8-year-old Artemis II plush toy designer meets astronaut Victor Glover
Eight-year-old Lucas Ye, the creator of Rise, the plush toy that flew aboard NASA's Artemis II mission as its zero-gravity indicator, recently met astronaut Victor Glover in person.
NASA shared a video of the meeting in a post on X, showing Glover greeting Ye and presenting him with the real Rise plush that traveled around the moon aboard the Orion spacecraft.
"Nice to meet you in person," Glover told the young designer. "I've been excited to put these things up close and see."
Glover then asked Ye whether it was the first time he had touched the flight-used plush.
"That is pretty neat," Glover said. "I'm excited to meet him, but I'm also excited for him to have the real one finally. I mean, it's kind of cool. Like, that thing went to the moon too, you know?"
Ye designed Rise as part of NASA's Artemis II Moon Mascot Challenge. The plush toy was selected from thousands of submissions to serve as the mission's zero-gravity indicator -- an object that floats once a spacecraft reaches weightlessness.
Rise became a fan favorite during Artemis II and an unofficial mascot for the crew, which included commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen.
Before the meeting ended, Glover thanked Ye for his contribution to the mission.
"Well, thank you for submitting your idea," Glover said. "Very cool."
