The European Space Agency (ESA) has named and published photos of its first “astronaut” who flies to the Moon as part of the upcoming Artemis I mission. It will be Shaun the Sheep.
This year, the Aardman studio series about the adventures of Shaun the Sheep turns 15 years old. ESA and Aardman decided to celebrate this event in a very spectacular way by placing a character doll on board the Orion spacecraft, which will fly around the Moon and return to Earth. Interestingly, it has already been in zero gravity during one of the parabolic flights on an Airbus “Zero G” aircraft.
It is worth noting that Shaun will not go on this journey alone. Its “company” will be a set of four Lego figures, as well as a Snoopy dog doll, which is used as an indicator of weightlessness. Also on board the spacecraft will be a mannequin, Moonikin Campos. Sensors will be installed on it that will measure the level of radiation and overload during the flight.
It is worth noting that ESA has built the Orion spacecraft service module and is actively involved in the Gateway Lunar Orbital Station project. So, in the future, ESA astronauts will probably fly to the Moon and leave traces on its surface.
According to https://www.esa.int
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