The funkiest UFO in the galaxy is about to land in Chocolate City.

The Mothership - the iconic stage prop made famous by legendary funk collective Parliament-Funkadelic - has been acquired by the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture where it will help anchor a permanent music exhibition when the museum opens its doors in 2015.

"I'm about to cry!" Parliament-Funkadelic frontman George Clinton said over the phone from his home in Tallahassee on Wednesday. "They're taking the Mothership! They're shipping it out! . . . But I'm glad it's going to have a nice home there."

It isn't the original Mothership. This 1,200-pound aluminum spacecraft was built in the mid-'90s - an indistinguishable replica, Clinton says, of the smoke-spewing stage prop he first introduced to slack-jawed funk fans in 1976.

Casper the Funky Ghost or Bootzilla, Bootsy's alter egos, will drop some P-Funk science on those disciples who really crave it. A staunch believer in the credo, "A groove is a terrible thing to waste," the rhinestone funk star has created an intense curriculum of lectures, lessons, and exercises on bass-guitar-playing techniques for intermediate or advanced players that can be accessed through streaming video with available tablature downloads.

Bootsy, whose spiritual space calling resulted in him becoming a standout band member of the '70s Parliament-Funkadelic, has also enlisted the help of some bass-legend guest professors, whose names remain under wraps.

The courses offer everything that a typical online class would provide, even practical testing. Funk wannabees can also access office hours, where their questions will be addressed online.

The Funk University begins July 1. Enrollment will be on a first-come first-serve basis. Pricing has not yet been released.