Amigurumi Rise (Artemis II Zero-Gravity Indicator)

Over a ten-day period in April 2026, the Artemis II mission traveled around the moon to test the life-support systems of the Orion spacecraft. The four astronauts brought with them an extremely cute plushie who also had a job as the zero-gravity indicator. According to NASA, “a zero-gravity indicator is a small plush item that flies along with a crew to visually indicate when they are in space.” Basically, when it floats, you know you’re in a zero-gravity environment! The Moon Mascot Design Challenge received over 2,600 submissions from 50+ countries, and the winning entry, titled “Rise,” was designed by eight-year-old Lucas Ye from Mountain View, California. It was inspired by the iconic Earthrise photo from the Apollo 8 mission. People around the world have (understandably) fallen in love with the super cute plushie, and I am no exception. I did my best to create a crochet version of the beloved Rise, and I’m sharing the pattern with you for free as a celebration of what I love most about humanity—our sense of curiosity and wonder.