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 NASA's mascot for over 50 years, joining in 1968, with his likeness and toys having flown on numerous missions from Apollo to Artemis 1.
NASA established the prestigious Silver Snoopy Award, where astronauts personally recognize employees for exceptional contributions to human flight safety and mission success, presented with a sterling silver pin flown in space.
Beyond space, Snoopy's aviation legacy is celebrated at the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport, featuring him in its logo and inspiring Peanuts-themed 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.