Perhaps not everyone knows that there is a decades-long connection between the NASA And Snoopythe famous comic book character Peanuts designed by Charles M. Schulzwhich in fact is the unofficial mascot of the American space agency since 1968. The legendary beagle – whose name literally means “curious”, “indiscreet” – is older than NASA, having made its first appearance in 1950that is, eight years before the space agency was founded. In the 1960s Snoopy appeared dressed as an astronaut in the historic comic strip, but it was in 1969 with the mission Apollo 10 that the link between the space agency and the dog became a real cultural phenomenon. In fact, Snoopy was adopted as the mascot of the mission headed to the Moon, so much so that the mission’s lander was called Snoopy.
The collaboration between Charles M. Schulz and NASA had already begun in previous years with the “Snoopy pins“, which depict the character of Peanuts in an astronaut suit. NASA donated these pins – and still does today – as a reward for workers who achieved exceptional results.
As far as actual space missions are concerned, the first one that saw a concrete presence of the pooch was Apollo 10 of 1969, a sort of “dress rehearsal” for the subsequent Apollo 11 mission which two months later brought humans to the Moon for the first time.
The mission, which started on May 18, 1969 from Cape Kennedy in Florida with astronauts on board Thomas Stafford, Gene Cernan And John Youngwas a success, although the crew was forced to abandon the Snoopy lander in space to lighten the load and save fuel. Probably the module named after the little dog of the Peanuts it is still in heliocentric orbit today.
The connection between NASA and Snoopy is still alive today: the character of Peanuts he was used by NASA as the official mascot for the mission as well Artemis 1: At the end of 2022 a plush toy from the pod orbited the Moon aboard the capsule Orion. Its purpose? It indicated the absence of apparent weight inside the capsule!
NASA is so fond of astronaut Snoopy that the Kennedy Space Center there is even one statue of the bracchetto. There visitors can also purchase various gadgets themed Peanuts.
