Hypatia Mars has launched the contest “Design a Mascot for Hypatia III”, an initiative aimed at children aged 6 to 12 to imagine and draw the official mascot of the upcoming Hypatia III mission. The mascot will become the visual symbol of the mission, travel with the crew to the Arctic, and serve as a microgravity indicator.
One of the research lines of the Hypatia III mission, carried out in collaboration with Birkbeck, UPC, IEEC and the Aeroclub Barcelona-Sabadell, is to study the physiological and cognitive effects of microgravity through experiments conducted during parabolic flights. To identify the exact moments of weightlessness, the association has launched a contest to design a mascot that will accompany the crew on these flights. When the aircraft performs the parabola and enters microgravity, the mascot will begin to float inside the cabin, visually indicating the moment of zero gravity.
At the same time, the mascot will become one of the visual elements of the Hypatia III mission and will travel with the crew to the analog space station in the Arctic in the summer of 2027.
With this initiative, Hypatia Mars aims to bring science and space exploration closer to children and invite them to become part of the adventure!
How does the contest work?
- Participants must be between 6 and 12 years old and may enter individually or as a team.
- Before April 15, they must submit: a drawing of the mascot (digital or hand-drawn), a short explanation of why the design represents the Hypatia III mission, and a proposed name for the mascot. Submissions must be sent through the contest form.
- The Hypatia III crew will select the three best designs based on their originality and technical feasibility, and a winner will be chosen by popular vote.
- The winning mascot will be 3D-printed and will take part in both the parabolic flights and the analog Arctic mission with the Hypatia III crew.
What is the prize?
- The winning mascot will become a reality and will be part of the experiments and the Hypatia III mission.
- The winner will have the unique opportunity to attend the preparation of the parabolic flights and meet the Hypatia scientists at the Sabadell Airport.
- The winner will receive an official certificate of space collaboration, the 3D-printed mascot, and their design will be published on the official websites and social media networks of UPC, IEEC and Hypatia Mars.