My guess is that it’s an image on the cover of his mission book. From a traditional perspective, this makes the dragon the “guardian” of the book. It would also serve as an easy to recognize symbol of his property. “Oh, it’s the Welshman’s.”
I do something similar with my mission books out here. anyone can put a name down. Anyone can misread the names. Seeing the Futhark, even if you can’t read it easily, is a simple identifier. Dunno how many times my NCO’s have had theirs “walk off” and mine stayed put.
You’re probably right, and a few words in this article would have set that straight.
My quibble isn’t with the astronaut (who sounds like a great guy) or his mission book, but with the idiot writer who went to all the trouble to highlight the dragon and then forgot to tell us what it was.
It’s part of the arrogance of the MSM. They care so little for facts that they leave them out of the story even when the facts are innocuous and no threat to any of their pet causes.
MSM writers and reporters are shoddy by habit and temperament.
I do something similar with my mission books out here.If you don't mind my asking: what kind of missions?