At Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Orlando Fla. toy space ranger Buzz Lightyear participates.

At Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Fla., toy space ranger Buzz Lightyear participates in a ticker-tape parade to welcome him home from space.

The 12-inch-tall action figure spent more than 15 months aboard the International Space Station and returned to Earth aboard space shuttle Discovery on Sept. 11 with the STS-128 crew. Lightyear's space adventure, a collaboration between NASA and Disney Parks, is intended to share the excitement of space exploration with students around the world and encourage them to pursue studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. For additional information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/buzzoniss. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis