September 10, 2024

— A privately-funded crew now on a mission to set several records in Earth orbit may not include the first child in space, but they have her hopes, wishes and, most tangibly, original furry spacesuit-clad creation on board.

"Asteroid," a plush Shiba, is the "zero-g indicator" on the Polaris Dawn mission.

"A zero-g indicator is a little plush toy that floats in the air. It basically shows that you are in zero-g," Liv (which she spells "L!√") Perroto, a pediatric cancer survivor who created "Asteroid" at the invitation of the Polaris Dawn crew, said in a video shared on social media. "They kind of hide it over in the corner and then once you hit zero-g, it will float up and reveal itself."

Just as Liv described, the plush puppy was seen floating at the end of its "leash" (tether) when commander Jared Isaacman, pilot Scott "Kidd" Poteet and mission specialists Sarah Gills and Anna Menon entered Earth orbit on the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft "Resilience" on Tuesday (Sept. 10). During their five days circling the planet, the Polaris Dawn crew will attempt the world's first commercial spacewalk, as well as fly higher above Earth than any human flight since the last Apollo astronauts left for the moon more than 50 years ago.

Polaris Dawn zero-g indicator. Click to enlarge video in new pop-up window. (Polaris Program)

The Polaris Dawn mission is the first of three Polaris Program crewed flights that are being underwritten by Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur, with the goal of advancing technologies needed to achieve SpaceX's vision of a spacefaring future for humanity. Isaacman previously sponsored and flew on the 2021 Inspiration4 mission, which is when he and his crewmates were introduced to Liv.

"I first met Liv a couple of days after I got back from space at our splashdown party, and I got to meet her family. They told me about her journey that she was on," said Hayley Arceneaux, a former patient and physician assistant at St. Jude's Children Research Hospital, who flew with Isaacman on Inspiration4. "I remember that she gave me a card she had written, and it said, 'Thank you for helping other kids with cancer like me. I hope to go to space like you someday.' My eyes just filled with tears whenever I read that."

"Basically, my one passion is to be the first child in space," said Liv.

Through Arceneaux, Liv became close with the Inspiration4 crew, which led to her becoming part of the Polaris Dawn ground support team and designing "Asteroid."

"My main idea for Asteroid was based on Elon's dog, Floki," Liv said, referring to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's pet dog. "I've always loved Shibas. They have always been really cute. And then when I heard Elon got Floki, I was like, 'Done.'"

Like the Inspiration4 zero-g indicator, which was styled after St. Jude's assistance dogs and served as a fundraiser for the hospital's patient care and research efforts, SpaceX is selling duplicates of "Asteroid" for $25 with the proceeds going to St. Jude's at Liv's request.

"I really have a passion for wanting to help St. Jude and kids who are having the same struggles as I had," she said. "I want Asteroid to be for every child and help them see, 'Oh, Asteroid went to space and I can, too. I can achieve my dreams.'"