On April 2, astronauts from the 1986 Space Shuttle Columbia Mission MAX Q Rock Band will perform with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra at the orchestra’s annual Springs Concert in Longwood, Florida. The band will perform during a Jeans ‘n Classics concert led by Music Director Christopher Confessore featuring the music of Journey and Queen; the concert was postponed from January 2021 due to the pandemic. Formed in 1987, Max Q is a Houston-based rock band whose members are all astronauts. Its members include Brewster Shaw, Robert L. Gibson, and George Nelson. “Max Q” is the space engineering term for the maximum level of dynamic pressure from the atmosphere experienced by an ascending spacecraft. The orchestra will also host a pre-concert event on April 1 at The Plaza Live in Orlando for students from the University of Florida, University of Central Florida, University of South Florida, Bethune Cookman University, as well as high school students from Orange County Public Schools. At the pre-concert event, former astronauts will speak with Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator and former U.S. Senator and payload specialist on the 1986 Space Shuttle Columbia Mission.
