The Inspiration4 mission made history this week as it took an all-civilian crew to space for the first time in history, but tagging along the journey was also a cute non-human member named Jude, a puppy plush toy with a scientific as well as philanthropic objective. The trend of carrying toys or other keepsake items into space is nothing new. Yuri Gagarin, the first man to journey into outer space, carried a doll aboard the Vostok I mission in 1969, and it is said to have kickstarted a trend of carrying toys, items linked to faith, or other small memorabilia on space missions.

A Buzz Lightyear toy spent 15 months aboard the International Space Station and returned to Earth with the Discovery shuttle in 2009. Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa built a LEGO space station model while he was serving on the ISS. An Olaf figure from the Frozen film flew with Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov aboard the Soyuz flight and to the ISS. Going a step further, NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg actually sewed a toy dinosaur while floating in zero gravity. Interestingly, scientists have used these toys to boost space curiosity and teaching how concepts like gravity work using toys in space.

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The latest member of that club is Jude, a plush puppy toy that one of the Inspiration4 crew members — health officer Hayley Arceneaux — took with her into space. However, this toy serves a dual purpose. Astronauts have been carrying toys like this into space for more than just a feel-good reason, as they serve a scientific purpose as well by doubling as zero-G indicators. These toys start floating as soon as the microgravity phase of a space journey begins, informing astronauts that they will now experience weightlessness.

A Cute Scientific Tool For A Great Cause

Inspiration4 Mission Plus Toy Jude

As the second stage engine of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket separated, Arceneaux pulled the space puppy toy from a pouch and let it go, watching as it started floating inside the capsule. The toy has been modeled after Puggle and Huckleberry, the facility dogs at the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, which is where Arceneaux also received treatment for cancer. The 15-inch tall plush puppy wore a white spacesuit for the journey and will return to Earth after a three-day mission in space.

The online St. Jude gift shop is selling the official Inspiration4 Zero Gravity Indicator Replica Space Puppy for $24 a pop. But it appears that Jude has gone viral as the shop is currently out of stock due to the high demand, and it will only be up for grabs on September 27. Proceeds from the sale will go to the hospital and towards research efforts. The Inspiration4 mission was actually all about fundraising, with the target set at raising a sum of $200 million for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. Billionaire Jared Isaacman, who sponsored the mission and also served as the Inspiration4 commander, has already pledged $100 million towards the fundraiser.

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Source: St. Jude Gift Shop