How an 8-year-old designed a zero-gravity indicator for Artemis II

Space How an 8-year-old designed a zero-gravity indicator for Artemis II By Kerry Breen Kerry Breen News Editor Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use. Read Full Bio Kerry Breen April 10, 2026 / 11:33 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google The four astronauts who traveled around the far side of the moon will return to Earth on Friday. With them will be a plush toy named Rise, a mission mascot who became a viral sensation while serving an important role aboard Artemis II. Rise's development began more than a year before Artemis II blasted off for its historic trip. In March 2025, NASA partnered with Freelancer, the world's largest crowdsourcing company, to run a design contest to lead to the mascot's design. The winner didn't just have to be cute and cuddly: It also needed to serve as a zero-gravity indicator that would signal when the crew reached weightlessness. Designs had to fit into tough parameters, according to a news release from Freelancer. It had to fit in a 6"x6"x6" box and weigh no more than 12 ounces. It could only be made with specific materials, and it had to "represent humanity, exploration, and the spirit of the Artemis campaign," according to Freelancer. Second-grader Lucas Ye decided to take part. Some early ideas "didn't really work out," he said in Freelancer's news release. After "some brainstorming," he came up with the design that would become Rise.   Lucas Ye works on the design that would become Rise. Freelancer Each aspect of the plush references a moment in space history, according to Freelancer: The round white body represents the moon, and a tiny footprint on the back references Neil Armstrong's arrival there in 1969. The toy's cap is inspired by Apollo 8's "Earthrise" photo, and its visor and brim are decorated...