Snoopy in Space Has Spanned the Decades

For more than 50 years, the beloved Charles Schulz cartoon character has served as NASA's mascot of the manned spaceflight program.

Meg Godlewski

Friday, August 02, 2024 at 12:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By: tccjeremy

Snoopy returns from the Artemis I mission. [Courtesy: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

Snoopy has served as a cherished mascot and symbol for NASA's human spaceflight program since 1968, with Snoopy pins and toys accompanying astronauts on missions from Apollo to Artemis 1.
NASA established the "Silver Snoopy Award," a prestigious recognition for employees who make significant contributions to mission safety and success, with each sterling silver lapel pin having first flown in space.
Snoopy's influence extends to terrestrial aviation, notably at the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport, which incorporates Snoopy into its logo and uses Peanuts-themed names for some of its navigational fixes.

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What’s a Snoopy doll doing in the gift shop at an aviation museum? These days, he’s generating interest in the space program.

By the time the first manned moon landing took place on July 20, 1969, Charles Schulz had already sent Snoopy into space in the panels of the cartoon. The anthropomorphic dog had a rich fantasy life, and adventure and aviation was part of it. He often donned a cloth flying helmet and red scarf and turned his doghouse into a Sopwith Camel.