Three American astronauts, a Russian cosmonaut and a small English Springer Spaniel are now on their way to the International Space Station.
The four members of SpaceX's Crew-8 mission, who launched aboard the Dragon spacecraft "Endeavour" on Sunday night (March 3), continued a five-year (and one-day) custom of bringing with them a doll to show they were in the microgravity environment of outer space.
"We have a tradition on board this spacecraft for its travelers to bring a small token — a 'zero-g indicator,' if you will — to clearly demonstrate the free floating nature of objects traveling in orbit around Earth and I wonder if you have anything fitting that description?" radioed SpaceX's mission control in Hawthorne, California, to the crew, which included commander Matthew Dominick, pilot Michael Barratt and mission specialists Jeanette Epps and Alexander Grebenkin.
Related: SpaceX launches Crew-8 astronaut mission to International Space Station for NASA (video)
