According to NASA, we’re expected to get an astronaut to Mars sometime in the 2030s. That means that the first men and women on Mars would be preschoolers now. And that means that those astronauts are probably currently Sesame Street viewers.
NASA and Sesame Workshop are teaming up for a new effort to raise awareness in the space program for kids. Among the events planned are a live appearance by Elmo at Cape Canaveral for the launch of the Orion spacecraft, special space-themed comics and videos being released to Sesame’s social media sites, and (best of all) an assortment of items belonging to the Sesame Street characters will go along on the Orion spacecraft. Cookie Monster is sending a box of cookies (I wouldn’t be surprised if NASA finds themselves with an empty box and a few stray crumbs), Ernie is sending his Rubber Duckie, Super Grover’s cape, and best of all, Slimey is stowing away and will be heading back into space.
You may remember the last time Slimey went into space, when Tony Bennett sang “Slimey to the Moon”. Portions of the 11-episode arc are on YouTube, and we totally recommend revisiting them below.
The Orion spacecraft is an unmanned test vehicle that will be launched into space, orbit the earth twice, travel 3,600 miles, and then splash down in the Pacific ocean. This is the first big step toward sending actual human beings to Mars. But for now, the fate of the project lies in the hands of a tiny worm. If he had hands, that is.
Orion will be launched on December 4th, and Elmo will be there to send Slimey off. This is one small step for man, and one giant leap for wormkind!
And let’s all remember: Mars is way cooler than the moon.
Click here to expect Slimey to meet a Yip Yip Martian on the ToughPigs forum!
by Joe Hennes – Joe@ToughPigs.com
