-51-C Discovery (NSSDC 1985-010A; FIRST DEDICATED DOD CLASSIFIED SHUTTLE MISSION + FIRST CLASSIFIED
MUS 1.116
pair with STS-51-A Discovery (NASA 1.116): STS-51-A Discovery dual-satellite retrieve (PALAPA-B2 + WESTAR-VI via Allen + Gardner untethered MMU) +
S70: Madonna (Like a Virgin Sire 1-25157 1984-11-12 = STS-51-A launch +4d / landing -4d SYMMETRICAL INSIDE strict;
SPS: Pacific Tree Frog (Pseudacris regilla; SPS #113; family Hylidae order Anura class Amphibia;
NASA: STS-51-A Discovery (NSSDC 1984-113A; FIRST DUAL-SATELLITE-RETRIEVAL + FIRST MOTHER IN SPACE Anna Fisher + Rick Hauck
MUS 1.115
pair with STS-41-G Challenger (NASA 1.115): STS-41-G LARGEST-CREW-IN-SPACE 7 persons + Kathryn Sullivan first American woman EVA + Sally Ride second
S69: U2 (The Unforgettable Fire Island ILPS 9777 UK 1984-10-01 + 90231-1 NA 1984-10-02 = STS-41-G launch -4d +
SPS: Olympic Marmot (Marmota olympus; SPS #112; family Sciuridae order Rodentia class Mammalia;
NASA: STS-41-G Challenger (NSSDC 1984-108A; LARGEST CREW IN SPACE 7-person + FIRST AMERICAN WOMAN EVA Kathryn Sullivan +
MUS 1.114
pair with STS-41-D Discovery (NASA 1.114): STS-41-D Discovery MAIDEN FLIGHT + FIRST COMMERCIAL PAYLOAD SPECIALIST Charlie Walker McDonnell Douglas +
S68: Stevie Wonder (The Woman in Red Soundtrack Motown 6108ML 1984-08-28 = STS-41-D launch +27d / landing +23d
SPS: Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus; SPS #111; family Troglodytidae order Passeriformes class
NASA: STS-41-D Discovery (NSSDC 1984-093A; DISCOVERY MAIDEN FLIGHT + FIRST COMMERCIAL PAYLOAD SPECIALIST + FIRST JEWISH
MUS 1.113
pair with STS-41-C Challenger (NASA 1.113): STS-41-C Challenger SOLAR MAX REPAIR with MANUAL HAND-GRAPPLE after TPAD failure + Robert Crippen CDR 3rd
S67: R.E.M. (Reckoning I.R.S. SP 70044 UK 1984-04-09 + US 1984-04-17 = STS-41-C launch -2d + +6d DUAL-ANCHOR INSIDE
SPS: Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana; SPS #110; family Cardinalidae order Passeriformes class
NASA: STS-41-C Challenger (NSSDC 1984-034A; FIRST IN-ORBIT SATELLITE REPAIR Solar Max + TPAD FAILURE + MANUAL HAND-GRAPPLE
MUS 1.112
pair with STS-41-B Challenger (NASA 1.112): STS-41-B Challenger Bruce McCandless FIRST UNTETHERED MMU EVA 1984-02-07 + Robert Stewart MMU EVA + Vance
S66: Footloose Soundtrack (Columbia JS 39242 1984-01-27 = STS-41-B launch -7d / landing -15d DUAL-ANCHOR INSIDE strict;
SPS: Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii; SPS #109; family Troglodytidae order Passeriformes class
NASA: STS-41-B Challenger (NSSDC 1984-011A; FIRST UNTETHERED MMU EVA Bruce McCandless 1984-02-07 + Robert Stewart MMU EVA +
MUS 1.111
pair with STS-9 Columbia (NASA 1.111): STS-9 Columbia SPACELAB-1 first European Space Lab + Ulf Merbold FIRST ESA SHUTTLE ASTRONAUT + John Young CDR
S65: Yes (90125 Atco 90125 1983-11-07 = STS-9 launch -21d EXACT BOUNDARY INSIDE strict; producer Trevor Horn obs#2
SPS: Hutton's Vireo (Vireo huttoni; SPS #108; family Vireonidae order Passeriformes class Aves;
NASA: STS-9 Columbia (NSSDC 1983-116A; SPACELAB-1 FIRST USE + FIRST ESA SHUTTLE ASTRONAUT Ulf Merbold + JOHN YOUNG 6TH
MUS 1.110
pair with STS-8 Challenger (NASA 1.110): STS-8 Challenger FIRST NIGHT LAUNCH 1983-08-30 + FIRST NIGHT LANDING Edwards 1983-09-05 + FIRST
S64: Huey Lewis and the News (Sports Chrysalis FV 41412 1983-09-15 = STS-8 launch +16d / landing +10d INSIDE strict
SPS: Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus; SPS #107; family Paridae order Passeriformes
NASA: STS-8 Challenger (NSSDC 1983-089A; FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN ASTRONAUT Guion Bluford + FIRST NIGHT LAUNCH + FIRST NIGHT
MUS 1.109
pair with STS-7 Challenger (NASA 1.109): STS-7 Challenger SALLY RIDE FIRST AMERICAN WOMAN IN SPACE 1983-06-18 (Tereshkova-substrate-resolution at
S63: The Police (Synchronicity A&M Records SP-3735 1983-06-17 = STS-7 launch 0d ZERO-DAY-LAUNCH-COINCIDENCE +
SPS: Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum; SPS #106; family Bombycillidae order Passeriformes class
NASA: STS-7 Challenger (NSSDC 1983-059A; SALLY RIDE FIRST AMERICAN WOMAN IN SPACE + FIRST FIVE-CREW SHUTTLE + Crippen CDR 2nd
MUS 1.108
pair with STS-6 Challenger (NASA 1.108): STS-6 first Challenger + first Shuttle EVA Musgrave + Peterson 4h 17m + TDRS-1 IUS recovery + Weitz 2nd
S62: David Bowie (Let's Dance EMI America AML 3029 UK + SO-17093 US 1983-04-14 = STS-6 landing +5d INSIDE strict;
SPS: Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus; SPS #105; FIRST Picidae + first Piciformes
NASA: STS-6 Challenger (NSSDC 1983-026A; FIRST CHALLENGER FLIGHT + FIRST SHUTTLE EVA + TDRS-1 DEPLOYMENT + 6th MOL-transferee
MUS 1.107
pair with STS-5 Columbia (NASA 1.107) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: STS-5’s SHUTTLE-OPERATIONAL-PHASE-AS-DELIVERABLE NEW
S61: Marvin Gaye (Midnight Love Columbia FC 38197 US 1982-11-08 + CBS UK 1982-11-12 DUAL-WINDOW; self-produced;
SPS: American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos; SPS #104; THIRD corvid in cohort following
NASA: STS-5 Columbia (NSSDC 1982-110A; FIRST OPERATIONAL SHUTTLE MISSION + FIRST COMMERCIAL SATELLITE DEPLOYMENT + FIRST
MUS 1.106
pair with STS-4 Columbia (NASA 1.106) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: STS-4’s FINAL-OFT-BEFORE-OPERATIONAL-STATUS-AS-DELIVERABLE
S60: ABC (The Lexicon of Love Neutron Records NTRS 1 UK; UK release 1982-06-21 = STS-4 launch -6d INSIDE strict +
SPS: Northwestern Garter Snake (Thamnophis ordinoides; SPS #103; FIRST Reptilia + first
NASA: STS-4 Columbia (NSSDC 1982-065A; FINAL OFT MISSION + FIRST DoD CLASSIFIED PAYLOAD CIRRIS-1A FAILED + FIRST
MUS 1.105
pair with STS-3 Columbia (NASA 1.105) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: STS-3’s RMS-PAYLOAD-GRAPPLE-AND-REDEPLOY-AS-NEW-DELIVERABLE
S59: Iron Maiden (The Number of the Beast Harvest/Capitol US 1982-03-22 + EMI EMC 3400 UK 1982-03-29;
SPS: Common Raven (Corvus corax; SPS #102; second corvid following Steller’s Jay
NASA: STS-3 Columbia (NSSDC 1982-022A; FIRST RMS PAYLOAD-GRAPPLE-AND-REDEPLOY + FIRST CONTINGENCY LANDING-SITE ACTIVATION +
MUS 1.104
pair with STS-2 Columbia (NASA 1.104) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: STS-2's REUSE-OF-CREWED-ORBITAL-SPACECRAFT NEW LOCKED at v628
S58: OMD (Architecture & Morality Dindisc DIN 6 UK; UK release 1981-11-06 = STS-2 launch -6d INSIDE strict;
SPS: Steller’s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri; SPS #101; FIRST Corvidae + first corvid in
NASA: STS-2 Columbia (NSSDC 1981-110A; FIRST REUSE OF CREWED ORBITAL SPACECRAFT + FIRST RMS CANADARM DEPLOYMENT + FIRST SRB
MUS 1.103
pair with STS-1 Columbia (NASA 1.103) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: STS-1's CREWED-REUSABLE-ORBITAL-VEHICLE-AS-NEW-DELIVERABLE NEW LOCKED at v627 +
S57: The Cure (Faith Fiction Records FIXH 6 UK; UK release 1981-04-14 = STS-1 +2d INSIDE strict; ALBUM-FORM
SPS: Pacific Banana Slug (Ariolimax columbianus; SPS #100 (3-DIGIT BOUNDARY); FIRST
NASA: STS-1 Columbia (NSSDC 1981-034A; FIRST SPACE SHUTTLE FLIGHT + FIRST WINGED REENTRY FROM ORBIT + FIRST REUSABLE CREWED
MUS 1.102
pair with Solar Maximum Mission (NASA 1.102) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: SolarMax's REPAIR-IN-ORBIT-AS-NEW-DELIVERABLE NEW LOCKED at v626 (first
S56: Iron Maiden ("Running Free" / "Burning Ambition" EMI 5032 UK 7" single; UK release 1980-02-08 = SolarMax -6d INSIDE
SPS: Pacific Tree Frog (Pseudacris regilla; SPS #99 PNW; FIRST amphibian + first Anura + first Hylidae in
NASA: Solar Maximum Mission (NSSDC 1980-014A; FIRST SPACE TELESCOPE REPAIRED IN ORBIT (STS-41-C 1984-04-08 to 1984-04-13 by
MUS 1.101
pair with HEAO-3 (NASA 1.101) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: HEADLINE PAIRED-TRIPLE-MISSION-ARCHITECTURE COMPLETION (HEAO-1
S55: Eagles (The Long Run Asylum Records 5E-508; US release 1979-09-24 single unambiguous date; INSIDE-strict at
SPS: Bull Trout (Salvelinus confluentus; SPS #98 PNW; family Salmonidae subfamily Salmoninae order Salmoniformes;
NASA: HEAO-3 (NSSDC 1979-082A; THIRD AND FINAL HEAO SATELLITE + GAMMA-RAY SPECTROSCOPY + COSMIC RAY STUDIES + FIRST GALACTIC
MUS 1.100
pair with HEAO-2 / Einstein Observatory (NASA 1.100) per ESTABLISHED epistemology — FIRST 3-DIGIT NASA DEGREE / DEGREE-100-K-BOUNDARY
S54: Queen (Jazz EMI UK EMC 3280 / Elektra US 6E-166; UK release 1978-11-10 single unambiguous date / US release
SPS: Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus; SPS #97 PNW; Family Troglodytidae Order Passeriformes; Toews & Irwin 2008
NASA: HEAO-2 / Einstein Observatory (NSSDC 1978-103A; FIRST 3-DIGIT NASA DEGREE 1.100 K-BOUNDARY; FIRST
MUS 1.99
pair with ISEE-3 / ICE (NASA 1.99) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: ISEE-3's PAIRED-TRIPLE-MISSION-ARCHITECTURE (NASA-ESA International Sun-Earth
S53: The Who (Who Are You Polydor 2490 147 UK / MCA-3050 US; UK release 1978-08-18 single unambiguous date / US
SPS: Pacific White-Sided Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens; SPS #96 PNW; Family Delphinidae Order Cetacea
NASA: ISEE-3 / ICE (NSSDC 1978-079A; FIRST SPACECRAFT AT EARTH-SUN L1 LAGRANGE POINT + FIRST COMET FLYBY (Comet
MUS 1.98
pair with Pioneer Venus 2 Multiprobe (NASA 1.98) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: Pioneer Venus 2's TWIN-MISSION-PAIR-COMPLETION (sister of Pioneer
S52: Boston (Don't Look Back Epic Records PE 35050; release 1978-08-02 single unambiguous date documented across
SPS: Dungeness Crab (Metacarcinus magister Dana 1852 / pre-recent reclassification Cancer magister; SPS
NASA: Pioneer Venus 2 Multiprobe (NSSDC 1978-078A; also Pioneer 13; SECOND US SPACECRAFT TO ENTER VENUS ATMOSPHERE + FIRST
MUS 1.97
pair with Pioneer Venus 1 Orbiter (NASA 1.97) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: Pioneer Venus 1's TWIN-MISSION-PAIR-CONTINUATION (PV1 + PV2
S51: Kraftwerk (The Man-Machine Kling Klang / EMI Electrola 1C 064-32843 Germany / Capitol ST-11728 US; release
SPS: Pacific Yew (Taxus brevifolia; SPS #94 PNW; family Taxaceae order Pinales class Pinopsida; Nuttall 1848 *The
NASA: Pioneer Venus 1 Orbiter (NSSDC 1978-051A; also Pioneer 12; FIRST US SPACECRAFT TO ORBIT VENUS + FIRST NEAR-COMPLETE
MUS 1.96
pair with Voyager 1 (NASA 1.96) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: Voyager 1's TWIN-MISSION-PAIR-COMPLETION (V1 launched second 1977-09-05 12:56:01
S50: Iggy Pop (Lust for Life RCA Records UK PL-12488 / US AFL1-2488; release 1977-08-29 primary
SPS: Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha; SPS #93 PNW; family Salmonidae order Salmoniformes class
NASA: Voyager 1 (NSSDC 1977-084A; FIRST HUMAN-BUILT OBJECT IN INTERSTELLAR SPACE + MOST DISTANT HUMAN-BUILT OBJECT FROM EARTH
MUS 1.87
pair with Skylab 2 First Crewed Station Mission (NASA 1.87) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: Skylab 2's first-crewed-mission-to-Skylab +
S41: George Harrison (Living in the Material World Apple SMAS-3410 US release 1973-05-30 / Apple PAS 10006 UK
SPS: American Goshawk (Astur atricapillus 2023 AOS species split + 2024 NACC Astur generic move; pre-2023
NASA: Skylab 2 (NSSDC 1973-032A; FIRST CREWED MISSION TO SKYLAB + RESCUE-COMPLETION + FIRST-CREWED-IN-FLIGHT-REPAIR + KERWIN
MUS 1.86
pair with Skylab Station Launch (NASA 1.86) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: Skylab's first-US-space-station + last-Saturn-V-flight (SA-513) + T+63s
S40: Billy Cobham (Spectrum Atlantic SD 7268; recorded 1973-05-14 → 1973-05-16 Electric Lady Studios NYC; release
SPS: Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus picinus; SPS #83 PNW old-growth keystone; family Picidae; ~40-49 cm
NASA: Skylab Station Launch (NSSDC 1973-027A; FIRST US SPACE STATION + LAST SATURN V FLIGHT (SA-513) +
MUS 1.85
pair with Pioneer 11 (NASA 1.85) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: Pioneer 11's first-Saturn-flyby + sister-mission-to-Pioneer-10 +
S40: The Beatles (1962-1966 Apple Records SKBO-3403 "Red Album" + 1967-1970 Apple Records SKBO-3404 "Blue
SPS: Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus; SPS #82 PNW old-growth conifer obligate; auk family Alcidae; ~25cm
NASA: Pioneer 11 (NSSDC 1973-019A; FIRST SATURN FLYBY + SISTER-MISSION-TO-PIONEER-10 + F-RING DISCOVERY + EPIMETHEUS
MUS 1.84
pair with Apollo 17 (NASA 1.84) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: Apollo 17's first-scientist-astronaut LMP role via Schmitt + first crewed-lunar-program
S39: Marvin Gaye (Trouble Man (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), Tamla Records T-322L, US release 1972-12-08;
SPS: Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina; SPS #81 PNW old-growth Douglas-fir / western hemlock / Sitka
NASA: Apollo 17 (NSSDC 1972-096A; FINAL CREWED LUNAR LANDING THROUGH 2026 + FIRST SCIENTIST-ASTRONAUT ON LUNAR SURFACE +
MUS 1.83
pair with Apollo 16 (NASA 1.83) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: Apollo 16's first-highlands-landing + Descartes Formation volcanic-origin hypothesis
S38: Stephen Stills / Manassas (Manassas, Atlantic Records SD 2-903, US release 1972-04-12; UK Atlantic K 60021
SPS: Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus; SPS #80 PNW post-fire conifer-forest population;
NASA: Apollo 16 (NSSDC 1972-031A; FIRST CREWED LANDING IN LUNAR HIGHLANDS + DESCARTES FORMATION VOLCANIC-ORIGIN HYPOTHESIS
MUS 1.82
pair with Pioneer 10 (NASA 1.82) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: Pioneer 10's hyperbolic Earth-departure C3 = 144 km²/s² + asteroid-belt traversal +
S37: Paul McCartney & Wings (Band on the Run, Apple Records SO 3415, US release 1973-12-05; UK Apple PAS 10007
SPS: Sooty Shearwater (Ardenna grisea; SPS #79 PNW pelagic-passage population; ~64,000 km annual circumglobal
NASA: Pioneer 10 (NSSDC 1972-012A; FIRST THROUGH ASTEROID BELT + FIRST JUPITER FLYBY + FIRST SOLAR-SYSTEM-ESCAPE;
MUS 1.81
pair with Apollo 15 (NASA 1.81) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: Apollo 15's J-mission Lunar Roving Vehicle 27.9 km traverse + 67-hour surface stay +
S36: The Who (Who's Next, Decca DL 79182, 1971-08-14; Track Records UK 1971-08-25; producer Glyn Johns; recorded
SPS: American Pika (Ochotona princeps; SPS #78 PNW alpine talus obligate; *O. p. fenisex* Olympic + *O. p.
NASA: Apollo 15 (NSSDC 1971-063A; FIRST LUNAR ROVING VEHICLE; J-mission designation Saturn V SA-510 1971-07-26 13:34 UTC
MUS 1.80
pair with Mariner 9 (NASA 1.80) per ESTABLISHED epistemology: Mariner 9's 167-day Earth-Mars transit + Mariner 8 absorption ↔ Nilsson's 5 prep albums
S36: Harry Nilsson (Nilsson Schmilsson, RCA Victor LSP-4515, 1971-11-11; producer Richard Perry; recorded London
SPS: Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus; SPS #77 Eastern North Pacific population; 16,000-22,000 km annual
NASA: Mariner 9 (NSSDC 1971-051A; FIRST PLANET ORBIT; AC-23 Atlas-Centaur 1971-05-30 22:23 UTC; Mars Orbit Insertion
MUS 1.79 · D15 progressive
pair with Mariner 8 (NASA 1.79) per : Mariner 8 stage-failure tumble at T+265s ↔ Aqualung title-track narrator-collapse-on-stairwell
S36: Jethro Tull (Aqualung, Reprise MS 2035 US 1971-05-03 / Chrysalis CHR 1044 UK 1971-03-19; producer Ian Anderson
SPS: Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris kenyoni; SPS #76 northern subspecies; Pacific marine + kelp-forest substrate;
NASA: Mariner 8 (NSSDC AC-24 / 1971-MARINH; CENTAUR STAGE FAILURE; AC-24 Atlas-Centaur 1971-05-09 01:11 UTC; Centaur
MUS 1.78 · D2 singer
pair with Apollo 14 (NASA 1.78) per : Tapestry's craft-as-quiet-restoration-after-Beatles-era ↔ Apollo 14 mission-completion-after-Apollo-13-failure
S36: Carole King (Tapestry, Ode SP 77009 US 1971-02-10; producer Lou Adler; A&M Studios Hollywood; recorded January
SPS: Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus; SPS #75; old-growth canopy nesting seabird; first PNW species to
NASA: Apollo 14 (NSSDC 1971-008A; FRA MAURO HIGHLANDS; Shepard/Mitchell/Roosa; LM Antares Fra Mauro 1971-02-05; ALSEP-3 + MET
MUS 1.77 · D14 origination Solo
Domain 14 origination: solo debut released within ±7 days of group-dissolution event consolidates fragmentation into reproducible new operating mode;
S36: Paul McCartney (McCartney, Apple APPLE 3363 / SAPPS 1, 1970-04-17 UK / 1970-04-20 US; 13 tracks / 34:23
SPS: Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina; SPS #74 first RAPTOR category exemplar; iconic old-growth
NASA: Apollo 13 (NSSDC 1970-029A; SUCCESSFUL FAILURE + LM-AS-LIFEBOAT; O2 tank #2 explosion T+55h54m53s on 1970-04-13
MUS 1.76 · D13 origination Hard Rock Foundati
Domain 13 origination: genre-defining sophomore consolidates inaugural template into reproducible practice; Page-Plant-Jones-Bonham codify hard-rock
S36: Led Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin II, Atlantic SD 8236 US 1969-10-22; 9 tracks / 41:38 runtime; producer Jimmy Page;
SPS: Pacific Marten (Martes caurina; SPS #73 second MAMMAL exemplar paired-species; sister-species split from
NASA: Apollo 12 (NSSDC 1969-099A; PINPOINT LANDING + SCE-TO-AUX RECOVERY; Intrepid on Ocean of Storms 1969-11-19 06:54:35 UTC
MUS 1.7 · D2 Rhythm & meter
Pulse-time and entrainment: hard-bop pulse-feel, ritual drum entrainment, and stage-separation pulse-timing
S36: Patti Brown
SPS: Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria ritual frame-drum entrainment substrate)
NASA: Explorer S-1 / Explorer 5
MUS 1.8 · D4 Counterpoint
Voice-to-section counterpoint: trombone-against-rhythm, understory-against-overstory, and partial-success-against-rival-success
S36: Julian Priester
SPS: Western Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum understory-vs-overstory vertical-stratum role; 2nd appearance after 1.2)
NASA: Pioneer 1
MUS 1.9 · D6 Timbre & orchestration
Body-resonant instrument timbre: the instrument body as primary timbral surface, staged-decay envelopes, and exposed-substrate signal acoustics
S36: Gary Peacock
SPS: Pacific Madrone (Arbutus menziesii bark-exfoliation cycle + corticular photosynthesis substrate; first Ericaceae in the
NASA: Pioneer 2

About

The MUS series produces one music-theory subject per NASA degree, derived from the triad of NASA mission cadence + S36 Pacific-Northwest artist + SPS regional species acoustic feature. Each MUS degree adds a concept node to the .college/departments/music/ registry, contributing to Cluster-10 Rosetta Music Theory & Performance.

Subject derivation rubric, 12-domain taxonomy, and authoring conventions are normative at _harness/v1.0.0/MUS-CONVENTIONS.md.

Cross-track integration: every MUS degree links bidirectionally to its NASA mission, its ELC electronics-study, and other MUS degrees in the same domain.