When John Denver Almost Went into Space

When the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced a search for the country’s first civilian astronaut, musician John Denver had a recommendation: himself.

“{I} would gladly trade in my guitar for a few days in space,” he once said.

The “Take Me Home, Country Roads” singer wrote a three-page letter to the space agency detailing why he would be the best fit for what was planned to be a democratization of the space program, which had previously been relegated to highly qualified scientists and aerospace professionals. NASA was serious about a citizen passenger, and so was Denver, who would spend roughly a decade lobbying to take a trip outside the earth’s atmosphere. When he saw his dream evaporating in the States, he sought out another frontier—the Soviet Union.

1. Space Tourism
2. Red Notice

Space Tourism

Born Henry Deutschendorf Jr. in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1943, Denver had always had an innate curiosity about aviation. His father was an Air Force pilot; as a teen, Denver spent plenty of time in his Fort Worth backyard at night, searching for any sign of the recently launched Echo 1 communications satellite. Though he longed to be a professional pilot, poor eyesight weakened his chances, so he pursued his other passion: music. Within a few years of graduation, he was in Los Angeles, and by the 1970s, he was a hugely successful singer and songwriter. Turn on the radio and you were more than likely to hear “Rocky Mountain High,” “Thank God I’m a Country Boy,” or one of his other hits.

Denver enjoyed using that fame to bolster support for aviation and space exploration. In 1980, amid some complaints that the space program was financially wasteful, Denver took the opposing view, insisting that such lofty ambitions led to consumer-level innovation. He even appeared on television in a simulated space shuttle ride.

But Denver wasn’t content with an approximation of that experience. In the early 1980s, NASA began organizing plans to permit civilians on board the eventual launch of their space shuttle, a role they dubbed a “space flight participant.” The agency formed an advisory council to try and assess what kind of citizen might be best suited for the job, which would be created in part to promote the space program. Among the names were actors like Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, authors Norman Mailer and Tom Wolfe, and Denver.

Denver, who had become a licensed private pilot, would later say that he had been involved in creating the program and that he had been selected for the civilian role. “I called them about three years ago and told NASA that you don’t have the funds to do half the programs you want do because you don’t have the support and understanding of the American people,” Denver said in 1986. “You have to do something that connects people with our space effort. You can do that by sending a private citizen up in space, and I volunteer.”

But President Ronald Reagan intervened. He ordered NASA to select a teacher to come aboard the shuttle, which would preempt the “citizen observer” spot Denver had wanted.

High school social studies teacher Christa McAuliffe of New Hampshire was selected from a pool of 10,000 applicants. With six other astronauts, McAuliffe climbed into the Challenger on the morning of January 28, 1986. The spacecraft disintegrated in just 73 seconds, killing everyone on board.

“In a sense, I’m responsible for Christa being there,” Denver said. “That was my flight. I would have been happy to be in her place. Even knowing what happened. I had every opportunity to be there. Obviously, it wasn’t my time yet.”

With the nation mourning, Denver wrote and recorded a song, “Fly for Me,” as a tribute to the Challenger crew. One benefit performance raised $50,000 for the families of those who were lost. But it was far from the end of Denver’s travel plans.

“If given the opportunity, I would go tomorrow and I do hope someday to go into space,” he said, explaining that he would like to write and record a song in orbit or even put on an entire concert.

NASA was not receptive to the idea. But someone else was.

Red Notice

In August 1988, Denver traveled to Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, for a physical and to speak with NASA astronauts. He reportedly arrived late and had a somewhat contentious meeting with officials. His ambition was not to board another shuttle but to negotiate with the Soviet Union: He was looking to be sent into space alongside Russian cosmonauts after further attempts to join a NASA mission had failed.

“I think the country made a mistake when we tried to involve people other than those who are specifically trained for scientific work or have a mission job to do,” J.R. Thomson, director of the Marshall Space Flight Center, said. “It sent out a signal that {the shuttle} was safe enough for everybody and that’s not right. There’s still a lot of risk in the space shuttle and we only have one John Denver. We ought to keep him on the ground for a while.”

Denver got approval from the State Department to pursue his talks with Russia, though some NASA astronauts were vehemently opposed to Americans sharing space flights with Soviets. Denver, however, had a cordial relationship with the country, having made diplomatic appearances, including a 1985 concert tour—the first by an American since 1980—as well as a benefit performance for Chernobyl.

Denver would later state he passed the physical, but there were logistical hurdles beyond his fitness for the journey. The Soviets wanted $10 million to send Denver into space for seven days. He would also have to learn Russian, train near Moscow for one year, and become proficient in operating a jet.

Denver seemed undeterred. The exorbitant price tag, he said, might be waived with the help of a friend who could maneuver through Russian politics. His goal was to broadcast a television special from the space station Mir.

“I want to talk to children all over the world,” Denver said. “I think the next step is to have some experience of us as a human family and a global community. And maybe my flight could be a sign of that kind of experience.”

Again, there was an obstacle, but this time, it wasn’t Reagan. Denver intended to make the trip in 1989 but his wife got pregnant. “I let all of that go to be with my wife during her pregnancy and the birth of our child,” he said. “I don’t know if I have the energy to get the ball rolling again.”

Denver still welcomed some degree of aviation risk. On October 12, 1997, the 53-year-old singer was piloting an amateur-built experimental aircraft when he lost control after attempting to switch gas tanks. He crashed into Monterey Bay and perished. According to a National Transportation Safety Board investigation, Denver had bought the plane just two weeks prior to the accident and had little experience with it. The NTSB ruled that the plane’s builder had put the fuel switch in a hard-to-reach location, forcing Denver into an awkward position to use it—one that prompted him to press on the rudder and causing the plane to spin.

While he never achieved his dream of space travel, Denver might have taken solace in the fact that he was an advocate for the country’s space program. In addition to being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Denver received the NASA Public Service medal for his contributions to raising awareness of space exploration.

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