Posted 8/28/2007 04:40:00 PM by Douglas

How is NASA dealing with its credibility and lack of relevance in today's society? With a publicity stunt that would make George Lucas sigh:

In honor of the 30th anniversary of Star Wars, NASA will launch Luke Skywalker's original Jedi lightsaber into space along with the crew of the space shuttle Discovery. The launch is slated for October.

Chewbacca will officially hand the lightsaber over to NASA's Space Center Houston during a ceremony at the Oakland International Airport. The ceremony will include characters from a galaxy far, far away including Boba Fett, Jango Fett and X-Wing pilots, Jedi, and Stormtroopers.

This will be followed by a spectacular departure aboard a Southwest Airlines flight as Chewbacca and his galactic friends help push back the airplane on the tarmac.

Once the flight lands in Houston, Stormtroopers will help escort the lightsaber off the plane as R2-D2 and other famous Star Wars characters kick-off the second half of the celebration at Gate 47 in William P. Hobby Airport.

The fanfare will conclude outside baggage claim where the lightsaber will be transported by a caravan of Hummers with an official City of Webster police escort to NASA's Space Center Houston where it will be secured inside the lunar vault.

Dear lord, please let this be a joke. A stupid, irrelevant joke.