Does the i in iTunes now stand for interstellar ?

The songs of the Beatles have always enjoyed a global appeal. Now one of their songs is to be beamed into the galaxy. Nasa will be broadcasting the song, "Across the Universe", through the transmitters of its deep space communications network on Monday - the 40th anniversary of its recording. The music will be converted into digital data and sent on a 431 light year-journey towards Polaris, the North Star. The event also commemorates the space agency's 50th anniversary. Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, who co-wrote the song with John Lennon, said he was excited by the project. "Well done Nasa," he said. "Send my love to the aliens."

Martin Lewis, a Los Angeles-based former producer of Beatles DVDs who came up with the idea, it would be fun trying to collect the royalties."We don't know if there's life out there, but I'd like to think the US government wouldn't be spending taxpayers' money on this if there was no hope," he said.

This is the first time any music has been transmitted deep into the cosmos. Nasa will encrypt the song and beam it into space from its Madrid transmitter on Monday at the start of a 2.5 quadrillion-mile trip to Polaris, where it will finally arrive in the year 2439.

Hmm I can see the timeline unfurling....

• 4 February 2008. Song encoded and beamed towards Polaris

• 3 February 2439, song arrives at Zarquon 2 in the Polaris system. And is downloaded on to planetary P2P system N’yahpz’tah.

• 4 February 2349 RIAA battle fleet execute 34 teenage Zarquonians for copyright infringement and threaten planetary destruction if there are further infractions.