A California boy is sending his creation into space on Artemis II, though it’s not a human. Lucas Yeh, an 8-year-old, designed a stuffed toy named RISE, which will accompany four astronauts on the mission launching Wednesday at 6:24 p.m. ET. This marks the first crewed lunar mission in over fifty years.
“He was really proud and super excited,” Lucas mentioned in a video about his creation. “I love space, rockets, NASA, and everything about the solar system. It’s thrilling!”
The round, white stuffed animal sports a globe-adorned hat and a brim patterned with galaxies and rockets.
The design draws inspiration from the famous “Earthrise” photo snapped during Apollo 8. Christina Koch, one of the mission specialists, emphasized that it embodies the spirit of Artemis II.
This initiative was part of a contest organized by NASA on Freelancer, the world’s largest platform for freelancers and crowdsourcing, which has over 87 million users. Freelancer is among 25 firms given NASA’s Open Innovation Services 3 contract.
“Congratulations to the winners from all of us at Freelancer. What an achievement. Your design will literally go to space, which is impressive,” Trisha Epp, the director of innovation at Freelancer, remarked.
Lucas’s design stood out among hundreds of entries from around the globe.
“I named my CGI RISE, inspired by the Earthrise photo. The cap symbolizes Earth, the white color represents past and future lunar missions, and the Orion constellation is for Artemis II,” Lucas explained.
“The moon’s footprint signifies the Apollo missions, with Neil Armstrong’s footprint from Apollo 11,” he added.
Interestingly, Freelancer notes that not only did Lucas design RISE, but he also crafted the stuffed animal himself, even though the competition only required a design submission.
“He’s articulate and genuinely passionate about the mission,” they noted.
Other finalist designs in the NASA Artemis II ZGI Design Challenge featured a variety of concepts from around the world, including “Little Octopus’s Big Steps” by Anjelika Yudakova from Finland and “Repas the Moon Rabbit” by students in Canada.
NASA encouraged public participation through Freelancer to create a zero-gravity indicator for Artemis II—a small stuffed animal that will float, signaling zero-gravity conditions for the crew. This tradition has origins dating back to Yuri Gagarin’s historic Vostok 1 mission in 1961.
More than 2,600 submissions poured in from over 50 countries, with the crew of Artemis II, including Commander Reed Wiseman, playing a crucial role in selecting Lucas’s winning entry from five finalists.
Inside RISE, a micro SD card will hold the names of everyone who signed up for the challenge, transforming the toy into a small time capsule headed for space.
“The panel faced a daunting task,” Epp shared. “Whether the submission came from a student in Finland or a kid in Texas, it was clear so much effort went into each detail. Every entry conveyed personal significance, showcasing deep passion and creativity. It was a privilege to witness.”
Besides the extraordinary RISE, the Artemis II team includes NASA Commander Reed Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency.
