'Family Dog' Becomes Longest Serving Zero-G Indicator on SpaceX Missions

SpaceX's Crew-8 mission, including three American astronauts, a Russian cosmonaut, and a plush English Springer Spaniel as their zero-g indicator, continued a tradition of bringing symbolic toys to demonstrate microgravity in space. The chosen doll, a plush version of the family dog, was selected by the commander's children to represent the sacrifice children make when their parents serve away from home. This tradition began five years ago and has seen a total of 14 plush toys flown on Dragon spacecraft, including those from NASA crews and commercial missions. The Crew-8 members are expected to conduct scientific research aboard the International Space Station for the next six months.