NASA hosts Twitch event for moon mascot, zero-g indicator contest
May 12 (UPI) -- NASA will host a live Twitch event Tuesday to help "global creators" of all ages design a plush mascot that will indicate zero gravity, when Artemis II astronauts take flight next year around the moon.
NASA's livestream will promote its ongoing Moon Mascot Challenge and allow viewers to collaborate in real-time with an artist as they create a sample zero gravity indicator.
Zero gravity indicators are small, plush items or stuffed animals, that are released inside the capsule to give the crew a visual indication that they have reached space. Among the plushies that have joined previous missions are the Charlie Brown beagle Snoopy, a stuffed giraffe, a monkey and Earth.
"Help design a Moon Mascot for our Artemis II mission!" NASA announced Monday in a post on X.
"NASA experts will be streaming on Twitch on Tuesday to live-sketch a zero gravity indicator based on your suggestions -- and to share how you can take part in the plushie design challenge."
The Artemis II test flight is scheduled for next April and will take NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, as well as Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day journey around the moon and back. The mission will help NASA prepare for future crewed missions to the lunar surface and to Mars.
The contest to create a zero gravity indicator for the Artemis II flight is open to all ages. There will be as many as 25 finalists, which will include entries from a K-12 student division. The Artemis II crew will choose one design that will be fabricated by NASA's Thermal Blanket Lab.
Tuesday's event, which will showcase "how to know you're in space" and the role moon mascots play, will begin at 3 p.m. EDT on NASA's official Twitch channel.
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