Ricky Arnold

File:Ricky Arnold NASA Astronaut Sesame Street

Richard Robert "Ricky" Arnold II (b.1963) is an American astronaut for NASA who flew in space on Space Shuttle Discovery in 2009.

In 2014, Arnold appeared on StarTalk with Elmo in advance of the Orion Flight Test.

Upon Orion's return from space, he appeared in a series of videos posted to Sesame Street’s Facebook pages on July 9, 2015. He and Ernie sit on the stoop of 123 Sesame Street with a metal NASA briefcase containing Rubber Duckie. Ernie is pleased to be reunited with him and paraphrases Star Trek: "he's been where no duckie has been before!" Arnold also brings back an Earth-orbited cookie to Cookie Monster that he promptly eats, and returns Grover's Super Grover cape, tying it around his neck.

Arnold with Ernie and Bert