Indira (left) and Andrew Feustel (right) holding Krtek doll.

Today, March 5th, 2021, marks the 10th anniversary of the little mole's flight into space with American astronaut Andrew Feustel onboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour's mission STS-134.

Krtek, or mole in English, is an animated character designed by Czech artist Zdeněk Miler. When its film premiered at the Venice Film-Festival in 1957, it won several awards, and the little mole went on to star in over fifty animated shorts for children. One episode written in 1965 was entitled "Krtek a raketa," or "Mole and the Rocket," but Miler had no way of knowing that in 2011, Krtek would actually board a space shuttle.

NASA astronaut Andrew Feustel was first introduced to the character by his wife, Indira Feustel, who is of Czech descent. He decided to bring a Krtek doll on his voyage to encourage children's interest in space and science.

Learn more about the little mole's history by reading our blog post here.

Indira Feustel (left), Krtek (center), and Andrew Feustel (right).

Written by Erin Schachtner.