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By coincidence, the last time that astronauts landed on the moon and the first time an Orion spacecraft is set to return to Earth from the moon will share a date in history, separated by 50 years. What mission, Apollo 17 or Artemis I, was the greater challenge? Is it easier to touch down on the moon for a sixth time or to enter Earth's atmosphere with a new never-tried approach?
The U.S. Naval Academy's Navy Midshipmen will take on their rivals, the U.S. Military Academy's Army Black Knights, while wearing NASA-inspired uniforms at the 123rd Army-Navy Game on Saturday (Dec. 10). A giant leap beyond Gemini astronauts holding up signs rooting for their service to win, the Under Armour garb pays homage to the 54 graduates who went from Annapolis to space, more than those from West Point.
China's third crew to live aboard its space station landed back on Earth on Sunday (Dec. 4), after a six-month stay. Shenzhou 14 crewmates Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe worked to complete their country's first multi-module orbital complex, including overseeing the addition of two laboratory modules to form the space station's T-shape configuration. They landed as planned in the Gobi Desert within China's Inner Mongolia.
The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago received a new addition to its permanent collection on Thursday (Dec. 1), a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft. The capsule delivered supplies and science equipment to and from the International Space Station on two missions under contract for NASA. The first generation craft is targeted to go on display in spring 2023.
A new astronaut-inspired embroidered patch features the autograph of its focus sewn into its design. The "Signature Edition" Fred Haise patch, available from the Space Hipsters Facebook group, honors the first astronaut to test land a space shuttle, with a nod to his orbiter's connection to "Star Trek." All sale proceeds will go to sending Native American girls to Space Camp.
NASA's Artemis I Orion capsule broke a 52-year-old record Saturday (Nov. 26), flying past 248,655 miles (400,171 kilometers) from Earth. The uncrewed Orion is now the farthest-flung spacecraft that was designed to carry astronauts since the Apollo 13 command module in 1970. The Artemis I capsule is still outbound too: it is on track to fly another 20,000 miles away by Monday.
The four LEGO minifigures launched on NASA's Artemis I mission are now on their way back to Earth. If during their historic trip you ever asked "How can I get a set like that?" here is your answer. LEGO did not produce duplicates for sale, but you can still build your own Kate, Kyle, Julia and Sebastian by piecing together parts from previous LEGO building kits.
Before it made its second and last close flyby of the moon on Monday (Dec. 5), NASA's Artemis I Orion spacecraft flew over several of the Apollo landing sites. The uncrewed capsule pointed its cameras towards the lunar surface, but at its distance and without telescope lenses, it was incapable of resolving the lunar module stages and other artifacts left behind. The Orion is now on track to splashdown on Earth on Dec. 11.
Since its opening in 2021, the Space 220 restaurant at Disney's Epcot has given away trading cards with its zero proof (non-alcoholic) drinks and kid's meals. Now in their second edition (the first series of Mercury, Venus and Earth cards were retired in September), the Mars, Jupiter and Saturn sets continue to serve up facts and illustrations about space exploration, food in space and the "sky-high innovations" at Space 220.
You can now add a real Saturn V or full-size space shuttle mockup to your collection when you "Adopt An Artifact" from the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. To be clear, you will not be able to take either relic home, but your "adoption" will help to restore and preserve them and other artifacts at the Alabama museum for years to come. For donations beginning at just $25, adopters will receive photos of and history cards about "their" artifacts.
Chinese taikonauts Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu have lifted off for the Tiangong space station where, with the Shenzhou 14 crew, they will take part in China's first direct handover. The Shenzhou 15 crewmates will spend six months on the T-shaped space station, completing its assembly and starting its operational phase. Shenzhou 15 is the first launch for Deng and Zhang. Fei earlier flew on Shenzhou 6 in 2005.
The European Space Agency (ESA) on Wednesday (Nov. 23) announced its first new astronaut group in 13 years. The 17-member 2022 class has eight women and nine men from 11 nations in Europe. The candidates include five "career" astronauts who will report for training beginning in 2023, 11 "reserve" members who will wait until they're needed and ESA's first "parastronaut," who will fly into space with a disability.
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