'The Moon and More' NASA LRO music video

Space meets "The Voice" in a new music video about Earth's nearest celestial neighbor — the moon.

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland has collaborated with singer/songwriter Matt Cusson and Javier Colon — season one winner of NBC's "The Voice" — on a new song inspired by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission.

The song and music video, entitled "The Moon and More," focuses on the inspirational nature of studying the moon — the cornerstone to learning more about the solar system — and how LRO has ushered in a new era of lunar science.

"I wanted to create a unique production for the LRO mission that centered around music as a way to engage kids, parents and educators," said NASA Goddard video producer David Ladd. "A major focus was also to convey an important and encouraging message to kids, particularly children of color — that nothing is beyond their reach. You can achieve the goals you set and take yourself to places you never thought possible — just as NASA has done in going back to the moon with LRO and its continued journey into the solar system."

When Ladd first approached Cusson and Colon about his idea, they immediately jumped at the opportunity.

"This project brought me back to when I was a kid watching NASA launch the shuttle missions," Colon said. "Every kid at some point wants to fly, and I think that dream has a lot to do with NASA's exploration of space and discoveries."

"It was exciting to have this chance to work with NASA," Cusson said. "As a musician, you don't usually think that this is something you could do. But I was honored to offer up my skills and music, and to bring the worlds of science and music together."

Since its launch on June 18, 2009, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has collected a vast amount of data, contributing to our knowledge about Earth's moon. The LRO mission team believes "The Moon and More" will have a lasting impact.

"A number of us working on LRO have had something inspire us to pursue careers in science and engineering," said LRO Deputy Project Scientist Noah Petro at Goddard. "This video serves as an opportunity to inspire future generations to follow their dreams into the sciences or the arts."

Filming locations included the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York; the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.; the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford; the Hartt School of the University of Hartford in Connecticut; and the "Living on Mars" mural in the Bronx, New York. The mural is a collaboration between NASA and CITYarts, Inc., a non-profit public art organization.