He may be made of plastic and just 12 inches tall, but Disney’s Buzz Lightyear is really flying in space.

Buzz, a space ranger from the animated 1995 film “Toy Story,” launched to the International Space Station (ISS) last week aboard NASA’s shuttle Discovery as part of an educational campaign to encourage interest in science and math among schoolchildren. He’ll stay aboard the station for about six months alongside NASA astronaut Greg Chamitoff.

Disney’s Buzz Lightyear takes a tour of the International Space Station in video beamed to Earth on June 5, 2008. Credit: NASA TV.

“Buzz! Welcome to dinner!” said astronaut Mike Fossum, a real flesh-and-blood spaceflyer, late Thursday as Buzz made an appearance in the space station’s Russian-built Zvezda service module where the 10-person crew of the shuttle Discovery and ISS gathered for a joint meal.

“Feed him some borscht,” joked shuttle commander Mark Kelly, who referred to Buzz earlier in the evening as the”green payload.”

Shuttle astronaut Mike Fossum (center) holds a 12-inch-tall Buzz Lightyear toy from Disney during a June 5, 2008 dinner aboard the International Space Station. Credit: NASA TV.

In video beamed down from Discovery, astronauts were shown playing with Buzz, popping out his extendable wings and giving him a weightless tour of the space station, where shuttle spaceflyers have delivered a new tour bus-sized Japanese laboratory called Kibo.

Buzz’s appearance in orbit is part of a joint project between Disney and NASA to develop the “Space Ranger Education Series” of educational games for students and materials for educators that can be downloaded and used in the classroom. It is also part of NASA’s ongoing Toys in Space program. You can see a video of Buzz on the station here.

Click here to see a video preview of the Space Ranger Education Series games.