But how did Shaun achieve his seat as the first sheep in space, has he been trained and is he safe to be inside a spacecraft? We spoke to Emily Jones, brand director at Aardman, to find out more.<\/p>\n
The first sheep in space<\/strong><\/h2>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> \u00a9 Aardman<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nShaun managed to sneak a seat on this coveted flight thanks to his career as a movie star. \u201cBack in 2019, Aardman and the European Space Agency had a partnership to celebrate the release of the film Shaun The Sheep: Farmageddo<\/em>n,\u201d says Jones.<\/p>\n\u201cDuring this time, we had a Shaun puppet experience a zero-gravity flight. Aardman have been in touch with the European Space Agency ever since and it has been in the planning for many years to have Shaun be part of the Artemis 1 mission!\u201d<\/p>\n
Unlike most flights into space, there will be no humans taking part. Instead, Shaun is one of a few toys and other gadgets to make it onboard. So why is he on the flight?<\/p>\n
\u201cShaun is going to be the first European \u2013 and sheep! \u2013 to fly to and around the Moon. It\u2019s a fantastic opportunity for a much-loved character to be part of this first mission which will eventually lead to getting people back to the Moon,\u201d says Jones.<\/p>\n
If, like us, you\u2019re wondering why Shaun got the seat and not Aardman\u2019s loveable duo of Wallace and Gromit, Jones had the answer to this too: \u201cWallace and Gromit have been to the Moon already in their adventure, A Grand Day Out, <\/em>in which they went to see if the Moon was really made of cheese. Hopefully Shaun can learn more on his trip.\u201d<\/p>\nPreparing for the mission<\/strong><\/h2>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> \u00a9 Aardman<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nGoing into space is not an easy trip. In fact, it requires a lot of training and preparation. Luckily, Shaun had already been through a zero-gravity flight so it wasn\u2019t all too new to him.<\/p>\n
Like any astronaut, he went through further training around various European Space Agencies (ESA) sites including ESTEC in the Netherlands. The ESA made sure to document his training<\/a>, just to prove he wasn\u2019t one of those celebrities who uses a stunt double.<\/p>\nThe one other key factor to consider is whether it was safe to have Shaun in space. \u201cTo ensure he was suitable for flight, ESA also had to ensure the materials the puppet is made from were suitable. Luckily, they were \u2013 so the Shaun on board is a genuine, unmodified Aardman puppet,\u201d says Jones.<\/p>\n
As the Artemis launch will be using a reusable rocket, and will be planning a return trip to space, this Shaun the Sheep will be reunited with Aardman once it lands.<\/p>\n
Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n- NASA is ready to test tech that could save the Earth from devastating asteroid impact<\/a><\/li>\n
- Bits of old spaceships will continue to fall out of the sky, but that\u2019s the least of our problems, warn astronomers<\/a><\/li>\n
- James Webb Space Telescope: Everything you need to know about the first images<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/body><\/html>\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Alex Hughes Published: Saturday, 27 August 2022 at 12:00 am Going into space is an honour few people get to experience, but even fewer toy sheep get to make the journey. However, that is all about to change as one woolly astronaut prepares to step inside a spacecraft. Shaun the Sheep (or at least […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":17039,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/08\/aardmans-shaun-the-sheep-will-soon-make-a-real-life-trip-to-the-moon.jpg",1200,800,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/08\/aardmans-shaun-the-sheep-will-soon-make-a-real-life-trip-to-the-moon-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/08\/aardmans-shaun-the-sheep-will-soon-make-a-real-life-trip-to-the-moon-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/08\/aardmans-shaun-the-sheep-will-soon-make-a-real-life-trip-to-the-moon-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/08\/aardmans-shaun-the-sheep-will-soon-make-a-real-life-trip-to-the-moon-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/08\/aardmans-shaun-the-sheep-will-soon-make-a-real-life-trip-to-the-moon.jpg",1200,800,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/08\/aardmans-shaun-the-sheep-will-soon-make-a-real-life-trip-to-the-moon.jpg",1200,800,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Alex Hughes Published: Saturday, 27 August 2022 at 12:00 am Going into space is an honour few people get to experience, but even fewer toy sheep get to make the journey. However, that is all about to change as one woolly astronaut prepares to step inside a spacecraft. Shaun the Sheep (or at least…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/17038"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/4\/2022\/08\/survivalSJM3AP-0421-268c7ca.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Shaun managed to sneak a seat on this coveted flight thanks to his career as a movie star. \u201cBack in 2019, Aardman and the European Space Agency had a partnership to celebrate the release of the film Shaun The Sheep: Farmageddo<\/em>n,\u201d says Jones.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring this time, we had a Shaun puppet experience a zero-gravity flight. Aardman have been in touch with the European Space Agency ever since and it has been in the planning for many years to have Shaun be part of the Artemis 1 mission!\u201d<\/p>\n Unlike most flights into space, there will be no humans taking part. Instead, Shaun is one of a few toys and other gadgets to make it onboard. So why is he on the flight?<\/p>\n \u201cShaun is going to be the first European \u2013 and sheep! \u2013 to fly to and around the Moon. It\u2019s a fantastic opportunity for a much-loved character to be part of this first mission which will eventually lead to getting people back to the Moon,\u201d says Jones.<\/p>\n If, like us, you\u2019re wondering why Shaun got the seat and not Aardman\u2019s loveable duo of Wallace and Gromit, Jones had the answer to this too: \u201cWallace and Gromit have been to the Moon already in their adventure, A Grand Day Out, <\/em>in which they went to see if the Moon was really made of cheese. Hopefully Shaun can learn more on his trip.\u201d<\/p>\n Going into space is not an easy trip. In fact, it requires a lot of training and preparation. Luckily, Shaun had already been through a zero-gravity flight so it wasn\u2019t all too new to him.<\/p>\n Like any astronaut, he went through further training around various European Space Agencies (ESA) sites including ESTEC in the Netherlands. The ESA made sure to document his training<\/a>, just to prove he wasn\u2019t one of those celebrities who uses a stunt double.<\/p>\n The one other key factor to consider is whether it was safe to have Shaun in space. \u201cTo ensure he was suitable for flight, ESA also had to ensure the materials the puppet is made from were suitable. Luckily, they were \u2013 so the Shaun on board is a genuine, unmodified Aardman puppet,\u201d says Jones.<\/p>\n As the Artemis launch will be using a reusable rocket, and will be planning a return trip to space, this Shaun the Sheep will be reunited with Aardman once it lands.<\/p>\n Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n By Alex Hughes Published: Saturday, 27 August 2022 at 12:00 am Going into space is an honour few people get to experience, but even fewer toy sheep get to make the journey. However, that is all about to change as one woolly astronaut prepares to step inside a spacecraft. Shaun the Sheep (or at least […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":17039,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/08\/aardmans-shaun-the-sheep-will-soon-make-a-real-life-trip-to-the-moon.jpg",1200,800,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/08\/aardmans-shaun-the-sheep-will-soon-make-a-real-life-trip-to-the-moon-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/08\/aardmans-shaun-the-sheep-will-soon-make-a-real-life-trip-to-the-moon-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/08\/aardmans-shaun-the-sheep-will-soon-make-a-real-life-trip-to-the-moon-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/08\/aardmans-shaun-the-sheep-will-soon-make-a-real-life-trip-to-the-moon-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/08\/aardmans-shaun-the-sheep-will-soon-make-a-real-life-trip-to-the-moon.jpg",1200,800,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2022\/08\/aardmans-shaun-the-sheep-will-soon-make-a-real-life-trip-to-the-moon.jpg",1200,800,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Alex Hughes Published: Saturday, 27 August 2022 at 12:00 am Going into space is an honour few people get to experience, but even fewer toy sheep get to make the journey. However, that is all about to change as one woolly astronaut prepares to step inside a spacecraft. Shaun the Sheep (or at least…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/17038"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Preparing for the mission<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/4\/2022\/08\/centrifugeSJM3AP-0399-c01f0d4-e1661525327761.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"