NASA Sports a Low-Tech Solution to a High-Tech Problem with Plush Zero-G Indicator

Photography from a recent Artemis I test flight showed a familiar sight for attentive space enthusiasts, with a small stuffed Snoopy along for the ride. Fans of the NASA space program are familiar with the little dog, Snoopy, an invention of Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schult. The character has been a sort of semi-official mascot for NASA, a running reference to the heyday of space travel.

New Crop of Would-Be Astronauts Builds on Agency's Next-Gen Accommodation Goals

John McFall made history this year as the first physically disabled astronaut, brought on as one of the European Space Agency's new crop of recruits. McFall joins 16 new faces from across the EU, picked from about 22,500 applicants as the ESA ran its first open casting call in more than a decade. The 41-year-old said he hopes that his selection will help to inspire others to try for their dreams, too. His position as an amputee will be part of an effort to gauge the feasibility of disability in space travel, allowing the ESA to build experience in spaceborne accommodations for people outside the able-bodied norm that astronauts have long been required to fit.