This Artemis 2 astronaut really loves Rise | Space photo of the day for April 14, 2026

We’re not the only ones still feeling the joy of NASA’s Artemis 2 mission.

Mission commander NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman was seen experiencing some serious joy following the mission splashdown. With his fist raised to the sky and his crew and teammates behind him, the excitement of this accomplishment was written all over his face. But one detail stands out — Rise, the Artemis 2 mission mascot, is securely attached to Reid’s water bottle.

And it seems like the pair have been inseparable ever since.

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What is it?

NASA’s Artemis 2 mission sent four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the moon and back. This historic mission marked the first crewed trip to the moon since the final mission of the Apollo program in 1972.

On Friday (April 10), the astronauts onboard this mission — NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch and the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen — splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.

Following confirmation of a successful and safe splashdown, the crew boarded a recovery ship, triumphant and beaming. But while walking across the deck of the ship, some pointed out that Wiseman appeared to be carrying a special stowaway: Rise, the mission’s mascot.

Why is it incredible?

It turns out that Wiseman was supposed to leave Rise — a plush moon toy and the mascot of the mission — behind on the Orion spacecraft. But he just couldn’t do it, and he brought Rise along for the ride.

“I was supposed to leave Rise in Integrity … but that was not something I was going to do,” Wiseman wrote on X on Saturday (April 11).

Rise was invented by third-grader Lucas Ye as part of a public contest to come up with a mascot that could serve as a zero-gravity indicator. In other words, the object would need to be used to “float,” or visually indicate zero gravity aboard the capsule.

In a heartwarming, additional note of sentimentality, at some point, “Carroll” was inscribed on the Ye’s plush. This is in reference to Wiseman’s wife Carroll, who died in 2020. During their lunar flyby livestream, the Artemis 2 crew suggested naming a moon crater Carroll, after her.

This little moon plush with an Earth-colored hat has become so beloved by both the public and the crew, with Wiseman even nicknaming the plush “Rise Wiseman,” welcoming it into his family after the mission.