Astronaut Launches Into Space with Forest Service's Smokey Bear

When a former American school teacher, a veteran Russian space station commander, and a rookie Russian cosmonaut launched toward the International Space Station Monday, their fiery blastoff was not without a touch of irony: The trio rode a pillar of flame into orbit while carrying a toy mascot known for promoting fire safety. NASA astronaut Joe Acaba and cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Sergei Revin launched with Smokey (the) Bear, a toy of the mascot used by the U.S. Forest Service to promote awareness of the dangers of human-started fires. The astronaut and cosmonauts lifted off atop a Russian Soyuz TMA-04M at 11:01 p.m. EDT (0301 GMT/9:01 a.m. local time on May 15) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The launch began the crew's four-month stay in space. Flying — and floating — above the crewmates' heads was the small Smokey toy, continuing a Russian custom for the crew to select a talisman and "zero-g indicator" to hang from the spacecraft's control panel. The toy began to float once they reached orbit, providing a visual clue that they were weightless and safely in space...more