Pigs in Space: Space Shuttle Columbia



In 1981, as part of NASA's morning wake-up call tradition, the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia, during mission STS-2, were greeted by Pigs in Space on two consecutive mornings. Specially recorded by the Muppet performers for this occasion, two separate comedy routines were heard, one on the morning of November 13, and another on November 14.

The sketches were written by Jerry Juhl and featured the regular Pigs in Space cast — Captain Link Hogthrob, First Mate Piggy, and Dr. Julius Strangepork — making their typical bad jokes and puns. Five scripts were written with input from a group of astronauts, and specifically mentioned mission commander Joe H. Engle and pilot Richard H. Truly. At mission control, astronaut Sally Ride was privy to these broadcasts; she would later fly in space and appear on Sesame Street.