Designed by a Dreamer
In January 2022, a teenage cancer survivor named Liv Perrotto received an invitation that would change everything: design the zero-gravity indicator for the Polaris Dawn space mission. She grabbed a pencil and created ASTEROID in under 30 minutes.
β Liv Perrotto, designer of ASTEROID
Liv had faced one of the hardest battles any child can endure β pediatric cancer. But instead of letting illness define her journey, she turned it into a mission. Having met astronaut Hayley Arceneaux β herself a former St. Jude's patient β through the Inspiration4 mission in 2021, Liv joined the Polaris Dawn ground support team and was invited to bring her dream to life.
Her design combined her love of Shiba Inus with her passion for space exploration. Inspired by Elon Musk's own Shiba Inu, Floki, ASTEROID was born β a spacesuit-clad puppy that would float in the cosmos, embodying hope, resilience, and the belief that even children can reach the stars.
Two and a half years after her drawing, ASTEROID finally reached orbit. Liv, watching from Earth, saw her creation float in zero gravity aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon β every detail she had described faithfully incorporated by the Polaris team. "It meant to me that I get to be a part of something meaningful and to raise awareness for kids fighting cancer like me."
