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Two of the most popular Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocket Raccoon and Groot, will be featured on an upcoming official NASA patch. The space cadets were chosen by the Space Agency because they are the embodiment of the qualities that every good astronaut should possess.
CASIS, or the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, an organization that manages NASA’s National Laboratory, teamed up with Marvel Custom Solutions in order to create the design of the new patch. The symbol will be used during every mission that will carry a payload to the national laboratory located on the ISS.
The official announcement was made during the Marvel panel at San Diego Comic-Con that took place this July 22nd.
“It’s exciting for us because this is hopefully the beginning of something that goes beyond just the mission patch. A little bit later this year we hope to unveil an upcoming STEM initiative that is going to be focused on these particular characters.”
For those of you who are a little bit rusty with your Marvel trivia, Rocket Raccoon and Groot are members of the Guardians of the Galaxy team, an elite assembly of worthy soldiers that keep the galaxy safe from threats such as Thanos, Galactus, and other villains.
Groot is a sentient tree being that resembles Tolkien’s ents in some ways. The character is only capable of saying “I am Groot,” his inflections changing every time, only Rocket Raccoon being able to understand what the mighty tree was trying to transmit.
Rocket Raccoon is, as the name suggests, a genetically modified raccoon. Originally he was an ordinary mammal until a group of scientists mounted special prosthetics on him, altering his genetic sequence so that he could walk and talk like humans.
The two characters worked together as bounty hunters, Rocket Raccoon being the brains and Groot the muscles of the operation. However, upon meeting with the three other members of the vigilante team and managing to deflect a major Kree attack on a central planet, they became the Guardians of the Galaxy.
“These are characters who have a bit of a space background, to begin with. So both of those characters already embody some of the characteristics associated with what’s happening on the space station.”
What do you think about the fact that Rocket Raccoon and Groot will be featured on an official NASA patch? Do you think Stan Lee will make a cameo at the launch of the first mission?
Image source: Flickr
