Astronaut, author, professional football player, and STEM educator Leland Melvin was born #OTD in 1964.

Astronaut, author, professional football player, and STEM educator Leland Melvin was born #OTD in 1964.

Here he is in the greatest photo ever produced by the US space program.

Image: NASA

@mcnees Those are happy dogs. I want to see them floating around in the ISS.

Astronaut, author, professional football player, and STEM educator Leland Melvin was born #OTD in 1964.

Here he is in the greatest photo ever produced by the US space program.

Image: NASA

@mike805 @mcnees

strictly scientific of course

"Effect of Tail Wagging on Weightlessness, and Canine Locomotion in 0G for Thrown Treat Retrieval"

@benroyce @mcnees I'd love to see how a cat and a dog adapted to zero G. I think they had mice or rats in a cage once, no? Did they learn to push off and fly around?

@mike805 @mcnees

i think cats would freak out, but dogs would love it

however, "the morning walk" would not be any fun

Astronaut, author, professional football player, and STEM educator Leland Melvin was born #OTD in 1964.

Here he is in the greatest photo ever produced by the US space program.

Image: NASA

@benroyce @mcnees Yes, the potty problem is difficult even for humans in space. Too bad because it would get the whole world watching NASA if you had a pet up there.

Astronaut, author, professional football player, and STEM educator Leland Melvin was born #OTD in 1964.

Here he is in the greatest photo ever produced by the US space program.

Image: NASA

Astronaut, author, professional football player, and STEM educator Leland Melvin was born #OTD in 1964.

Here he is in the greatest photo ever produced by the US space program.

Image: NASA

Astronaut, author, professional football player, and STEM educator Leland Melvin was born #OTD in 1964.

Here he is in the greatest photo ever produced by the US space program.

Image: NASA

Astronaut, author, professional football player, and STEM educator Leland Melvin was born #OTD in 1964.

Here he is in the greatest photo ever produced by the US space program.

Image: NASA

Astronaut, author, professional football player, and STEM educator Leland Melvin was born #OTD in 1964.

Here he is in the greatest photo ever produced by the US space program.

Image: NASA

@mcnees
I love this photo

@AndorianSoup @mcnees Earthrise, pale blue dot, happy dogs, first footprint, it's tricky to know which is the most fundamental human image.

Except it's the dogs. I have a theory that wolves domesticated us just as much as we domesticated them, hence we behave more like pack animals than apes somtimes.

@mcnees @_thegeoff
Oh absolutely. Have you looked into the eyes of a hungry Labrador while you're trying to eat dinner? That is intense domestication of humans right there

@AndorianSoup @mcnees I grew up, from a baby, with a lab/German shepherd cross (we think), it's possible that dog taught me more about interacting with humans than my parents did.

Astronaut, author, professional football player, and STEM educator Leland Melvin was born #OTD in 1964.

Here he is in the greatest photo ever produced by the US space program.

Image: NASA

Astronaut, author, professional football player, and STEM educator Leland Melvin was born #OTD in 1964.

Here he is in the greatest photo ever produced by the US space program.

Image: NASA

@mike805 @benroyce @mcnees Never forget dogs got to space before humans.