In 2008 Buzz Lightyear went somewhere very special – to the International Space Station aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. After his 15-month-long journey, Buzz landed safely back on Earth but his journey hasn’t stopped there. Today, that same Buzz toy that actually flew into the Space Station was donated to the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum (Washington DC).
John Lasseter officially donated the Buzz at this afternoon’s ceremony with a touching speech.
“I started crying when Discovery connected to the International Space Station. There’s a tube that the astronauts go through to get into the space station. They didn’t carry Buzz. They opened his wings, they put his arms out, and Buzz Lightyear flew, in space, himself, up that tube into the International Space Station.” He later mentioned that “Today is, without question, one of the greatest days of my life.”
To read the whole story, head to the Smithsonian’s blog.
I couldn’t imagine how amazing that must have been for John – I would have to think that for a moment John felt like he was in space himself. Congratulations to John and the whole team who worked on Toy Story. Watch the full presentation video from the Air and Space Museum.
