These are the 28 songs that make astronaut Scott Kelly feel less alone while traveling through space

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Scott Kelly

Maxim Zmeyev/Reuters

Scott Kelly recently broke the record for most time spent in space by a US astronaut, logging his 383rd day aboard the International Space Station. He's also on pace to break another record on October 29th, when he spends his 216th consecutive day orbiting the earth - the most in a row.

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For many people, this seems like a dream. The idea of floating up in space, where so few people in the history of the world have ever been, is intoxicating. But it can, of course, get intensely lonely, Kelly says.

"A year really is a long time…a long time to never be able to go outside, or feel the sun on your face, or to see your family through anything besides a computer screen," he muses.

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And one of the ways he stays connected to the world below is through music.

"When living in a place isolated from the rest of the world like here aboard the International Space Station, [music] becomes more significant," he tells Spotify.

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Kelly has created a playlist that reflects his space journey so far. It spans many genres, but there is a contemplative wistfulness that runs through it. It's not hard to imagine listening to these songs as you stare across the void back at your home planet.

And to be honest, it's a bit dorky - the kind of earnest emotion unconcerned with looking cool.

Here are the tracks, which Kelly suggests you listen to in order:

  1. Stay - Jasmine Thompson
  2. Lose Yourself - Eminem
  3. Feel This Moment - Pitbull and Christina Aguilera
  4. Speed of Sound - Coldplay
  5. These Are Days - 10,000 Maniacs
  6. Hazy Shade of Winter - The Bangles
  7. Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
  8. Fire And Rain - James Taylor
  9. Imagine - John Lennon
  10. Lights - Ellie Goulding
  11. Black - Pearl Jam
  12. Dark Horse - Katy Perry and Juicy J
  13. In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel
  14. Just Like Heaven - The Cure
  15. Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
  16. Leader of The Band - Dan Fogelberg
  17. Babylon - David Gray
  18. Hotel California - Eagles
  19. Adagio for Strings - Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, and the New York Philharmonic
  20. The Promise - Michael Nyman
  21. Sunrise - Norah Jones
  22. A Thousand Years - Christina Perri
  23. Landslide - Fleetwood Mac
  24. Wide Open Spaces - Dixie Chicks
  25. Time To Say Goodbye (Con Te Partiro) - Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli
  26. Brand New Day - Sting
  27. Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down
  28. Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen