This is a list of documented zero-gravity indicators (also known as free-fall indicators) that have been used on space missions. The list includes indicators that have been publicly documented by space agencies or reported by independent sources. It is not intended to be exhaustive.
| Image | Mission | Year | Spacecraft | Zero-gravity indicator | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vostok 1 | 1961 | Vostok 3KA | Small doll | 1 | |
| Soyuz 31 | 1978 | Soyuz 7K-T | Sandmännchen doll, Matryoshka doll, Mishka toy (mascot for the 1980 Summer Olympics) | 2 3 4 | |
| Soyuz 36 | 1980 | Soyuz 7K-T | Rabbit toy | 4 | |
| Columbia STS-28 | 1989 | Space Shuttle | Truman the Tiger plush (mascot of the University of Missouri athletics team). | 5 | |
| Soyuz TM-16 | 1993 | Soyuz TM | Monkey toy | 6 | |
| Discovery STS-63 | 1995 | Space Shuttle | Magellan T. Bear (teddy bear) | 7 | |
| Soyuz TM-23 | 1996 | Soyuz TM | Paddington Bear toy | 8 | |
| Soyuz TM-25 | 1997 | Soyuz TM | Hein Blöd (plush from German Käptn Blaubär TV series) | 9 | |
| Endeavour STS-88 | 1998 | Space Shuttle | Pluto (toy dog) | 10 | |
| Discovery STS-124 | 2008 | Space Shuttle | Buzz Lightyear toy | 11 | |
| Discovery STS-119 | 2009 | Space Shuttle | Snowman toy | 12 | |
| Endeavour STS-134 | 2011 | Space Shuttle | Krtek the Little Mole plush | 13 14 15 | |
| Soyuz TMA-22 | 2011 | Soyuz TMA-M | Red Angry Birds plush | 16 | |
| Soyuz TMA-04M | 2012 | Soyuz TMA-M | Smokey Bear plush | 17 18 | |
| Soyuz TMA-06M | 2012 | Soyuz TMA-M | Hippopotamus plush | 19 | |
| Soyuz TMA-07M | 2012 | Soyuz TMA-M | Klyopa (Clown toy, named after the Egyptian Pharaoh Cleopatra) | 20 | |
| Soyuz TMA-12M | 2014 | Soyuz TMA-M | Cheetah plush, Tiger plush (to commemorate International Tiger Day 2014) | 21 | |
| Soyuz TMA-13M | 2014 | Soyuz TMA-M | Maus plush, Giraffiti (giraffe plush) | 22 23 | |
| Soyuz TMA-15M | 2014 | Soyuz TMA-M | Olaf plush | 24 | |
| Soyuz TMA-16M | 2015 | Soyuz TMA-M | Snowman plush | 25 | |
| Soyuz TMA-17M | 2015 | Soyuz TMA-M | R2-D2 plush | 26 | |
| Soyuz TMA-20M | 2016 | Soyuz TMA-M | Pink Owl plush | 27 | |
| Soyuz MS-01 | 2016 | Soyuz MS | Rilakkuma plush | 28 | |
| Soyuz MS-02 | 2016 | Soyuz MS | Model of the Orel (formerly Federation) spacecraft | 29 | |
| Soyuz MS-04 | 2017 | Soyuz MS | Star (emblem of the Children's Cancer Hospital section from the MD Anderson Cancer Center), Dog plush, Girl doll, Boy doll | 30 | |
| Soyuz MS-05 | 2017 | Soyuz MS | Hand-knitted Gnome doll, Bear plush wearing an outfit in the colors of the Flag of the United States | 31 | |
| Soyuz MS-07 | 2017 | Soyuz MS | Poodle plush | 32 | |
| Soyuz MS-08 | 2018 | Soyuz MS | Zabivaka plush (mascot for the 2018 FIFA World Cup) | 33 34 | |
| Soyuz MS-09 | 2018 | Soyuz MS | Maus astronaut (second flight), Elefant astronaut plush, and Zabivaka plush (second flight, mascot for the 2018 FIFA World Cup) | 35 36 | |
| Soyuz MS-12 | 2019 | Soyuz MS | Aurora (plush baby falcon), Dog plush wearing a spacesuit | 37 38 | |
| Soyuz MS-15 | 2019 | Soyuz MS | Suhail plush astronaut | 39 | |
| SpaceX Demo-1 | 2019 | Crew Dragon | Celestial Buddies Earth plush | 40 | |
| SpaceX Demo-2 | 2020 | Crew Dragon | Tremor (sequined dinosaur plush) | 41 | |
| SpaceX Crew-1 | 2020 | Crew Dragon | Grogu plush | 42 | |
| Soyuz MS-18 | 2021 | Soyuz MS | Kitten Woof (from the Soviet animated series "A Kitten Named Woof") | 43 | |
| SpaceX Crew-2 | 2021 | Crew Dragon | GuinGuin (penguin plush) | 44 | |
| Inspiration4 | 2021 | Crew Dragon | Jude (plush dog for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital) | 45 | |
| Soyuz MS-19 | 2021 | Soyuz MS | Snow Leopard plush, Cheburashka plush, and Galchonok plush (plush bird for charity organization founded by Yulia Peresild) | 46 | |
| SpaceX Crew-3 | 2021 | Crew Dragon | Pfau (turtle plush) | 47 | |
| SpaceX Crew-4 | 2022 | Crew Dragon | Zippy (turtle plush) and Etta (monkey plush) | 48 | |
| Axiom Mission 1 | 2022 | Crew Dragon | Caramel (plush dog) | 49 | |
| Soyuz MS-22 | 2022 | Soyuz MS | Cheburashka plush (second flight) | 50 | |
| Artemis I | 2022 | Orion | Snoopy (NASA) and Shaun the Sheep (ESA) plushes | 51 52 | |
| SpaceX Crew-5 | 2022 | Crew Dragon | Albert Einstein plush doll | 53 | |
| SpaceX Crew-6 | 2023 | Crew Dragon | Suhail (second flight) | 54 | |
| Axiom Mission 2 | 2023 | Crew Dragon | GiGi (Build-A-Bear astronaut doll) | 55 | |
| Axiom Mission 3 | 2024 | Crew Dragon | GiGi (second flight) | 56 | |
| Polaris Dawn | 2024 | Crew Dragon | Asteroid (plush Shiba Inu dog) | 57 | |
| Soyuz MS-26 | 2024 | Soyuz MS | Pink Corgi plush | 58 | |
| SpaceX Crew-9 | 2024 | Crew Dragon | Aurora (plush baby falcon, second flight) | 37 | |
| SpaceX Crew-10 | 2025 | Crew Dragon | друг (hand-crocheted Origami paper crane plush) | 59 | |
| Fram2 | 2025 | Crew Dragon | Polar bear plush (with embroidered Emperor penguin on chest) | 60 | |
| Axiom Mission 4 | 2025 | Crew Dragon | Joy (plush baby swan) | 61 | |
|
Artemis II | 2026 | Orion | Rise (moon plush) | 62 |
References
References
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- "Plush polar bear with penguin art floats as Fram2 zero-g indicator in polar orbit". Space.com. Retrieved 2026-04-06.
- "'Joy,' a plush baby swan, will launch with Axiom Mission-4 crew as zero-g indicator". Space.com. Retrieved 2026-04-06.
- "Artemis II Crew Arrives at Launch Site, Shares Moon Mascot". nasa.gov.
