Hello Kitty Is on a Mission in Outer Space: To Send Messages Directly from Space
Reuters.com reported that Japan sent the ambassador of cute, Hello Kitty, on a $40-million program to outer space.
The 4-cm Hello Kitty figure was sent off to outer space on board the Hodoyoshi-3 satellite.
Hello Kitty is strategically located by the window so that it can be positioned to be peeking out of it and looking down on Earth.
(Image from: reuters.com)
According to Reuters:
The Hello Kitty project, which launched in June, has been one of trial and error for the Tokyo-based satellite developers.
The researchers have been working on maneuvering the satellite so it would point in the right direction when taking photos of Hello Kitty with Earth as a backdrop for the past two months. They also used special paint to coat the Hello Kitty mascot to protect it from UV rays, cosmic rays and vacuum space.
According to Sanrio, people from Earth are encouraged to send 180-character messages to Hello Kitty, which it can deliver to family and friends directly from outer space. About 100 messages were received on the first day, Sanrio added.
Hello Kitty, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, is Sanrio’s most popular character. The mouthless cat has become a symbol of Japan’s culture of “kawaii,” or cute, and is used to market everything from plush toys to aircraft.
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Hello Kitty Is on a Mission in Outer Space: To Send Messages Directly from Space
