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: Alan Bean's custom 1969 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray is now the 25th automobile to be added to the National Historic Vehicle Register. Painted black over gold to evoke the colors of the lunar module, Bean's Corvette is the last known surviving example of the Apollo 12 crew's matching AstroVettes. The coupe is being exhibited on the National Mall to celebrate its new status.
: Drawing from his 213 days following similar NASA flight plans and inspired by the 50th anniversary of the moon landing mission, Terry Virts created "Apo11o: To the Moon and Back," a new luxury edition of the Apollo 11 Flight Plan. Hand-crafted in leather and 23 karat gold, the limited reproduction is enhanced by a photo essay, new introductions and gate-fold technical drawings.
: The world's most famous fashion doll meets the first American woman to fly in space with the latest release in Mattel's Inspiring Women Series. The new Sally Ride Signature Barbie is modeled after the late astronaut's appearance when she launched on her first space shuttle mission in June 1983. The flight suit-clad doll is exclusively available from Target and Barbie.com.
: A new set of commercial crew mission patches represents the start of Boeing's Starliner flight test program. Shared by astronaut Chris Ferguson, the insignia for Boeing's Orbital Flight Test (OFT), Pad Abort Test and Crew Flight Test (CFT) depict the trials leading up to Starliner flying crews to the International Space Station.
: With its first launch expected in late 2021, Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser spacecraft now has a ride to orbit. The cargo spaceplane will fly atop United Launch Alliance's new Vulcan Centaur rocket for its six NASA-contracted missions to take supplies to and from the International Space Station.
: Later this year, the crew on board the International Space Station will use a new oven to bake cookies in space for the first time. But not just any chocolate chip cookies; the first cookies baked in space will be of the same recipe that guests receive when checking in to DoubleTree by Hilton hotels. To celebrate, DoubleTree is offering "Cookies in Space" limited edition tins for sale.
: Benedict Redgrove spent nine years pursuing his view of space history to produce "NASA: Past and Present Dreams of the Future," a photo book featuring over 200 images of space artifacts. Redgrove photographed the items in place at NASA and on display at museums before digitally removing their settings. He is now using Kickstarter to fund the book's release.
: India's first attempt at a moon landing ended prematurely on Friday (Sept. 6), when all communications were lost with the Vikram lander while on its approach to the moon's south polar region. The Vikram lander, part of the ISRO Chandrayaan-2 mission, had been carrying a six-wheeled rover and science payloads to study the presence of water ice on the lunar surface.
: When the next NASA rover launches to Mars in 2020, it will do so with a name chosen by a student. The space agency has launched a contest to find a name for its new wheeled probe, which will search for signs of past microbial life on the red planet and cache Martian soil samples for a future return to Earth. The public will have a chance to vote on the finalists before the selected name is revealed in February 2020.
: McDonald's Happy Meal now comes with a Snoopy book or toy made in collaboration with NASA. The "Discover Space with Snoopy" meal features the Peanuts comic strip beagle as the "world famous astronaut" to promote NASA's exploration missions and science education. The McDonald's Happy Meal books and toys depict Snoopy's missions to the moon and Mars.
: The mobile launcher that 50 years ago gave Apollo 11 its start will now support a new commercial rocket. NASA and Northrop Grumman signed an agreement on Friday (Aug. 16) providing the mobile launch platform and a bay in the Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building for the company's OmegA booster.
: Snoopy, the first beagle on the moon, has landed on Timex's new limited line of wristwatches. The Snoopy In Space collection features the spacesuited comic strip character walking on the moon in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first lunar landing. The first Timex X Snoopy In Space watches were released in July, with the rest of the collection coming this month.
: National Geographic recently arranged for the cast of its new adaptation of Tom Wolfe's "The Right Stuff" to see some of the real stuff at NASA. In a new featurette for the upcoming TV series, Patrick Adams and Jake McDorman (John Glenn and Alan Shepard) join other actors as they prepare to portray the Mercury astronauts.
: Chris Kraft, NASA's first flight director and the inventor of Mission Control, died on Monday (July 22) at the age of 95. Responsible for developing spaceflight operations, Kraft led NASA's Mission Control for the Mercury and early Gemini astronaut flights. He went on to be the Director of Flight Operations before serving as director of Johnson Space Center. NASA's Mission Control Center in Houston was named in Kraft's honor in 2011.
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