Making Fetch Happen
SpaceX and NASA launched yet another crew of astronauts to the International Space Station today — and crews back on the ground chose to take advantage of the momentous occasion to inject some much-needed levity in the form of a “Mean Girls” reference.
“And while October 3 may belong to the Mean Girls, October 5 will forever belong to Crew 5,” SpaceX ground control told crew members shortly after stage separation, a reference to the 2004 hit comedy “Mean Girls.”
“Godspeed, Endurance,” he added.
The joke served to break down the fourth wall a little; a refreshing reminder of the human beings at SpaceX who make a highly complicated procedure like launching astronauts into space possible.
The Limit Does Not Exist
It was a surprising moment that had onlookers taken aback. “Did they just reference ‘Mean Girls?'” NASASpaceFlight‘s Chris Bergin said incredulously during a livestream of the event.
In case you’re not clued in, it’s a popular reference to an otherwise innocuous moment in the movie, in which Jonathan Bennett’s character Aaron Samuels asks Lindsay Lohan’s character Cady Heron what day it is — a scene that has since been turned into a meme and a yearly celebration.
In short, it’s exactly the kind of tongue-in-cheek break from procedure we’ve come to expect from Elon Musk’s portfolio.
And while we can’t help cringing a little bit at the movie reference, it’s a harmless joke — and we’re here for it.
More on the launch: SpaceX Launches Russian Cosmonaut to ISS Despite Nuclear War Threats