Legos and Seeds: Check Out the Artemis 1 Moon Mission's Official Flight Kit
While NASA's first Artemis I launch attempt—scheduled for between Aug. 29 and Sept. 5—may be uncrewed, it won't be unoccupied.
The agency has unveiled its Official Flight Kit(Opens in a new window)—a cultural and educational "time capsule" that will be placed in the Orion spacecraft that's headed for a journey around the Moon.
"Many of the items included in the flight kit are symbols of cultural significance or NASA's collaborative efforts with STEM-focused organizations," the agency says(Opens in a new window). That includes a set of Girl Scouts space science badges, four Lego minifigures, and digitized entries from NASA's Artemis Moon Pod student essay contest.
Boosted by the Space Launch System rocket on its maiden voyage, Orion will carry 120 pounds of what NASA calls "a host of mementos for educational engagement and posterity." Items like mini Artemis I patches and tree seeds will fly to the cosmos and, upon their return to Earth, be handed out to participants in NASA's annual Artemis Student Challenges program.
Also on the packing list:
A pen nib used by Charles M. Schulz, signifying the seven-decade association between NASA and Schulz, whose comics often depicted Snoopy on the Moon.
A plush Shaun the Sheep from the European Space Agency, which previously took the cartoon character on its parabolic flight campaign.
A 3D-printed replica of Greek goddess Artemis—after whom the mission is named—that will later go on display in the Acropolis Museum in Greece.
A pebble from the shore of the Dead Sea (the lowest dry land surface on Earth), provided by the Israel Space Agency.
Digitized versions of student visions of lunar exploration from the German Space Agency.
An Apollo 8 commemorative medallion, Apollo 11 bolt, and
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