Andreas “Andy” Mogensen, Denmark’s first astronaut, celebrated the midpoint of his second mission on the International Space Station by showcasing his zero-gravity spinning skills alongside a popular Danish comic strip character. Mogensen, who has spent 90 days in space on a planned six-month stay, connected with children at the Tivoli Gardens amusement park in Copenhagen for a live video downlink organized by the European Space Agency (ESA). This event coincided with the 72nd birthday of Rasmus Klump, a well-known Danish mascot character.
Mogensen brought a plush doll of Rasmus Klump to the space station, describing the cartoon character as “inquisitive and exploring the world, just like astronauts.” During the live video, children at the park asked Mogensen to see if Rasmus Klump could out-spin him in zero gravity. Mogensen playfully obliged, setting the toy bear tumbling head over feet in the European Columbus laboratory, while also performing some slow somersaults himself to avoid disrupting the module’s equipment.
Created in 1951 by Carla and Vilhelm Hansen, Rasmus Klump is distinguished by his red dungarees and blue cap, traveling with friends aboard a boat to explore their surroundings. Mogensen compared his curiosity about the world to that of Rasmus Klump, noting that the character always maintains a friendly and open-minded outlook during adventures.
In addition to showcasing zero-gravity acrobatics, Mogensen answered questions from the children at the Tivoli Gardens. Topics ranged from extracting water from meteors in space to the construction of the International Space Station, which Mogensen explained was assembled piece by piece over 12 to 13 years. He also shared his lifelong fascination with space exploration, which was sparked by learning about NASA’s Apollo missions to the moon at a young age.
During his mission, Mogensen also launched a plush three-toed sloth named “Sasha” as a “zero-gravity indicator” chosen by his children. His engaging and playful activities in space have captured the imagination of the public and served to inspire the next generation of space enthusiasts.
