Bruce Willis Goes Viral After NASA 'Armageddon' Shoutout: Funniest Tweets and Reactions

For many fans, the movie "Armageddon" is coming to life through the NASA DART mission. Unfortunately, lead actor Bruce Willis missed the launch because he declined NASA's invite to the event.

Willis briefly trended on Twitter on Wednesday. Fans tweeted two highlights about him, pointing out his role in "Armageddon" and asking about his whereabouts.

Bruce Willis in 'Armageddon'

For reference, "Armageddon" is a 1998 film about Earth in a collision course with an asteroid. It seems the only way for Earth to survive was to knock the asteroid off course by detonating a nuclear explosion on its center. Harry Stamper, acted by Willis, led the team who executed this daredevil mission.

Fans online quickly pointed out all the similarities between "Armageddon" and NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), which also plans to kick an asteroid off trajectory via rocket explosion.

The impact is scheduled to happen September or October 2022, but NASA DART officially started its mission on Tuesday when it launched aboard a SpaceX rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

According to Deadline, NASA administrator Bill Nelson invited Willis to watch the launch. He said, "we didn't want to miss that connection," implying "Armageddon's" relationship to DART. Unfortunately, Willis declined the invite.

Fans React to Bruce Willis and NASA DART

Several fans talked about the exciting DART launch and also tweeted quips about Willis. Here are some of the most memorable comments on the internet:

One fan said NASA should consult with Willis' expertise on the DART mission.

Another searched for the professional astronaut (on-screen).

Others are worried the asteroid might move closer to Earth instead.

Fans also expressed hope Willis would be successful in another asteroid-crashing mission

Unfortunately, Bruce Willis is not onboard DART!

One fan joked maybe he was busy with another space-themed mission.

It is worth noting that although Willis declined NASA's front seat invitation, NASA DART's launch was visible throughout Southern California night sky. If the actor was in the area, he would have surely seen the launch.

Many fans are curious why Willis missed the launch. Unfortunately, Willis spokesperson ignored Fox Business' request for comment on the topic. At the time of writing, Willis has yet to explain why he skipped the invitation or his share opinion about the NASA DART mission. Hopefully, there might be an update from the actor in the coming weeks.