A hilarious video of a gorilla chasing an astronaut on the International Space Station is doing the rounds of social media again.
The short clip, first posted in 2016, shows a gorilla chasing an astronaut through zero gravity in the small confines of the space station.
The video was shared on Twitter account Latest in space this week and has had 18 million views.
Astronaut Mark Kelly once smuggled a full gorilla suit aboard the International Space Station. He didn't tell anyone about it. One day, without anyone knowing, he put it on. pic.twitter.com/6P7LfC69b5
— Latest in space (@latestinspace) July 9, 2022
The caption said: Astronaut Mark Kelly once smuggled a full gorilla suit aboard the International Space Station. He didn't tell anyone about it. One day, without anyone knowing, he put it on.”
But in fact, it was Mark’s twin brother Scott in the gorilla suit. He was chasing British astronaut Tim Peake.
Mark, a retired NASA astronaut, sent the gorilla suit to his brother Scott for a bit of fun to help him pass the time while he was doing a one-year stint on the space station.
Needed a little humor to lighten up a #YearInSpace. Go big, or go home. I think I'll do both. #SpaceApehttps://t.co/Ift8VdDR4C
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) February 23, 2016
Why did I not see this pre-pandemic. This could have gotten us through covid!
— International Vaxed House of Demon Kat (@Demonkatz) January 10, 2022
I showed my son the video and asked if he wanted to be an Astronaut. He replies, "no, I want to be the flying Gorilla"!
— GCosanni (@gcosanni) January 10, 2022
@StationCDRKelly @aiaa I get it now! A modern space version of "Planet of the Apes"! The absolute funniest thing I've seen all week :o)
— Gerri Augustine (@LilyRex) February 24, 2016
@StationCDRKelly and here I thought I was the only space monkey🚀 pic.twitter.com/7Wfcw8bv3c
— Beppo (@Super_Beppo) February 24, 2016
But the truth is out there....
"Of course people liked it. How can you not like space gorilla?" Scott told People magazine earlier this year in an interview talking about the ongoing popularity of the video.
But he also revealed the video was staged, that they knew it would be funny to show Tim swimming through the weightlessness hilariously trying to escape the gorilla.
Staged or not, it's still funny to imagine being in space expecting an alien and seeing something more familiar but also more terrifying.
Too be honest, seeing a gorilla in space would be far more shocking than seeing an alien. I mean, in space you’d at least expect some alien/unknown entity, not a 170kg full grown gorilla, notorious for they’re inability to fly/defy gravity.
— Xarenus (@Astalos986) July 10, 2022
Main image: Twitter/@StationCDRKelly