To Infinity and Beyond!

Today we see the most important launch of the year, as Lightyear is released in cinemas. A sci-fi action-adventure movie, Lightyear tells the origin story of Buzz Lightyear, the astronaut hero who inspired the toy from the Toy Story movies. Marooned on a hostile planet 4.2 million light-years from Earth, the Space Ranger must find a way home through space and time with a group of ambitious recruits and his charming robot companion cat, Sox. The biggest threat to his mission is Zurg, an imposing presence with a mysterious agenda and an army of ruthless robots.

If you’re watching the film, keep an ear out for a voiceover cameo from British astronaut Tim Peake!

There’s a long history of sending toys into space. The first eleven toys were taken into orbit in April 1985 by space shuttle Discovery. A Slinky, a Yo-Yo, a paddle ball and a toy car were all used as part of a physics demonstration to help show the effects of weightlessness.

Buzz’s space mission was education. NASA partnered with Disney Parks to create interactive games, educational worksheets and special messages from Buzz Lightyear. His mission supported NASA’s goal of engaging students in STEM science, technology, engineering and maths).

NASA also invited students to design a mission patch for Buzz’s flight. Adam Carr (11 years old) won the Buzz Lightyear Mission Patch Design Challenge, and his prize included a family trip to Walt Disney World Resort and a tour of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Space-flownBuzz enjoyed a ticker-tape parade at Walt Disney World Florida in October 2009 and later retired to live in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, US.

© Copyright Emma Doughty 2022 and published on theunconventionalgardener.com. If