A long-eared toy dog was briefly mistaken for a famous Disney rabbit on Friday (April 8) when it was unveiled as a “zero-G indicator” aboard the first private mission to visit the International Space Station.
“Caramel”, the mascot (opens in new tab) for the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation, was seen floating in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon “Endeavour” shortly after the spacecraft carrying the Axiom-1 (Ax-1) crew entered Earth orbit. With his ears stretched out and a cartoon look with his embroidered eyes, the brown and beige plush puppy looked like a certain rabbit.
“It looks like the crew is starting to get used to zero-g, and if you look in the right-hand corner it looks like we can see the zero-g readout,” said Kate Tice, Quality Systems Manager Engineering manager at SpaceX and the co-host for the company’s Ax-1 live launch webcast.
“That was one of the things I was dying to see what they would bring (opens in new tab) today as their zero-G indicator. So I can’t wait to see what’s coming up,” replied Jon Rackham, Hardware Manager for Crew Systems at Axiom Space, organizers of the Ax-1 mission, and co-host of Tice.
“It looks like I can’t tell exactly… Pokemon?” said Tice as the doll came closer into view. “Oh, it has ears? Oh! It’s a rabbit! Is that Thumper? I think that’s Thumper from ‘Bambi’.”
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A press release from Axiom Space, issued a few hours after launch at 11:17 a.m. EDT (1517 GMT), clarified that the puppet was not a rabbit but a dog.
“Caramel played an important role as the mission’s zero-gravity indicator,” the press release said (opens in new tab). “Gravity indicators are small objects, often stuffed toys, chosen by space crews to give a clear visual indication that they have reached microgravity.”
The tradition began in Russia, where it dates back to Yuri Gagarin and the little doll he took on the world’s first manned space flight in 1961. Since then, many of Gagarin’s fellow cosmonauts have followed suit, often letting their children choose the toy.
In 2019, SpaceX brought the custom to the United States when it chose a plush planet Earth (opens in new tab) to fly on his first unmanned test flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft. Since then, the company’s first four space station-based crews have chosen plush dolls of a dinosaur (opens in new tab)Star Wars’ “Grogu” (or “Baby Yoda (opens in new tab)“), a penguin (opens in new tab) and a sea turtle (opens in new tab) serve as their zero-G indicators.
The private Inspiration4 mission, which orbited the planet aboard a kite for three days in September 2021 to raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, took the idea a step further by having the hospital’s mascot fly and then sold replicas of the “Space Puppy”. (opens in new tab) on-line.
The Ax-1 crew chose Caramel as their indicator with a similar intent, but also because of the mission’s connection to the Montreal Children’s Hospital. Alongside Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria (opens in new tab)Pilot Larry Connor of Dayton, Ohio and Israeli mission specialist Eytan Stibbe, the Ax-1 crew (opens in new tab) They include Canadian Mark Pathy, whose science on the ward will include several projects led by researchers at Montreal Children’s Hospital.
“Investigations include research into chronic pain and sleep disorders during spaceflight, which are likely to have real-world implications,” the Axiom press release reads.
Pathy also plans to talk to children in the hospital live from the space station.
To celebrate their mascot’s role in the Ax-1 mission and to raise funds for their research, the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation is offering a caramel-colored plush souvenir (opens in new tab) for a donation of $200 (Canadian or about US$160) or more. Donors will also receive an Ax-1 mission patch and a signed certificate of authenticity.
Shipping is restricted to the US and Canada (contact the Foundation for international orders) and quantities are limited. One thousand of the dolls are available now, with more expected in the fall.
Meanwhile, Caramel and the Ax-1 crew are scheduled to arrive on the International Space Station Saturday morning (April 9) to begin an eight-day program of scientific research and reconnaissance.
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