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Ron Garan Jr. sings ‘The Space Station Blues’ in space

Last summer, astronaut Ron Garan, Jr., learned that his stay on the International Space Station was being extended by up to two months.

"When I heard the news of the delay, I knew that this would delay not only my homecoming and post-mission plans, but it would also upset the schedule of many people on our ground control teams all over the world. Many hard earned vacations would need to be canceled, and many additional hours of work would be required to re-plan activities," Garan, 50, wrote on his website.

To keep the mood light — and to "poke fun at the situation" — Garan posted a fun YouTube video of him singing the blues from the Soyuz spacecraft "that will take him home."

"Got those space station blues, don't know what I'm gonna do…"

After living in space for more than five months, Garan is back on Earth, giving speeches and multimedia presentations about his stay aboard the International Space Station.

"What I want you to understand is you can accomplish anything you set your mind on, absolutely nothing is impossible," Garan told high-school students in Yonkers, New York, on March 14th. "I want you to help spread the word that we really need students to study science, technology, engineering and math."

SpaceRef reports that Garan, a retired colonel in the U.S. Air Force, has now logged 178 days in space which include "more than 27 hours accrued during four spacewalks."

"Education outreach is a big part of what we do at NASA. Just the fact that we are flying in space and the amazing things we are doing in space are very inspiring. I know when I was a kid I was inspired by the space program," Digital Journal quotes Garan.