posted 03-19-2012 08:27 AM               

To Infinity and Beyond: Buzz Lightyear's Journey to the Smithsonian

Thursday, March 29, 12:00 pm
Moving Beyond Earth, Gallery 113

Be here when Buzz Lightyear arrives at the National Air and Space Museum!

The Museum will host a presentation with Pixar and NASA for a ceremonial donation of the Buzz Lightyear action figure that flew on Space Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station.

Buzz Lightyear became famous in Pixar’s animated "Toy Story" franchise. Chief creative officer of Pixar John Lasseter will present the action figure to the Museum followed by a panel discussion accompanied by film clips of Buzz Lightyear in space.

In addition to Lasseter, the panel will include a NASA representative and a Museum curator. The panel will take questions from visitors and media.

Note: Buzz Lightyear will go on display later this year in the Moving Beyond Earth gallery.

posted 03-19-2012 08:28 AM               

To the museum and beyond! Space-flown Buzz Lightyear toy is Smithsonian-bound

The final chapter in a Buzz Lightyear toy's story will play out later this month at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

On March 29, a 12-inch (30.5-centimeter) action figure of the space ranger made famous in the Disney-Pixar "Toy Story" franchise will be donated to the national aerospace archive. The "not a flying toy" figure was earlier flown to the real International Space Station (ISS), where it stayed for 467 days orbiting the Earth.

posted 03-29-2012 03:50 PM               

Disney donates space-flown Buzz Lightyear toy to Smithsonian

Buzz Lightyear has gone from being a fictional space ranger to a real space artifact.

A 12-inch (30.48-centimeter) action figure of the animated astronaut, which previously spent 15 months orbiting the Earth on the International Space Station, was donated on Thursday (March 29) to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

John Lasseter, the animator who created Buzz Lightyear and who is now the chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, handed the toy-turned-artifact to curators before an audience of museum visitors.

"I am wearing blue gloves," Lasseter said, holding up his covered hands. "I don't have a problem, it's just that Buzz Lightyear is normally used to small sticky hands in life, but now that he's been in orbit and he's now a part of the Smithsonian, they have us wear gloves to play with him."