Why NASA's safety award features Snoopy in a spacesuit
4:46 am Thu Oct 16, 2025

When NASA astronauts want to honor someone who helped keep them alive, they hand out a silver pin depicting Snoopy in a spacesuit. 
The Silver Snoopy Award is one of the space agency's highest honors, and each sterling silver pin has flown in space before being presented.

Following the deadly Apollo 1 fire in 1967, NASA wanted to create a symbol to remind its workforce that lives depended on their work. Charles M. Schulz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip, donated his artwork for free, drawing the astronaut Snoopy that appears on each pin.

What makes the award special is that astronauts personally present it to colleagues who have made exceptional contributions to flight safety. 
Fewer than 1 percent of eligible workers receive it annually, and individuals can typically only receive it once in their lifetime. 
Recipients must meet strict criteria, such as developing safety improvements or contributing significantly beyond their normal duties.

Since 1968, nearly 15,000 people have received Silver Snoopys. 
Along with the space-flown pin, recipients get a certificate signed by an astronaut and a letter specifying which mission carried their pin into orbit.

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