I have to say, I’m totally in favor of launching billionaires into space. I’m less on board with letting them come back.
Ritchie Blackmore claims the riff was inspired by the “Batman” theme song. It closed the band’s 1972 “Machine Head” LP and, at an extended 20 minutes or so, the main portion of their concerts.
As with many space-themed rock songs, it was covered by Capt. Kirk himself on one of his several forays into popular music.