NASA
astronaut Garrett Reisman squeezed in some laughs
amid his busy day aboard the International Space Station (ISS) Thursday during
an orbital call from comedian Stephen Colbert.
Riesman, a
flight engineer for the station’s Expedition 17 mission, spoke with Colbert about life
in space and his three-month mission for tonight’s episode of
the faux-conservative show “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central.
“I can’t
believe my voice is being broadcast to space right now. I should say something
really profound,” Colbert said during the interview broadcast on NASA TV. “Eat
it, Jon Stewart, I’m talking to space!”
Describing
himself as a “glorified janitor,” Reisman explained
his duties as Flight Engineer 2 — to perform science experiments and clean the
space station. He arrived at the orbiting lab in March and is slated to return
to Earth next month aboard the space
shuttle Discovery.
Reisman
proudly displayed his Colbert-supporting Wrist Strong bracelet — to raise wrist injury awareness — since wrists come in handy when astronauts wield the station’s robotic arm, land a space
shuttle or fire their laser cannons, he said.
“I do have
to admit though that we don’t really have laser cannons, but sometimes I like
to pretend,” Reisman said.
Colbert and
Reisman discussed a litany of topics ranging from the
station’s Russian crewmates and ice cream to the mechanics of the orbiting
laboratory’s space potty and, oddly enough, his former
commander’s affinity for non-alcoholic, margarita-flavored Jell-O.
Reisman,
who is making
his first spaceflight during the long-duration Expedition 17 mission, has
also served on a NASA trek to the Aquarius undersea
laboratory on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
“What do
you have against the rest of humanity that you have to flee from us?” Colbert
asked.
“I think
it’s more what the rest of humanity has against me,” Reisman
shot back with a grin. “I keep getting sent to these far off places.”
Reisman’s full appearance on the
“Colbert Report” will air tonight on the cable channel Comedy Central at 11:30
p.m. EDT/10:30 CDT (check local listings).
