Boeing’s Starliner carried a ‘Kerbal Space Program’ character to the ISS

Boeing's Starliner capsule successfully docked with the International Space Station after two and a half years of delays. It was an important milestone for a company that has been struggling to catch up with SpaceX. Boeing decided it would celebrate a successful mission.

The crew of the International Space Station opened the hatch to Starliner and found a surprise inside. There was a plush toy next to Orbital Flight Test-2 that was a part of the Kerbal Space Program. The flight's zero-g indicator was served by Jeb, as he is better known by the KSP community. It has become a tradition for most space crews to carry plush toys with them to make it easy to see when they are in a microgravity environment.

If you've ever played Kerbal Space Program, you'll know why Boeing decided to send Jeb to space. It's not easy to design a spaceship that will carry your Kerbonauts. Kerbin's gravity can cause your initial designs to fall and crash. You go back to the drawing board and try to find a design that works. Boeing's engineers had to do that after Starliner's first test flight failed due to a software issue and its second was delayed because of a valve problem.

Boeing kept the OFT-2 secret until it docked with the International Space Station. The company's engineering team chose the mascot because of the science, technology, engineering and math lessons they have to teach players. After spending a few days with the crew of the International Space Station, he will be put back in the spaceship.