A 'Gorilla' Was Once Smuggled To The International Space Station — The Prank Sent An Astronaut Scrambling

Astronauts are popular for their resilience, intelligence, and ability to handle extreme conditions in space. However, they are also human, and a little humor can go a long way in making the vast abyss of space feel more like home. A few moments capture this emotion better than when astronaut Scott Kelly, who spent almost a year aboard the International Space Station (ISS), was caught floating in a weird-looking suit. This wasn’t a case of NASA sending jungle-themed research into orbit—it was a well-thought prank, courtesy of Scott and his equally mischievous twin brother, Mark Kelly, according to My Modern Met.

One must be living under a rock if they haven’t heard of the infamous 'space gorilla.' It all began when Mark, a retired NASA astronaut, wanted to surprise his brother during his nearly year-long mission in space. Scott recalled, "I was on the phone with my brother one day, and he said, 'Hey, I'm sending you a gorilla suit,' And I said, 'Why?' And he goes, 'Because there's never been a gorilla in space before.'" No, it was not a herculean task; with Mark’s steadfast determination, the suit was vacuum-packed and sent aboard a SpaceX resupply mission to the ISS. The first attempt to send this iconic costume failed when the cargo ship exploded in June 2015, but Mark was unbothered and unfazed. He simply sent another suit, and this time, it landed successfully, stated People magazine.

Once the gorilla suit was on board, Scott decided to cash in on it. In a hilarious video that went viral like wildfire, he emerged from a storage bag and began chasing British astronaut Tim Peake down the ISS corridors while the Benny Hill theme played in the background. The scene was a chef’s kiss when talking about the comedy in microgravity. Scott later confessed, "That's all staged. That's why he's floating around, swimming in air, we wanted it to look funny." Moreover, Scott exclaimed, "Of course people liked it. How can you not like space gorilla?...surprised it made the rounds of the internet again after all these years," stated People magazine.

This was not over yet. Scott took full advantage of his brand-new costume, sneaking up on unsuspecting astronauts who had no idea that a gorilla had infiltrated their orbital home. In one stunning move, he hid inside a fellow mate’s sleeping quarters and jumped out in full gorilla mode. He recalled, "When he went to open the door, I busted out of there, and afterward, I was a little worried that I could have given him a heart attack or something…I floated down to the Russian segment…When they saw it, they were just laughing like you wouldn't believe," stated People magazine.

Scott even recorded an education clip in the gorilla suit, solidifying his belief that laughter and curiosity go hand in hand. As for the fate of the iconic gorilla suit? It didn’t make it back to Earth. Scott ensured it was disposed of with the station’s trash. Scott quipped, "I didn't want to be responsible for what anyone else would do with a gorilla suit in space."