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Skrillex Has Close Encounter with NASA's Johnson Space Center

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Skrillex at NASA's Johnson Space Center
Recording artist Skrillex experiences virtual reality during his visit to NASA's Johnson Space Center. Image released May 8, 2013. (Image credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center Twitter (@NASA_Johnson))

What is Skrillex doing at NASA's Johnson Space Center? The dub-step musical sensation (known for his hit "Bangarang") has been sharing his experiences from the home of the space agency's astronaut corps and Mission Control by posting pictures, videos and messages on Twitter today (May 8).

NASA officials also posted about Skrillex's visit from the Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) Twitter page. The musician hung around to see astronauts training in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (the largest indoor pool in the world), and NASA officials let Skrillex (@Skrillex) participate in a virtual training mission using the space center's virtual reality lab. The recording artist even had lunch with Mike Massimino (@Astro_Mike), the first NASA astronaut to send a tweet from space.

Famous musicians, movie stars and public officials have visited Johnson Space Center before, but the tours aren't usually publicized, NASA officials have said. Skrillex's trip simply serves as a reminder that even the hippest people on Earth can still be space geeks at heart.

NASA astronaut Mike Massimino shows recording artist Skrillex the inside of a mock up of a space shuttle. Image released May 8, 2013 (Image credit: Johnson Space Center Twitter (@NASA_Johnson))

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Miriam Kramer
Miriam Kramer
Staff Writer

Miriam Kramer joined Space.com as a Staff Writer in December 2012. Since then, she has floated in weightlessness on a zero-gravity flight, felt the pull of 4-Gs in a trainer aircraft and watched rockets soar into space from Florida and Virginia. She also served as Space.com's lead space entertainment reporter, and enjoys all aspects of space news, astronomy and commercial spaceflight.  Miriam has also presented space stories during live interviews with Fox News and other TV and radio outlets. She originally hails from Knoxville, Tennessee where she and her family would take trips to dark spots on the outskirts of town to watch meteor showers every year. She loves to travel and one day hopes to see the northern lights in person. Miriam is currently a space reporter with Axios, writing the Axios Space newsletter. You can follow Miriam on Twitter.