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'Green Run' cuts off: NASA fired up its first Space Launch System (SLS) core stage on Saturday (Jan. 16), but the 8-minute "Green Run" test shut down after only 60 seconds. The Boeing-built SLS core stage with its four Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25 engines still successfully ignited while mounted in the same test stand that was used more than 50 years ago to test Apollo-era Saturn V rocket stages at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.
Moonwatch made anew: Omega debuted a new generation of its iconic Speedmaster on Tuesday (Jan. 5), retaining the watch's moon worn look while introducing a new movement capable of the highest precision levels. The new Moonwatch Professional timepieces carry on Omega's Apollo legacy, including being qualified for use on all NASA missions, and are now also certified Master Chronometers.
Plum Brook now Armstrong: NASA's Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio is now the Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility. Renamed at the direction of Congress to celebrate the life of the first astronaut (and native Ohioan) to walk on the moon, the facility's large vacuum chambers are used to test spacecraft, engines and rocket parts, including the Artemis I Orion, NASA's first moon-bound crew capsule since the Apollo command module.
First 'Guardian' in space: NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins transferred from the U.S. Air Force to the U.S. Space Force on Friday (Dec. 18), during a swearing-in ceremony aboard the International Space Station. The first astronaut to join the newest branch of the U.S. military, Hopkins became the first "Guardian" in space, the title the Space Force has now assigned all of its service members.
Canadians on Artemis: NASA's next crew to launch to the moon will include Canada's first astronaut to fly into deep space. The Canadian Space Agency will collaborate on NASA's lunar orbit Gateway, overseeing all of the external robotics needs to support the human-tended outpost. In return, NASA has agreed to fly two Canadian astronauts to the moon, including a seat on Artemis II, the program's first crewed mission, planned to launch in 2023.
OFT-2 patch: The next Boeing Starliner test flight will be represented by a mission patch that symbolizes the team behind its success. The company's Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) insignia derives its shape and general style from Boeing's other Starliner flight test patches, but uses a new purple color scheme and additional imagery to convey the team's focus on safety and pride in the spacecraft.
Space Force Station: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and its headquarters at Patrick Air Force Base have been redesignated for the Space Force, although the association is in name only. Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Patrick Space Force Base will continue as U.S. Air Force installations, but the new names reflect the space missions the 45th Space Wing and its partners execute.
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'Sun Science' stamps: The United States Postal Service (USPS) will release this year a new set of ten different stamps celebrating the on-going study of our nearest star. The "Sun Science" postage stamps will feature colorful depictions of the Sun using the multi-wavelength images captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.
'We came in peace': Apple TV+ released a new trailer for the second season of "For All Mankind" on Friday (Jan. 15), showing how the Cold War will heat up on the moon when the alternate space history series returns on Feb. 19. "We need to remind them of Apollo 11 – we came in peace for all mankind. We need to live up to that," warns astronaut Ed Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman) in the new trailer.
After 'Apollo 11': In the summer of 1969, 50 years before millions of people would isolate themselves to protect against a pandemic, a trio of astronauts did the same to prevent the spread of "moon germs." The new short film "Apollo 11: Quarantine" tells the lesser-known story of what happened after the first moon landing. Set to debut in IMAX and stream on video-on-demand, "Quarantine" comes from the same team behind the 2019 documentary "Apollo 11."
ISS power boost: Boeing will augment the International Space Station with six new solar arrays to power the orbital complex's expanded research and commercial use for years to come. The more compact, but also more capable XTJ Prime solar panels will partially overlay the current arrays that have provided the station electricity for the past two decades. The new arrays will be launched in the trunks of SpaceX Dragon capsules starting this year.
Preserve and protect: U.S. companies and other entities working to fly to the moon with or for NASA are now legally prohibited from disturbing the Apollo lunar landing sites. The newly-enacted "One Small Step to Protect Human Heritage in Space Act" is the first U.S. law directed at preserving the hardware left on the moon 50 years ago.
Christa McAuliffe coin: The U.S. Mint has revealed its final artwork for the 2021 Christa McAuliffe Silver Dollar, celebrating the life and legacy of the fallen "Teacher in Space." The coin, which is timed to coincide with the 35th anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger disaster, will include McAuliffe's quote, "I touch the future. I teach." A surcharge from each coin sold will go to FIRST Robotics to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.
Chief Astronaut: NASA has named its new Chief of the Astronaut Office, who may pick the next crews to fly to the moon. Astronaut Reid Wiseman succeeds Pat Forrester in the role and is charged with managing the needs of the 46 active members of the corps. Wiseman previously spent 165 days on the International Space Station in 2014. He is the 17th chief astronaut to lead the office since 1962.
Chang'e 5 returns: China's Chang'e 5 has returned to Earth carrying the first pieces of the moon collected in more than 40 years. The 23-day robotic mission came to an end on Wednesday (Dec 16), with the probe's "returner" capsule landing in Inner Mongolia. The last time that moon rocks and soil were brought back for study was in 1976 by the former Soviet Union's Luna 24. Chang'e 5 was China's first lunar sample return mission and the 10th in history, including the six U.S. Apollo moon landings.
Hubble coin deployment: The U.S. Mint on Monday (Dec. 14) is releasing rolls and bags of the Maryland American Innovation $1 coin featuring the Hubble Space Telescope. The golden dollar, which depicts the observatory in orbit, celebrates the past 30 years that the Hubble Space Telescope has served as symbol of invention and ingenuity.
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