David Bowie’s astronaut persona is named Major Tom, a fictional spacefarer who appears throughout his work and symbolizes themes of isolation, addiction, and disconnection from reality.

Name and origin

• The persona is called Major Tom, introduced in the 1969 single “Space Oddity,” which tells the story of an astronaut who loses contact with Ground Control and drifts away from Earth.

• The character’s debut coincided with the late‑1960s space race, using the imagery of a lone astronaut to tap into both excitement and anxiety about space travel.

Role in Bowie’s songs

• Major Tom reappears in later Bowie tracks such as “Ashes to Ashes,” where he is referenced as a figure associated with addiction and being “strung out,” turning the astronaut into a metaphor for self‑destructive escapism.

• Visual and lyrical callbacks to a dead or lost astronaut in Bowie’s final-era work, including the “Blackstar” video, are widely interpreted as allusions to Major Tom’s ultimate fate and to Bowie reflecting on his own legacy.

Cultural impact

• Major Tom has become one of rock’s most famous recurring characters, inspiring covers, tributes, and references in other media and even puzzle clues that define him directly as “David Bowie’s astronaut persona.”

• The persona helped cement Bowie’s image as a visionary artist who used science fiction and space imagery to explore human vulnerability, alienation, and the desire to escape an overwhelming world.