The surprising reason NASA sends Snoopy into space

NASA presents the Silver Snoopy Award to engineers, technicians, inspectors, and flight controllers to recognize their contributions to mission success. Since 1968, the agency has used this small sterling silver pin, which depicts the character Snoopy in a spacesuit, to show support staff that their work has been noticed.

Charles Schulz helped NASA design the astronaut version of the character in the 1960s, which allowed the agency to use the image without charge.