Good grief: Peanuts and NASA

October 30, 7:18 PMSpace Exploration ExaminerMary Beth Ellis

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I'm terribly sorry to bring up the C-word mere hours before Halloween (especially given the fact that yesterday I wrote about the evils of premature Christmas music for another site), but you'll have to act fast for this one.

Hallmark is offering a Snoopy ornament this year which honors NASA's golden anniversary.  And the first time I looked for it at my local store, it was sold out.  I managed to grab one today, but the rest will likely be gone before Thanksgiving.

Why Charlie Brown's dog?  The hardware of Apollo 10 bore the names of the boy and his beagle:  The lunar module was christened "Snoopy", and the command module called "Charlie Brown". In the strip itself, Snoopy had an adventure on the Moon in 1969, just as the rest of the nation geared up for Apollo 11.  And even today, the "Silver Snoopy Award"  is bestowed by astronauts upon NASA employees or contractors who show "professionalism, dedication and outstanding support that greatly enhanced space flight safety and mission success."

Next year, the Charles M. Schulz Museum is even offering an exhibit exploring the relationship.  To the Moon:  Snoopy Soars With NASA will run January-June 2009. 

Photo credit:  Hallmark.com