English: Col. Jason Fettig leads “The President’s Own” Marine Band in a performance inside the acoustic test chamber at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, on May 3. Goddard invited the U.S. Marine Band to perform inside the acoustics chamber, a room that replicates the harsh sound environment of a rocket launch by blasting sound waves at a spacecraft to make sure it can withstand the journey into orbit. The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, and ocean Ecosystem (PACE) spacecraft was put to the test inside this chamber ahead of its launch in 2024.

(Credit: NASA Goddard/Katherine Mellos)

Alt: The US Marine Band performs inside a beige chamber, seen from outside the room. Two massive metal doors stand open, showing that they are each several inches thick. The band are all dressed in military dress, with red jackets with white epaulets, gold buttons, and black trim, and navy blue pants with red trim. The conductor, standing on a platform, is facing away from the camera, in an all-navy version of the dress uniforms. He is holding a baton in his right hand and has it raised along with his left hand, in the midst of directing the band. All members of the band are wearing bulky black ear protection. They are all playing instruments and looking at black music stands.