Axehole

It’s WTF Friday, and you know what that means: Axehole’s bringing you the most unusual news from this week in music.

This week’s entry is out of this world. China plans to transmit 30 pieces of Chinese music to the Earth from its first lunar satellite, set to be launched next year.

The Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense said on Friday that it is seeking recommendations from the public on which tunes to play in a bid to increase public awareness of China’s space program.

People will get to choose from a list of 150 songs, which includes music from the country’s 56 ethnic groups, pop music from the mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong and opera soundtracks. The final results will be made public in October, said the center.

Huang Qiang, spokesperson of the commission, said the satellite project was approved by the Chinese central authorities in 2004 as part of the three-stage Chang’e Program. The program, named “Chang’e” after the legendary Chinese goddess who flew to the moon, aims to eventually place an unmanned vehicle on the moon by 2010.

The lunar satellite is designed to obtain 3D images of the lunar surface, analyze the content of useful elements and materials, and probe the depth of the lunar soil and the space environment between the earth and the moon. It will orbit the moon for one year.