The Worldwide Area Station (ISS) has been constantly occupied for the reason that yr 2000, in accordance with NASA, and a lot of astronauts have had their birthday whereas on board.

However simply because an astronaut is in area does not imply they can not have some enjoyable on their birthdays, and through the years some wacky celebrations have taken place.

The Declare

In latest days, a video clip purportedly exhibiting an individual in a gorilla go well with rising from a bag on the ISS has circulated on social media.

Within the clip, the particular person proceeds to drift by an ISS hall and likewise seems to chase a fellow astronaut.

In lots of instances the clip is accompanied with the very same caption, which reads: "Astronaut Mark Kelly as soon as smuggled a full gorilla go well with on board the Worldwide Area Station. He did not inform anybody about it. Someday, with out anybody understanding, he put it on."

The clip has acquired tons of of hundreds of likes on Twitter and has been posted by a number of customers on Reddit, the place it has additionally gained tons of of hundreds of upvotes.

The Information

It's true that former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly as soon as organized for a gorilla go well with to be despatched aboard the ISS.

Nevertheless, the social media posts indicate that the go well with had been "smuggled" on board by Mark Kelly and that it was Mark Kelly who had worn it. This isn't the case.

Mark Kelly, who retired from NASA in 2011, has a twin brother, Scott Kelly, additionally a former astronaut. Scott Kelly retired in 2016.

Scott Kelly was on board the ISS on his birthday on February 21, 2016, as a part of a mission shortly earlier than his retirement from the area company.

To shock him, Mark Kelly organized for the supply of the gorilla go well with, in accordance with NASA. Scott Kelly later shared a video from the ISS of himself bursting out of a bag dressed within the gorilla go well with, and continuing to chase U.Ok. astronaut Tim Peake, of the ISS mission Expedition 46, across the station.

"Wanted just a little humor to loosen up a yr in area," Scott Kelly wrote in a caption to the video on Fb. "Go huge or go house. I feel I am going to do each!" He later recorded an academic video from the ISS whereas dressed within the go well with.

In earlier years birthday celebrations on the ISS have concerned astronauts dressing as pirates and arranging for a saxophone to be despatched aboard.

The Ruling

Fact Check - Mostly True

Largely True.

It's true that an astronaut as soon as had a gorilla go well with on board the ISS. Nevertheless the astronaut in query didn't illicitly smuggle it aboard, nor was the wearer Mark Kelly, as widespread social media posts have just lately said.

FACT CHECK BY NEWSWEEK

Scott Kelly gorilla suit
A snippet from a video of Scott Kelly floating by the Worldwide Area Station in a gorilla go well with in 2016. The video has been broadly shared on social media just lately. Fb/Scott Kelly