NASA launches contest to choose mascot that will accompany astronauts on their journey to the Moon

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NASA launches contest to choose a mascot that will accompany the Artemis II astronauts on their upcoming trip around the Moon.

NASA, the United States space agency, has just launched a contest to choose the mascot that will accompany the Artemis II astronauts on their upcoming trip around the Moon. The doll or stuffed animal will serve as a new zero-gravity indicator (ZGI).

The zero-gravity indicator aboard a spacecraft may sound like a complex piece of hardware, but it is actually much simpler than that. While astronauts are strapped into their seats, the mascot floats in microgravity, indicating the arrival in space.

According to the agency’s website, the deadline for submissions is May 27, and “it calls for original designs that represent the importance of NASA’s Artemis campaign, the mission, or exploration and discovery, and that meet specific material and size requirements.”

NASA has a long history of flying zero-gravity indicators for human space missions. Many missions to the International Space Station have had a “crew member,” like Snoopy, who traveled inside Orion during the uncrewed Artemis I mission.

This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.

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