When Buzz Aldrin, second man on the moon, guest starred in The Simpsons, writers were concerned he would be offended by his line, “second comes after first,” and offered an alternative- “first to take a soil sample.” However, Aldrin preferred the original line, and it remained in the script.

Deep Space Homer

“Deep Space Homer” is the fifteenth episode of the fifth season of American animated sitcom The Simpsons, which was first broadcast on Fox in the United States on February 24, 1994. In the episode, NASA selects Homer Simpson to participate in a spaceflight to spark public interest in space exploration and boost low ratings of the launches. Once in space, his incompetence destroys the navigation system on board the Space Shuttle.

The episode was written by showrunner David Mirkin and directed by Carlos Baeza. Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin and musician James Taylor guest-starred as themselves. The episode parodies the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Some of The Simpsons’ staff, including creator Matt Groening, feared the concept wa… Continue Reading (7 minute read)