At NASA's invitation, the online game birds are roosting at Kennedy Space Center for the next one and a half years in an effort to lure youngsters to the cosmic wonders of math and science.

The huge interactive exhibit opened March 22 and immediately packed in the kids, who couldn’t get enough of the mirrored maze and the design-your-own Angry Bird and play-the-game stations.

It’s called Angry Birds Space Encounter and is the first of its kind.

Astronaut Donald Pettit, a chemical engineer and father of 12-year-old twin boys, announced the collaboration between NASA and Angry Birds creator Rovio Entertainment a year ago while living aboard the International Space Station. He squeezed in as much physics as he could in the YouTube announcement.