SpaceX Is Launching With 2 Astronauts & Elon Musk Isn't The Only Canadian Connection

Talk about "taking off." Two astronauts will be heading into orbit today on a historic SpaceX launch. While that's exciting enough on its own, the fact that the NASA professionals have names with a connection to the great white north makes it even better.

The astronauts heading into space at about 4:30 PM Eastern today are Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley. That means that Bob and Doug are heading into orbit, and Canadian comedy fans think it's hilarious.

"I’m never getting over the fact that two of the #SpaceX astronauts are Bob and Doug. Only Canadians can appreciate this joke," wrote Twitter user @KikkiPlanet.

This is a reference to characters created and played by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas on the Canadian sketch comedy show SCTV.

The McKenzie brothers and their fictional program, "Great White North," were created to satisfy CBC demands for more Canadian content on the show.

The pair were known for their ultra-Canadian way of speaking, including introducing the word "hoser" to the wider vocabulary.

They would also often tell each other to "take off," a phrase that has now also been associated with today's launch.

The names of the two astronauts being the same as these sketch characters is likely a coincidence, although Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, has Canadian citizenship and attended Queens University.

The real Bob and Doug heading into orbit today are actually Nasa veterans.

Still, Canadians and comedy fans alike on Twitter couldn't help but imagine the McKenzie brothers getting launched into orbit.

"I wanna see #bobanddoug Mackenzie show up to the launch pad thinking they're going on #SpaceX," wrote @chikataboom.

"Good luck to #bobanddoug and everyone at @NASA and  @SpaceX. Geez you guys have come a long way, good luck and god speed and remember once you get there you can have all the free beer and sausages you want," wrote @daisamuel.

Anyone who wants to learn more about Bob and Doug the astronauts can check out their videos from the official SpaceX Twitter page.

Anyone who wants to learn more about Bob and Doug McKenzie should consider watching their lone entry into the world of film, Strange Brew.