Reid Wiseman, commander of the historic Artemis II lunar mission, has admitted to breaking Nasa protocol by secretly retrieving the crew's beloved mascot rather than leaving it aboard the spacecraft as required.
The soft toy, named Rise, was meant to remain inside the Integrity Orion capsule for later collection.
However, the astronaut refused to part with the soft toy that had accompanied him and crewmates Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen on humanity's furthest journey into space.
"I was supposed to leave Rise in Integrity... but that was not something I was going to do," Mr Wiseman confessed on social media, following the crew's return to Earth on Friday.
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He made another post saying: "PS- it’s hard not to love this little guy. I cant let Rise out of my sight…currently tethered to my water bottle."
The mascot was designed by Lucas Ye, an eight-year-old from California, whose creation beat 2,600 entries from over 50 countries in the Moon Mascot competition.
Rise takes the form of a moon sporting an Earth-styled cap adorned with stars along its brim.
Beyond its charming appearance, the toy served a practical purpose: floating freely when the spacecraft entered zero gravity to signal the crew had reached space.
Reid Wiseman has revealed that he took Rise, the moon mascot, home against orders from Nasa
|NASA
The mascot also carries deep personal meaning for Mr Wiseman.
Inscribed on its side is "Carroll Crater," the name of a lunar crater discovered by the crew and dedicated to the commander's late wife.
As the final crew member to exit Integrity, Mr Wiseman seized his opportunity.
He tucked the treasured toy into a dry bag from the survival kit strapped to his pressure suit, smuggling it past Nasa's notice.
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Reid Wiseman confirmed on X that he had brought the mascot back to earth
|X
When the four astronauts emerged onto an inflatable porch in their orange suits to rapturous applause, Rise could be spotted hanging from the commander's grasp.
The mascot now resides with Mr Wiseman and his two daughters, Ellie and Katey. The astronaut has developed an unmistakable bond with his stowaway companion.
"It's hard not to love this little guy. I can't let Rise out of my sight," he admitted, revealing the toy remains fastened to his water bottle.
Rise joins a distinguished lineage of space-faring toys and mascots.
Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin carried a small doll aboard humanity's inaugural spaceflight in 1961, while Snoopy travelled on the Nasa space shuttle Columbia in 1990.
More recently, Shaun the Sheep became an interplanetary traveller during the Artemis I mission in 2023.
The 16cm model journeyed approximately 1.5million miles around the moon before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.
Nasa had approached the creators of the animated character following his appearance in the science fiction film Farmageddon, inviting the woolly adventurer to join the uncrewed lunar voyage.
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