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: Jim Lovell flew on the first-ever mission to rendezvous with another crewed spacecraft in orbit; was on the first mission to fly humans to the moon; was one of the first people to see the far side of the moon and Earthrise with his own eyes; was the first astronaut to fly four times into space and first to fly twice to the moon. But how most people will likely remember him is as Tom Hanks. Lovell died on Thursday (Aug. 7) at age 97.
: Following the requirements of a recently enacted law, NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy has decided to move a space shuttle to Houston for display. He just won't identify which one, and he is not alone. Though an effort to transfer Discovery from the Smithsonian to Space Center Houston has made headlines, statements from Duffy and Sen. John Cornyn, who has been leading the initiative, omit naming an orbiter.
: A three-time cosmonaut who launched with the world's first self-funded space tourist and later led Kazakhstan's national space agency, Talgat Musabayev died on Monday (Aug. 4) at the age of 74. Chosen to be a cosmonaut in 1990, Musabayev completed two stays on the Mir space station in 1994 and 1998, and then in 2001 spent a week at the International Space Station with first spaceflight participant Dennis Tito.
: When the Artemis II crew debuted their mission patch in April, NASA described it as "representing the dual nature of human spaceflight." As it turns out, there was more behind it, literally. As revealed by the agency's embroidered patch supplier, A-B Emblem, the original idea was for a first-of-its-kind two-sided insignia, flipping the positions of Earth and the moon. Now, a double-sided collector's edition is in the works.
: The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum has opened to the public five more renovated galleries, including the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall and the new "Futures in Space." Visitors on Monday (July 28) were once again able to see some of the museum's most iconic objects in "Milestones" and see new artifacts on display for the first time in "Futures," including a SpaceX rocket engine and a Blue Origin astronaut capsule.
: The "world famous astronaut" has been cast in antique bronze in celebration of his 75th anniversary. Wētā Workshop's new "Snoopy: The First Beagle on the Moon" statue depicts the comic strip dog and his best friend Woodstock, both in spacesuits, on the moon. The hand-sculpted collectible stands 11.4 inches tall and is limited just 75 pieces, one for each year Peanuts has been in print. The "First Beagle" sells for $4,999 each.
: Two Texas lawmakers are demanding that the Smithsonian launch an internal investigation into its alleged actions taken to influence Congress over the move of space shuttle Discovery to Houston. Sen. John Cornyn and Rep. Randy Weber wrote a letter to Chancellor John Roberts insisting on the comprehensive review, citing their concerns over possible violations of the Anti-Lobbying Act as it relates to the One Big Beautiful Bill.
: As part of its celebration of 250 years of mail delivery, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has issued a prestige booklet highlighting some of the most popular topics for U.S. postage stamps. Space exploration makes the list, though "Putting a Stamp on the American Experience" only showcases two out of the more than 100 space-theme stamps to date. The 32-page booklet is only the fourth of its type to be released.
: Just one day after its official release, Lunar Outpost celebrated the rollout of its first Lego set with a pop-up display at Space Center Houston. The Lego Technic Lunar Outpost® Moon Rover Space Vehicle features a futuristic rover, a resource plant and a bonus replica of the company's MAPP rover, which landed on the moon in March. The 1,082-piece kit was inspired by Lunar Outpost's plans for many more moon rover missions.
: The U.S. Mint has given the "go" to begin sales of Texas' American Innovation $1 coin honoring NASA Mission Control. The golden dollar depicts an astronaut on a spacewalk outside of the International Space Station as an example of the activities Mission Control supports from the ground. The coins come in rolls of 25 for $36.25 or bags of 100 for $123.50, from the mint's facilities in either Philadelphia (P) or Denver (D).
: In 2002, seven years after its initial release, "Apollo 13" became the first live-action feature film to be digitally remastered for presentation on IMAX giant screens. That is, all but 13 minutes of the movie, which had to be cut to fit onto IMAX's film platters. Now, for its 30th anniversary, the full-length "Apollo 13" will be shown in IMAX theaters for the first time. Starring Tom Hanks, the movie will be re-released September 19 to 25.
: Disney relaunched Test Track at Epcot on Tuesday (July 22) with a third retheming presented by General Motors (GM). The ride's new queue includes a mural depicting a GM-branded moon rover. The lunar buggy is not a Disney invention, nor is it a vision of the future. Rather, the wall-length art revives a retired GM concept for a lunar terrain vehicle. GM is now a partner with Lunar Outpost on the "Eagle" LTV for NASA.
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