No stranger to space after his UFO exploits in his big screen caper Farmageddon, the space sheep will go further than any farm buddy (or human) has ever gone. Shaun, who hails from Mossy Bottom Farm near London, has been assigned a place on Artemis I and scientists are very happy about it. The mission will see the maiden flight of NASA’s Orion spacecraft, which will circle the Moon and return with an ESA European Service Module. This mission does not carry a human crew, but will be controlled from the ground with the bifurcation specialist on board. The goal is for the Artemis mission to eventually put the first woman and the next man on the moon. ESA’s Director of Human and Robotic Exploration Dr David Parker said: “This is an exciting time for Shaun and for us at ESA. “We are very pleased that he was chosen for the mission and understand that while that may be one small step for a human, it is one giant leap for the lamb species.” Orion and its European Service Module will be launched by the Space Launch System from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft will enter a low-Earth orbit before the rocket’s upper stage is fired to take it into an interlunar orbit. Read more: NASA’s ‘mega rocket’ roars into life – but only briefly, putting launch in jeopardy Shaun will fly past the Moon, with his craft using lunar gravity to gain speed and propel itself 70,000 kilometers (43,496 miles) beyond the Moon, almost half a million kilometers from Earth – farther than that which any man or sheep hath ever travelled. Not to be caught off guard, Shaun embarked on an astronaut training and familiarization program with the Orion spacecraft and its European Service Module in 2020, traveling to various locations across Europe and the US to see different aspects of the mission. He even felt weightlessness in a special Airbus ‘Zero G’ A310 aircraft during one of his parabolic flights. Lucy Wendover, marketing director at Aardman, said: “Aardman is thrilled to be joining ESA to make history by launching the first ‘sheep’ into space. “As one of the first astronauts to fly an Artemis mission, Shaun is pioneering the exploration of the Moon, a great honor for our furry adventurer! “2022 marks the 15th anniversary of Shaun’s first TV series, so what better way to celebrate than by traveling further than any sheep has gone before.”
