"Deep Space Homer" is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons' fifth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 24, 1994.  In the episode, NASA is concerned by the decline in public interest in space exploration, and therefore decides to send an ordinary person into space. Homer is selected and chaos ensues when the navigation system on his space shuttle is destroyed.

"Deep Space Homer" was directed by Carlos Baeza and was the only episode of The Simpsons written by David Mirkin, who was also the executive producer at the time.  Buzz Aldrin and James Taylor both guest starred as themselves.  The critically acclaimed episode became the source of the Overlord meme, and features numerous film parodies, mostly of The Right Stuff and 2001: A Space Odyssey. A copy of the episode is available for astronauts to watch at the International Space Station.