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Vice President Mike Pence may get some special privileges that come with his position, but the Internet is finding a photo of Pence touching a piece of space flight hardware — ignoring a glaring “DO NOT TOUCH” sign — more than a little funny depressing absurd.
Pence visited NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, FL on Thursday, and the photo of his inability to abide by clear signage has gone viral.
Many are chiding him for acting like a child.
C'mon dude, really? pic.twitter.com/SqZZ43exxl
— Mike Rundle (@flyosity) July 7, 2017
https://twitter.com/Melangetic/status/883174104177758210?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fentry%2Fmike-pence-do-not-touch-sign-nasa_us_595f2ba4e4b0d5b458e96898
https://twitter.com/Sharkaycat48/status/883152661092151297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fentry%2Fmike-pence-do-not-touch-sign-nasa_us_595f2ba4e4b0d5b458e96898
Pence:….Shiny
Rubio:The sign says "Do Not Touch" Mike!
Pence:….Shiny pic.twitter.com/vyBqZBiBZd— St Peter (@stpeteyontweety) July 7, 2017
Others couldn’t help but draw a striking parallel.
Suddenly I understand why he won't have dinner with a woman who isn't his wife. pic.twitter.com/Vk2BLDRadR
— shauna (@goldengateblond) July 7, 2017
This is why Mike Pence will not eat alone with critical space hardware.
— Evan T Creed (@TheXRayStyle) July 7, 2017
And other still took the opportunity to practice their Photoshop skills.
U can't touch th—HEY WHAT THE HELL MIKE pic.twitter.com/PQluMoc0YW
— Peter Durfee (@Durf) July 7, 2017
Pence and Marco Rubio quickly took to Twitter to make it clear that they are in on the joke; Pence began posting a series of photoshopped images of himself and said that Rubio “dared” him. NASA has also provided a statement to Time saying that no apology is necessary.
Sorry @NASA…@MarcoRubio dared me to do it! pic.twitter.com/qIYtKOPyFh
— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) July 7, 2017
“The ‘do not touch’ signs are there as a day-to-day reminder, including the one visible on the titanium Forward Bay Cover for the Orion spacecraft,” NASA said in a statement provided to TIME. “Procedures require the hardware to be cleaned before tiles are bonded to the spacecraft, so touching the surface is okay. Otherwise, the hardware would have had a protective cover over it like the thermal heat shield, which was nearby.”
That may be true, NASA… but don’t expect the memes to stop anytime soon.
GIF from Giphy
