Snoopy, the beloved beagle from the “Peanuts” cartoons, will fly to the moon on NASA’s Artemis I mission.
Artemis I is hoping to inspire the next generation of problem solvers by landing the first woman and first person of color on the moon. The mission will also serve as a huge step toward landing humans on the Martian surface.
The honor of the first Artemis flight goes to Snoopy, who will be aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft. Sporting his new orange spacesuit, Snoopy will serve as the spacecraft’s zero gravity indicator, as the spacecraft flies around the moon.
Alongside his spaceflight, Peanuts is partnering with GoNoodle for a series of videos aimed at encouraging kids to learn about gravity, teamwork, and space exploration. A brand-new season of “Snoopy in Space” will debut on Apple TV+, a show that takes Snoopy on a search for life on other planets.
Snoopy’s tenure at NASA goes as far back as the Apollo missions, where he helped encourage NASA’s spaceflight safety initiative and even had the Apollo 10 lunar module named after him in 1969.
Living up to his dreams as the “Flying Ace,” Snoopy even flew on the space shuttle Columbia in 1990. Ever since, NASA employees have worked hard to ensure the safety of human spaceflight—but only the best are awarded the Silver Snoopy Award.
Receiving the Silver Snoopy is one of the highest honors in the aerospace industry. Less than one percent of workers in the field receive it annually. Each pin has flown to space and is awarded personally by an astronaut.
Snoopy would give the pins out himself, but he’s been busy preparing for the holidays.
Before he leaves Earth, Snoopy has a quick stop to make in New York. Originally debuted in 2019, the Astronaut Snoopy balloon will make its return to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Snoopy’s zero-gravity skills will be put to the test, as his gigantic 49-foot-tall balloon weighs over 700 pounds.
The updated balloon was made in honor of NASA’s 50th anniversary of the Apollo 10 mission, where Snoopy got his start.
