On This Day in 1969, David Bowie Released the Breakout Hit That Soundtracked the Moon Landing and Was Later Covered by an Astronaut

On July 11, 1969, David Bowie released 'Space Oddity' as his record labels capitalized on anticipated global interest in the Apollo 11 mission. When the BBC selected the track as background music for its moon landing coverage nine days later, the gambit paid off, propelling the song to number five o…