Artemis 1 facts: Why is Shaun the Sheep going on Nasas Moon rocket mission?… – The US Sun

SHAUN the Sheep, the claymation kids' tv favorite, has secured a seat on a space mission headed for the Moon.

The Artemis 1 mission will debut new launch, communications, and landing technologies for future manned space travel to the Moon and beyond.

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The first major mission of the Artemis playbook will be unmanned, leaving the mischievous sheep to his own devices while in space for up to 42 days.

This is an exciting time for Shaun and for us at ESA," European Space Agency Director for Human and Robotic Exploration David Parker said in a press release.

"Were woolly very happy that hes been selected for the mission and we understand that, although it might be a small step for a human, its a giant leap for lambkind."

A plush doll of Shaun will go off-world in the Nasa Orion spacecraft before doing a flyby of the Moon in the ESA-manufactured European Service Module.

Aardman is excited to be joining ESA in making history by launching the first sheep into space," Marketing Director for Aardman Lucy Wendover said.

Aardman is the studio behind Shaun the Sheep and claymation hit Wallace and Gromit.

"2022 marks the 15th anniversary of Shauns first TV series, so what better way to celebrate than by traveling farther than any sheep has gone before.

The ESA published a set of blogs detailing the nuances of astronaut training featuring Shaun as the series mascot.

In a blog on survival training, Shaun demonstrated some of the situations astronauts are prepared for, like the event the return module crash lands in the ocean or woodlands.

"Astronauts are also introduced to the skills of climbing, descending high cliffs safely, crossing rivers and navigating in the wilderness using only nature and the stars to guide them, something very close to home for Shaun the Sheep!" the blog explained.

In another training exercise, Shaun was strapped to a centrifuge and spun so rapidly that the stress of eight times the gravity on Earth was exerted on the plush doll.

Space.com reported that the four LEGO minifigures and a Snoopy doll will be on board.

The Artemis 1 flight will launch on August 29 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Viewers can tune in to watch Shaun blast off on a free YouTube livestream provided by the Kennedy Space Center.

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Artemis 1 facts: Why is Shaun the Sheep going on Nasas Moon rocket mission?... - The US Sun