Hello Kitty in Space
Toys are fun. Toys in space are not only fun, but amazing. Take a look at some of the craziest space missions by toys in this gallery, starting with Japan's iconic Hello Kitty.
To celebrate the cat's 40th anniversary, Sanrio Co., Ltd. sent Hello Kitty to space in June 2014 on the small satellite Hodoyoshi 3. The mission has a 1.6-inch Hello Kitty figure perched near a small window that looks out on Earth below. A small display over the window will show messages from Earth. Read the Full Story.
Hello Kitty in Space: 40th Anniversary
Messages beamed to Earth from space by Hello Kitty during its 40th anniversary space mission can be in either English or Japanese, as seen here in a photo released by Sanrio Co., Ltd. on Aug. 12, 2014.
Hello Kitty Near-Space Balloon Flight
Hello Kitty's 2014 space mission isn't the cat doll's first brush with space travel. In 2013, California seventh grader Lauren Rojas launched her Hello Kitty into the stratosphere using a high-altitude balloon.
LEGO Space Shuttle in Stratosphere
Raul Oaida launched the Lego model 3367 attached to a helium balloon from central Germany and it reached a maximum altitude of nearly 115,000 feet. [Watch the Video]
LEGO Space Station on Real Space Station
Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa poses with the LEGO model of the International Space Station that he built on board the real space station.
Don Pettit and Angry Birds Game Aboard the ISS
NASA astronaut and International Space Station flight engineer Don Pettit demonstrates microgravity using characters from "Angry Birds."
Buzz Lightyear Returns
Disney's space ranger Buzz Lightyear returned from space on Sept. 11, aboard space shuttle Discovery's STS-128 mission after 15 months aboard the International Space Station.
Buzz Lightyear in Space
Buzz Lightyear floats aboard the International Space Station during his 468 day mission.
Buzz Lightyear With Astronauts
Video screen capture of Buzz Lightyear on orbit with fellow crewmembers Greg Chamitoff and Mike Fincke.
Buzz Lightyear With Fish in Bubble
Video screen capture of Buzz Lightyear on ISS with the fish that don’t require a fish bowl.
Lego Man in Space
This still from a video uploaded to YouTube by Toronto 17-year-olds Mathew Ho and Asad Muhammad shows their homemade balloon launch of a Lego minifigure into the stratosphere to catch views of near space.
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