Jamming and astrophysics* go hand-in-hand for Queen lead guitarist Brian May, who announced last week he is releasing a musical tribute to a far-flung NASA* spacecraft that made history yesterday.

The U.S. space agency’s New Horizon’s spacecraft made the most distant flyby of a cosmic object ever, zipping by an object called “Ultima Thule” — 1.6 billion kilometers beyond Pluto.

A NASA scientist involved with the mission asked the legendary British guitarist, who also holds a doctorate in astrophysics, to contribute some music to play as the flyby occurs. And May, 71, agreed.

The “New Horizons” track is his first solo single since 1998. “This project has energized me in a new way,” May said. “For me it’s been an exciting challenge to bring two sides of my life together — astronomy and music.”

May says Alan Stern from the Southwest Research Institute approached him in May about writing a special song. “I was inspired by the idea that this is the furthest that the hand of man has ever reached — it will be by far the most distant object we have ever seen at close quarters*, through the images which the space craft will beam back* to Earth.”

Portions of the wailing guitar track, overlaid with the voice of the late legendary scientist Stephen Hawking, are already available on www.brianmay.com.

New Horizons completed a successful flyby of Pluto three years ago, and returned stunning images of the dwarf planet.

(SD-Agencies)