FreelancerA plush toy designed in south-west Wales could be sent to space to help astronauts establish the presence of gravity on the Moon’s surface.
Courtney John, 27, from Llanelli, is a finalist in a Nasa global design competition that will see mascots join the Artemis II Moon mission to act as a zero gravity indicator (ZGI).
“I’ve always been interested in space, and the opportunity to have something you’ve made go into space would be amazing,” Courtney said.
She is one of 25 finalists for her design, “Past, Present, and Future”, which consists of three plush humanoids holding hands in a circle.
ZGIs are small items carried onboard spacecraft that show when it has reached the weightlessness of gravity – plush toys are effective ZGIs because they are soft and lightweight.
Courtney, a graphic designer, said she wanted to create a design that represented the “past, present and future” of space travel, while also celebrating unity.
One figure on her design, representing the past, is wearing the spacesuit from the Apollo 17 mission – the last time humans set foot on the Moon on 19 December 1972 – while another is wearing the Artemis II spacesuit, representing the present.
The future is represented by a figure that has a globe for a head, and on its body are messages written by the Artemis II crew.
“It’ll be such a great achievement [for them to go into space], and when they’re in space they’ll be able to see how far they’ve gone,” Courtney said.
Courtney said she has “always been interested in space” and the thought of something she has designed heading to the Moon would be “the biggest achievement in my life”.
“But even being chosen as a finalist is amazing,” she said.
Getty ImagesThere were more than 2,600 entries for the competition, which called for submissions representing “humanity, exploration and the spirit of the Artemis campaign”.
The winner is expected to be announced later this year.
Artemis, Nasa’s first Moon mission in more than 50 years, is a three-part series of undertakings aimed at putting people on the moon.
The Artemis I mission had no astronauts, but was designed to fully test the Moon mission kit. It was successfully sent in orbit around the Moon in November 2022.
Artemis II, travelling with a crew onboard, will circle the Moon before returning to Earth, while Artemis III plans to land Nasa astronauts on the Moon’s surface.
The original plan was to have people walking on the Moon by the end of 2025, but the mission has been delayed several times.
American astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman and Canadian Jeremy Hansen have been selected for the Artemis II mission.