Lucas Ye of California ‘really surprised and very happy’ as mascot designed by him to act as zero-gravity indicator
A zero-gravity indicator designed by a San Francisco Bay Area second-grader is aboard Artemis II, Nasa’s first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years. As the rocket entered space following Wednesday’s launch, the smiley-faced plush toy was designed to float under the zero-gravity conditions, indicating to the astronauts they have achieved weightlessness.
Eight-year-old Lucas Ye, from Mountain View, is an avid space enthusiast and the mastermind behind the indicator.
“I like rockets, I like Nasa, I like the solar system, I like studying about space,” Lucas said in a video when he made the shortlist for the global “moon mascot” competition, presided over by Nasa and Freelancer, a crowdsourcing company.
Lucas won over 2,600 other entrants.
