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: The first astronaut to catch a satellite in orbit, John Fabian died on Thursday (May 21). He was 87. Selected in 1978 with the first space shuttle candidate class, Fabian launched twice into Earth orbit. On STS-7 he flew with Sally Ride, and used the Canadarm to deploy and retrieve a free-flying science platform. Fabian then repeated his satellite feat on STS-51G. In total, across his two flights, he spent over 13 days and 4 hours in space.
: National Air and Space Museum curators, NASA officials, an astronaut, an archeologist and others met on Thursday (May 21) for a series of panel discussions on the why, what and how of preserving the International Space Station at the end of its life on orbit. A part of the AIAA's ASCEND conference, the Smithsonian-organized sessions addressed stakeholders' wishlists and the constraints of fulfilling such as the program concludes.
: Inspired by their song "In a Daydream" being played by NASA to wake up the Artemis II crew on the way to the moon, the Freddy Jones Band has now released "reimagined and extended moon" versions of the 1993 single. Reid Wiseman, mission commander, selected the song as it filled him with joy. The band members felt the same about their track reaching into space, which set their tone for the remix and related merch.
: Before astronauts wore mission patches, they had their call signs painted on the side of their spacecraft. That "nose art" was short lived, ending after the six flights of the Mercury program, the last of which launched 63 years ago on Friday (May 15). Vintage space gear supplier Luna Replicas has now recreated the art-adorned heat shield shingles that bore the names such as "Liberty Bell 7," "Friendship 7," "Aurora 7" and "Faith 7."
: For years, Mars Inc. has promoted M&M's as the "first candy in space." They can now add, "and latest at the moon." In a post-flight interview, the crew of NASA's Artemis II mission spoke of eating Peanut M&M's while awaiting recovery after they splashed down. The anecdote, meant to illustrate how their lives had returned to normal, confirmed that the sweet staple of U.S. human spaceflight had now become an Artemis-era snack.
: SpaceX's 13th flight under NASA's Commercial Crew Program will fly as Crew 13, with no pause for triskaidekaphobia (the fear or avoidance of the number 13). Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney of NASA, Joshua Kutryk with the Canadian Space Agency and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov are embracing their crew number with references to Apollo 13 on their mission patch, including a golden dragon filling the place of golden horses.
: Can you wear white after Labor Day if your destination is Earth orbit? Vast, a company working to launch the first commercial space station, seems to think so with the reveal of its astronaut flight suit. The custom-fit, two-piece white jacket and trousers has plenty of pockets and hook-and-fastener (Velcro) attach points to keep tools handy. Vast has also tested and certified a new wristwatch developed for spaceflight by IWC Schaffhausen.
: More than 20 men and women who have traveled into space came together Saturday (May 16) to see two of their fellow fliers enter the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Both shuttle-era spacewalkers, Tom Akers and Joe Tanner were honored for their service to NASA on each of their four missions, including servicing the Hubble Space Telescope. Akers and Tanner's induction brings the Astronaut Hall of Fame's ranks to 113 members.
NASA released a new set of photos taken on board Integrity, the Artemis II Orion spacecraft, capturing the four crew members as they traveled to the moon and back. The images also caught an unexpected, but also unmistakable figure aboard: Mickey Mouse has now joined the moon mission club. Less a planned cameo appearance than the result of using an off-the-shelf product, the Disney mascot flew as the illustration on a package of baby wipes.
: You can now buy your own "official" Artemis II moon mascot as sold by the NASA Exchange. The $25 plush, which reproduces the look of the zero-g indicator, includes many of the features of the flown-to-the-moon doll, including its Earth cap. Named "Rise" by its 9-year-old designer, the moon plushie is intended as a tribute to Earthrise, the iconic sight first seen in-person by the 1968 Apollo 8 crew and witnessed again by Artemis II.
: Apple on Thursday (April 23) dropped the trailer for "Star City," its spin off series to the alt-space-history drama "For All Mankind." Set to premiere on May 29, the new show returns viewers to the event that veered off our timeline and launched the franchise, the first human to land on the moon. "But this time, we explore the story from behind the Iron Curtain," showing the lives of the Soviet workers and the risks they took to propel us forward.
: The Royal Canadian Mint is celebrating the country's first astronaut to fly to the moon with the limited issuance of a silver collectible. The Moon Mission-1 coin depicts a Canadian astronaut wearing a full Orion Crew Survival System (OCSS) pressure suit, just as Jeremy Hansen wore on NASA's Artemis II mission. When lit by the included black light, the moon glows and Earth is revealed in the helmet visor. The coin retails for $200 (US).
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