David Bowie's "Space Oddity" was banned from BBC airplay when it was first released in 1969, days before the Apollo 11 moon landing, over concerns about broadcasting a song depicting a doomed space mission at such a sensitive moment. The ban was lifted once the astronauts returned safely, but the episode did not hinder the song's long-term success, and it is now one of Bowie's most iconic tracks.

Despite the BBC's radio ban, one BBC TV team apparently used the song for its own Apollo 11 coverage, seemingly without registering that Major Tom becomes stranded in space. Bowie later said the song was actually inspired by the film "2001: A Space Odyssey" rather than the moon landing. "Space Oddity" was re-released in the US in 1972 and in the UK in 1975, when it finally topped the UK singles chart.