NASA's Artemis II carries Lucas Ye's 'Rise' to the Moon
NASA's Artemis II mission is taking an unexpected new passenger to the Moon, a plush toy named "Rise," designed by eight-year-old Lucas Ye from California.
Rise will float inside the spacecraft as a Zero Gravity Indicator, showing when the astronauts reach space.
The toy was chosen from 2,600 entries in a global competition, inspired by Apollo 8's iconic "Earthrise" photo.
Hand-sewn 'Rise' stores contest participants' names
Rise isn't just cute: it's a white toy with a hat featuring Earth and a brim decorated with galaxies and rockets and holds a microSD card with the names of every contest participant.
Lucas even hand-sewn the toy himself, showing real dedication to space dreams.
NASA's Christina Koch said Rise captures the heart of its mission, while Freelancer's Trisha Epp called it proof that creative teamwork can solve big challenges together.