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Retired NASA astronaut Leland Melvin and his dogs, Jake and Scout, in his official portrait. (Twitter)

Retired NASA astronaut Leland Melvin and his dogs, Jake and Scout, in his official portrait. (Twitter)

Retired NASA astronaut Leland Melvin (pictured) became an Internet sensation after his official portrait surfaced online showing him posing with his two dogs, ABC News reports.

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The adorable image shows Leland Melvin, 50, who retired from NASA in February, decked in the traditional orange spacesuit worn by astronauts in their official photos and seated between his beloved pets, Jake and Scout.

All three appear to be having fun.

The image first surfaced after Adam Aton, a reporter in Missouri, shared it Wednesday with his followers and copied it to Melvin’s handle, @Astro_flow.

Melvin, Jake, and Scout quickly won the Internet.

Melvin responded in kind with a photo of the dogs, sitting quietly:

Today, Melvin, a native of Virginia, is host of Lifetime’s “Child Genius.” In 1998, Melvin was selected by NASA and served on two space flights, logging over 565 hours in space, according to his NASA biography. He then went on to travel the country as co-manager of NASA’s Educator Astronaut Program and was named as associate administrator for the Office of Education.

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Black Astronaut Sneaks Dogs into NASA For Best Official Portrait [VIDEO]  was originally published on newsone.com