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Soyuz MS-12 lands: Aleksey Ovchinin, Nick Hague and Hazzaa AlMansoori landed from the International Space Station on Thursday (Oct. 3). The Russian, American and Emirati crewmates touched down aboard Soyuz MS-12 on the steppe of Kazakhstan. For Ovchinin and Hague, it was the end of a 203 day mission. For AlMansoori, it was only eight days, but a first for the United Arab Emirates.
Honoring astronauts: A new set of postage stamps celebrates the United Arab Emirates' first astronaut to fly in space. The six stamps show Hazzaa AlMansoori, his backup Sultan AlNeyadi, his mission logo, the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft and the International Space Station. The stamps come 55 years after Dubai issued postage depicting space rockets under the theme "Honouring Astronauts."
Soyuz MS-15 launches: Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos and Jessica Meir of NASA lifted off with the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) first astronaut on Wednesday (Sept. 25). Hazzaa AlMansoori will stay aboard the International Space Station for a week, while Skripochka and Meir begin a 6-month mission as Expedition 61/62 crewmembers. The crew's launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome marked the final scheduled use of the pad where Yuri Gagarin lifted off in April 1961 to become the first human to fly into space.
'Ad Astra' per historia: As a title card reads at the start of "Ad Astra," the film is set in the "near future." But as moviegoers may notice, the Brad Pitt-helmed epic incorporates nods to real space history. From the design of the film's spacecraft to the inclusion of company logos, director James Gray sought to make "Ad Astra" less sci-fi and more "science-future-fact."
A coin for Christa: Congress has passed a bill calling for the U.S. Mint to issue a $1 coin honoring Christa McAuliffe, NASA's "Teacher in Space," who died on board the Challenger in 1986. The commemorative silver coins, to be released in 2021 for the 35th anniversary of the tragedy, will be sold to the public to support FIRST Robotics' efforts to engage children in science and technology opportunities.
Gateway logo: NASA's Gateway, part of the Artemis program to return U.S. astronauts to the moon before ultimately heading to Mars, now has its own logo. The emblem, revealed by the Johnson Space Center, "is a bold look closely aligned with the Artemis brand." The lunar Gateway will serve as a way station for Orion spacecraft and landing vehicles moving between Earth and the moon's surface.
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Demo-2 mission patch: The first astronauts set to fly on board a SpaceX Dragon capsule now have a mission patch. Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken were spotted wearing the new Demo-2 test flight insignia on Thursday (Oct. 10) during a visit by NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine to SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne, California.
Cradle of Astronauts: Thirteen of the space fliers who graduated from Purdue University, the "Cradle of Astronauts," will be honored at halftime on Saturday (Oct. 12), in a tribute to the Indiana school's space alum legacy. The Purdue Boilermakers will join in the Homecoming festivities with new spacesuit-inspired football helmets and patches.
Astronaut Playmobil: Luca Parmitano's two new crewmates on orbit do not take up much space and they look a little like him. The first Playmobil figures on the International Space Station, the toys were created in Parmitano's likeness to promote an interest in spaceflight by children. A partnership between ESA, ASI and the Italian publisher of Playmobil Magazine, 25,000 of the Luca Parmitano figures are now for sale on newsstands in Italy.
Final 'Destination': The Smithsonian exhibit "Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 Mission" is now open at its fifth and last tour venue. The Cincinnati Museum Center in Ohio is host to the Apollo 11 command module and 20 other moon landing mission artifacts through February 2020. Neil Armstrong's sons loaned an additional artifact to the exhibit and attended the ribbon cutting on Saturday (Sept. 28).
Apollo out of the Park: "Apollo at the Park," this past summer's display of 15 full-size Neil Armstrong spacesuit statues by the National Air and Space Museum at Major League ball parks, has come to its end. The Smithsonian is now moving the statues to museums and history centers for their permanent display across the United States.
Flying the flag: The number of nations that have had one (or more) of its citizens fly into space is about to grow by one. The first UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut is set to fly to the International Space Station for a week long visit. Hazzaa AlMansoori is bringing a number of items with him — including a UAE flag and tree seeds — to share Emirati culture with his crewmates and to return mementos of his spaceflight to his home country.
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