NEW DELHI: The Axiom-4 crew members, who successfully floated into International Space Station on Thursday, were joined by a fifth member on their mission. It wasn’t a human or a pet, but a toy. A toy swan called Joy.But it’s not just a toy. It has its roots in traditions of the scientific world. The practice of taking a toy into space to signal the onset of weightlessness started with Yuri Gagarin, the first person in space, and has since evolved into a longstanding tradition in space missions.Joy is a zero gravity indicator aboard the Axiom-4 mission. It was chosen by the astronauts as a tribute to astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla’s son Kiash, who has a deep affection for animals.“We are here, not just the four of us, we also have with us our Zero-G indicator – Joy – that started to float with us just when we were injected into orbit. Joy is floating all over the capsule, sometimes we have to find him/ her here with us,” Polish astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski said.

What does the swan signify?

Joy, the baby swan, represents the collective ambition of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), the European Space Agency (ESA), and Hungary’s HUNOR space program to reach beyond Earth, Axiom Space said in a statement.“In this way, Joy represents cultural unity as three nations realize the return to human spaceflight, together as one crew,” it said.“By choosing a swan as the zero-g indicator, the Ax-4 crew celebrates the diversity of their cultures, united in the shared human experience of space exploration,” Axiom Space said.Talking about the symbolism behind the swan, Shukla said, “This means a lot more than just a ZeroG indicator. I think we all have symbolism, in Poland and Hungary and India as well.”In India, the swan is seen as a symbol of wisdom and purity, reflecting the quest for truth. In Poland, it represents qualities like purity, loyalty, and resilience. Meanwhile, in Hungary, the swan embodies loyalty, elegance, and the natural beauty of the world.