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Robert Downey Jr. responds to NASA advice for saving Tony Stark

Ground control to Major Tony: Failure is not an option, space agency tells the actor who plays the Marvel superhero.

Gael Cooper
CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." She's been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She's Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.
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Gael Cooper
2 min read

Tony Stark is thankful NASA is offering advice for his rescue. On Saturday, actor Robert Downey Jr. jumped in to the Twitter exchange between NASA and Marvel fans who were urging the space agency to save Downey's character.

Need some background on this spacey soap opera? In the long, long-awaited Avengers: Endgame trailer released earlier this month,  Stark seems to be in a bad spot. Seen inside a spaceship with his damaged Iron Man helmet, he's recording a message for Pepper Potts, and says, "being adrift in space with zero promise of rescue is more fun than it sounds." Stark goes on to say he ran out of food and water four days ago and expects to run out of oxygen the next morning.

Watch this: Avengers: Endgame trailer revealed

Who can help someone lost in space better than NASA? Fans were tweeting at the space agency and urging it to step in, and on Dec. 9, NASA responded.

"Hey Marvel, we heard about Tony Stark," the tweet reads. "As we know, the first thing you should do is listen in mission control for 'Avengers, we have a problem.' But if he can't communicate, then we recommend ground teams use all resources to scan the skies for your missing man."

Fans appreciated the advice. "NASA social media should get a raise," tweeted RK Gold.

NASA also included a photo that featured at least one Marvel Easter egg -- Thor's nameplate and hammer.

Then, nearly a week later, Downey himself thanked NASA for looking out for him. "Always good to know NASA has your back," he tweeted.

And NASA kept up the exchange, responding with, "Failure is not an option."

Stark will have to keep on floating in space until Avengers: Endgame opens in April 2019.

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