NASA will host a livestream on Twitch on Tuesday to engage “creators from around the world” of all ages in designing a plush mascot to symbolize weightlessness as astronauts on the Artemis II mission fly around the moon next year.
NASA's livestream will promote the ongoing Lunar Mascot competition and give viewers the opportunity to interact in real time with an artist to create a zero-gravity indicator prototype.
Zero-gravity indicators are small stuffed animals or plush objects that are released into the capsule to provide a visual indication to the crew that they have reached space. Stuffed animals that have been used on previous missions include Charlie Brown's beagle Snoopy, a stuffed giraffe, a monkey, and the Earth.
“Help create a lunar mascot for our Artemis II mission!” NASA posted on X on Monday.
“On Tuesday, NASA experts will be streaming on Twitch to live-draw a zero-gravity indicator based on your suggestions, and explain how you can enter a plush toy design contest.”
The Artemis II test flight is scheduled for April next year and will send NASA astronauts Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day round-trip around the moon. The mission will help NASA prepare for future crewed missions to the lunar surface and Mars.
The Artemis II Zero-G Indicator Design Competition is open to all ages. Up to 25 finalists will be selected, including entries from K-12 students. The Artemis II crew will select one design to be manufactured in NASA's Thermal Blanket Lab.
Tuesday's event, which will showcase “how to know you're in space” and the role of lunar talismans, will begin at 3 p.m. ET on NASA's official Twitch channel.
Sourse: www.upi.com
