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Celebration of life: Family members, fellow astronauts and friends are gathering virtually on Saturday (Sep. 19) to honor the legacy of Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden, and you are invited to join in. Open to the public, the hour long streaming program will share stories from his personal and public life as told by those who knew him best. Hosted by Kallman Worldwide, the virtual celebration of life comes six months after Worden died in March at the age of 88.
Skylab 4 OK-bound: The Oklahoma History Center has begun preparing for the arrival of a historic NASA spacecraft on loan from the Smithsonian. A display case for the Skylab 4 command module was partially installed by a team from the Cosmosphere on Thursday (Aug. 27), ahead of the capsule's delivery in September. The spacecraft had been on exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum.
'The Right Stuff' launch date: The story of America's first astronauts will lift off on Oct. 9 with the two-hour premiere of the new drama "The Right Stuff" on Disney+. The eight-part series from National Geographic is based on Tom Wolfe's 1979 bestselling book by the same title. A new two-minute trailer released on Thursday (Aug. 20) previews the series' portrayal of NASA's Mercury 7 astronauts.
Kounotori's final flight: After nine missions and 11 years, the last of JAXA's HTVs or H-II Transfer Vehicles departed the International Space Station on Tuesday (Aug. 18) to meet its fiery end on re-entry into the atmosphere. The cargo spacecraft, nicknamed Kounotori ("white stork"), delivered more than 80,000 pounds of research equipment and supplies and discarded nearly 50,000 pounds of refuse over the course of its nine flights. Japan plans an upgraded HTV-X to succeed the HTV for future ISS and moon flights.
Astronauts and 'Away': Inspired by the real challenges that astronauts face on their long missions away from Earth, the Netflix series "Away," debuting Sept. 4, stars Hilary Swank as a wife and mother who leads a mission to Mars. Swank and her castmates based their characters on, and sought the advice of several astronauts, including one who appears in a brief cameo, playing himself in "Away."
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'Challenger: The Final Flight': A new, four-part docuseries premiering on Netflix offers a personal and poignant look back at the 1986 loss of a NASA space shuttle and its crew. In "Challenger: The Final Flight," the tragedy is recounted by the fallen astronauts' family members, as well as program officials and journalists. Executive produced by J.J. Abrams and Glen Zipper, "Challenger: The Final Flight" is directed by Steven Leckart and Daniel Junge.
S.S. Kalpana Chawla: Northrop Grumman's next space station-bound Cygnus spacecraft has been named for the first woman born in India to launch into space. The S.S. Kalpana Chawla honors the late NASA astronaut who died as an STS-107 mission specialist on the 2003 ill-fated flight of space shuttle Columbia. The Cygnus will launch to the station from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Where 'Away' comes close: Hilary Swank's Mars mission series "Away" lifts off on Netflix with all 10 episodes now available to stream. Set in the near future aboard humanity's first journey to the Red Planet, "Away" includes a number of nods to NASA's history, from mission patches to namesakes. The closest "Away" comes, though, is a scene shot on location at NASA's home for flight operations.
Space art-ifact: When it came to devising its new space art offering, Uplift Aerospace had the idea to think outside of the ... rocket. The company is set to begin entertaining bids for painted murals on the exterior panels of Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft. After being launched into space, the works will be delivered to their sponsors, having become both a "piece of art and aerospace history."
NASA astronaut selection delayed: NASA has had to revise its timeline for selecting its next class of astronaut candidates due to the ongoing spread of the coronavirus. Originally set for June 2021, NASA's announcement of its 23rd group of astronaut candidates has been delayed to later in the year. The new schedule allows for more time to hold applicant interviews when it is again safe for in-person meetings at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Preserving Pathfinder: A 40 year old NASA space shuttle simulator in need of restoration has been given a boost by the National Park Service. The U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Alabama has been awarded $500,000 by the Save America's Treasures federal grant program to support the preservation of the Pathfinder space shuttle orbiter that was used to test NASA facilities before going on display.
First space memorabilia from orbit: It was 60 years ago this month that the Discoverer XIII reentry capsule became the first human made object to be recovered from orbit. The capsule, which had been developed to return film from classified reconnaissance satellites, held a secret payload: the first American flag to be retrieved after circling high above the planet. Sometimes overlooked, the flag was also the first space memorabilia collected from Earth orbit.
Space Salsa: A former science teacher has figured out how to add a spicy kick to space food. Danny's Rocket Ranch Space Salsa is made from freeze-dried green chiles, onions, tomatoes and other ingredients using Danny Jaques' southwestern recipe. For consumption both on and off the planet, part of the proceeds from the salsa's sale will support scholarships to send students to Space Camp.
'Space cola wars' at 35: Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have enjoyed a good choice of drinks, from juice and tea to smoothies and even the occasional, freshly-brewed espresso (and instant coffee at other times). What they have not had are carbonated beverages, but that was not always the plan. Thirty-five years ago, the "cola wars" between Coca-Cola and Pepsi extended all the way into orbit with the first test of soda cans in space.
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