NASA shot a probe into space today that took along three unusual passengers on its trip to the solar system’s largest planet.

This morning, NASA successfully launched its , meant to explore Jupiter, the largest and most massive planet in the solar system. While shooting probes into space is just another day at NASA, this time the probe is carrying some unusual passengers: three .

All three figures have a history with Jupiter. One of them is made to resemble Jupiter himself, the Roman thunder god that inspired the naming of the planet. Another is Juno, the sister (and wife… ick) of Jupiter, and obviously who the probe is named after. The last is a mini Galileo, the legendary astronomer who first observed Jupiter’s moons. Galileo was also the name of the last probe NASA sent to explore Jupiter, which arrived there in 1995.

Lego made the minifigs especially for the Juno mission. Unlike the usual plastic toys Lego makes, these figures are made of aluminium, making them hardy enough to withstand the extreme conditions of space flight. Besides enduring the intense force of escaping Earth, the minifigs will ride with Juno as it slingshots around planets to achieve fantastic speeds to reach Jupiter by 2016. They’ll also be subject to the extreme cold of outer space.

According to legend, Jupiter created a veil of clouds around himself to hide his mischievous actions. Juno was able to peer them to reveal his true nature. Likewise, the primary mission of the Juno probe is to closely examine Jupiter’s extensive atmosphere, particularly the Great Red Spot, a massive semi-permanent storm on the planet that’s three times the size of Earth.

To show his status as a thunder god, Lego gave its Jupiter minifig a lightning bolt to hold, while Juno has a magnifying glass to signify her search through the truth. Galileo holds a tiny sphere resembling Jupiter (the planet) and, of course, a telescope.

The minifigs reportedly cost $5,000 each to make, and Lego took special care to ensure they wouldn’t interfere with the operation of Juno in any way. They’ll share the same fate as the craft—a fiery death falling through Jupiter’s atmosphere once Juno’s mission is complete. But hopefully their sacrifice will inspire NASA to include more Lego passengers on future missions.



