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December 2, 2019

/ 11:50 a.m. CT (1750 GMT)


Repairing AMS

: Using a set of custom tools specially designed for their spacewalk, Luca Parmitano and Drew Morgan connected, cut, straightened and pinched steel coolant tubes to repair a cosmic ray detector outside of the International Space Station on Monday (Dec. 2). During the EVA, the two astronauts spliced in the new coolant system for the $2 billion Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS).


December 3, 2019

/ 1:15 p.m. CT (1915 GMT)


Texan of the Year

: For the first time in its 45 years, the Texas Legislative Conference has selected an astronaut to be the Texan of the Year for 2020. Charlie Duke, who on NASA's Apollo 16 mission in 1972 became the tenth and youngest person to walk on the moon, has now joined the ranks of presidents, senators and other icons who have shared the honor since the title was established in 1974.


December 4, 2019

/ 12:45 p.m. CT (0645 GMT)


Monument to mission safety

: Roscosmos, Russia's federal space corporation, unveiled on Monday (Dec. 2) its monument to mission safety: a permanent installation outside of its headquarters incorporating the Soyuz MS-10 descent module that flew an in-flight abort in 2018. Aleksey Ovchinin and Nick Hague, who survived the flight, attended the dedication and helped reveal their capsule's display.


December 11, 2019

/ 12:45 p.m. CT (1845 GMT)


Rocket mail

: A commercial rocket launched on Wednesday (Dec. 11) carrying thousands of kids' postcards on board. The rocket mail, which now back on Earth will be stamped as having "flown in space" and then returned to the students, was part of Blue Origin's Club for the Future outreach activities. The launch marked the 12th successful mission and sixth re-flight of a New Shepard rocket, which Blue Origin plans to use to fly passengers on future flights.


December 13, 2019

/ 11:35 p.m. CT (0535 GMT Dec 14)


From cameo to comedy

: An astronaut who had a recurring role playing himself on "The Big Bang Theory" is now the inspiration for a new NBC comedy from the co-creator of the hit sitcom. Mike Massimino, who flew on two missions to service the Hubble Space Telescope, is lending his life experiences to the script penned by Bill Prady.


December 16, 2019

/ 12:00 a.m. CT (0600 GMT)


Space for SPACE

: What would you send to space if you had the chance? Charitybuzz is providing just such an opportunity as part of its holiday auction. The highest bidder will be invited to fly an item of his or her choice on a Blue Origin New Shepard suborbital flight in 2020. The sale will benefit SPACE on Ryder Farm, an artist residency that until now had no connection to outer space.


December 19, 2019

/ 1:00 a.m. CT (0700 GMT)


Starliner's souvenirs

: When Boeing's CST-100 Starliner capsule lifts off to space for the first time, it will be packed with a small cache of commemorative items in recognition of the milestone. In addition to its Orbital Flight Test mission patches and decals, the Starliner will carry Snoopy pins, tree seeds and a 1933 air travel ID card, continuing a tradition that extends back to the start of U.S. spaceflight.


December 20, 2019

/ 12:20 p.m. CT (1820 GMT)




'Why we flight test'

: An Atlas V rocket lifted off with Boeing's first CST-100 Starliner crew capsule to enter orbit Friday (Dec. 20), but a software timing issue resulted in the capsule being unable to rendezvous and dock at the International Space Station. The orbital test flight was not a total loss though, as a number of the original objectives will be accomplished before the Starliner comes in to land.


December 22, 2019

/ 8:00 a.m. CT (1400 GMT)




Starliner touches down

: Boeing's first CST-100 Starliner has become the first U.S. crew capsule to touch down on land. The Starliner landed Sunday (Dec. 22) at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, completing an abbreviated orbital flight test. Though it was unable to fly to the space station due to an errant mission events timer, the Starliner did achieve a number of its test flight's objectives and has returned data to support future crewed missions.


December 22, 2019

/ 2:25 p.m. CT (2025 GMT)


Capsule Calypso

: Less than two hours after it returned from space on Sunday (Dec. 22), Boeing's first Starliner to orbit Earth became the company's first crew capsule to be given a name. NASA astronaut Suni Williams, who will command the first re-flight of the vehicle, christened the "Calypso" after ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau's ship.


December 27, 2019

/ 12:00 a.m. CT (0600 GMT)


Coin completion

: The United States Mint is concluding the year-long sale of its Apollo 11 50th Anniversary coins on Friday night (Dec. 27). Released in January in commemoration of the first moon landing, the gold, silver and clad coins were only the second curved issues by the Mint. The proceeds from the almost 600,000 coins sold benefit in part three organizations helping to preserve space history.


December 28, 2019

/ 12:00 a.m. CT (0600 GMT)


Record-setting stay

: On Saturday (Dec 28), Christina Koch will have spent more days on a space mission than any woman before her. Already a record holder as part of the first all woman EVA (spacewalk), Koch is exceeding the 289 days and 5 hours that her mentor, Peggy Whitson, logged between 2016 and 2017. By the time Koch lands on Earth, she will have spent a total of 328 days in space.



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