When the Artemis 2 astronauts launch to the moon next year, they will be accompanied by one of 25 plush toys just named a finalist in a NASA contest.
The space agency and Freelancer, a crowdsourcing company, on Friday (Aug. 15) announced the winners of the "Moon Mascot: NASA Artemis II ZGI Design Challenge," which ran from March through June. NASA will now select from the finalists a single doll to become the mission's zero-gravity indicator (ZGI).
The designs range from anthropomorphized animals, mythological creatures and nods to NASA's past, present and future space exploration efforts. A full list of the winners along with their submissions can be viewed at collectSPACE.com.
"These finalists have proven they indeed have 'the right stuff,'" said Matt Barrie, Freelancer chief executiv