... While the idea of upbeat pop songs that are rich in science content might seem incongruous, a rocking band of techies with deep roots in the space science and education communities has melded music and science into the classroom-friendly AstroCappella Project. ... Alan Smale, Business Manager for the Chromatics is a NASA astronomer . ... In a conversation with fellow Chromatic Alan Smale, I brought up, almost as a joke, the idea of writing songs about astronomy and going for one of these grants. ...