Artemis 2 Astronauts are Taking Personal Smartphones and a Plushie to the Moon in Historic NASA First

Artemis II astronauts (L to R: Hansen, Koch, Wiseman, Glover) with Rise, the Zero-G Indicator plushie; they will also have tablets with mission essentials and movies for comfort during the 10-day mission. (Credit: NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center/Facebook)

NASA's four-person crew is preparing to venture further into space than any human in half a century as the Artemis 2 mission nears its launch date.

While the journey involves cutting-edge spacecraft, the astronauts are bringing along some surprisingly familiar tech to document their deep-space experiences. This choice marks a significant shift in how space agencies approach off-the-shelf gadgets for high-stakes lunar exploration.