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Leland Melvin has won the hearts of not only his two adorable canine companions, but of animal lovers around the world. The retired astronaut decided that no picture was complete without his two best friends, so he went where no man has gone before and he snuck his two rescue dogs into his official NASA photo shoot. The results are adorable!

 

This isn’t Jake and Scout’s first time in the spotlight, however. Melvin’s two sidekicks were featured in a 2010 episode of the Dog Whisperer. In the episode, it was revealed that Melvin had taken care of the pair since they wandered into his backyard.

It seems like this doggy duo really knew what they were doing when they picked Melvin’s backyard. This former astronaut has to be the coolest guy around. Long before his days exploring space, Melvin was actually a pro football player for the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys. After an injury, he left this career to pursue life as an astronaut.

Melvin began his NASA career in 1989 and became an astronaut in 1998. He has flown on missions to Space Shuttle Atlantis and has logged almost 10 million miles in space with 374 orbits around Earth.

Today, Melvin works as the head of NASA education and sits as the co-chair of the White House Education Task Force. Not to mention, he spends lots of quality time with his adorable rescue pooches! Jake and Scout, we think your dad is awesome!

Image source: NASA/ABCNews