iPads, Angry Birds to travel to International Space Station

iPods and iPhones (in Airplane Mode? Spaceship mode?) have traveled to the International Space Station (ISS) via American and Russian launch vehicles. Now you can add the iPad to the list of iDevices that have left the planet.

That's the word from Collect Space, which reports that 2 iPads will visit the ISS next month. NASA spokesman Kelly Humphries says the iPads will be used for entertainment purposes only, and that they will be the first tablet devices to fly in space.

The space station is already stocked with laptops, but NASA is exploring the idea of using iPads on future space missions.

Also on the manifest is an Angry Birds plush doll. It's part of a Russian tradition of hanging a toy from a string in the launch vehicle. About ten minutes after liftoff, the bird will start to become weightless, indicating to the space explorers that they have left the gravity of earth.

There's no word on whether or not the iPads have the Angry Birds game installed, but it wouldn't be a shock if they did.