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Pole to pole, space and now deep: A copy of "Hubert's Hair Raising Adventure," a 1959 kids' book, has now become one of the most well-traveled books in history. Astronaut and explorer Richard Garriott has taken the book on all of his adventures, including trips to both poles and to the International Space Station. The book was again with Garriott on Monday (March 1), when he dove to Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, becoming the first person to span the planet, orbit and reach the lowest point on Earth.
Astronaut appearance: As a series based on an alternate space history, Apple TV+'s "For All Mankind" has featured a number of actors playing real-life astronauts (if in name only). But it has taken until now, in Episode 2 of Season 2, that an actual astronaut has guest starred on the show. Former astronaut and "For All Mankind" technical consultant Garrett Reisman shares the story of his cameo.
Apollo 13 statue: James Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert now stand in honor in the Saturn V Building at Space Center Houston, immortalized in bronze. Created by sculptors George and Mark Lundeen, along with Joey Bainer, the new statue captures the Apollo 13 astronauts at the moment they stepped off the helicopter onto an aircraft carrier, completing their recovery after the ill-fated mission.
Perseverance's POV: Just four days after it landed in Jezero Crater, you can now follow Perseverance down to the surface of Mars. The six-wheeled NASA rover has returned a video of its entry, descent and landing, which captures its point of view as it plummeted, parachuted and rocketed to the ground. Perseverance also recorded audio of the Martian wind as it gusted by the rover on the surface.
Perseverance postmark: The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is prepared to celebrate the landing of NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars just as soon as the wheeled explorer is confirmed safely on the surface of the Red Planet. A special postmark dated for Thursday's (Feb. 18) touchdown will go into production and use once a signal confirms that Perseverance is the ground in Jezero Crater.
Tianwen-1 orbits Mars: China is now the sixth country to successfully deploy a probe into orbit around Mars. China's Tianwen-1 spacecraft, including an orbiter, lander and rover, arrived at the planet on Wednesday (Feb. 10), a few months ahead of attempting a landing in Mars' Utopia Planitia impact basin. Tianwen-1 is China's second attempt at orbiting and first try at landing on Mars.
SpaceX surpasses Skylab: The four crew members who launched on board SpaceX's Dragon "Resilience" last November spoke to Skylab 4 science pilot Ed Gibson on Sunday (Feb. 7), to mark their spacecraft overtaking his for the U.S. flight duration record. The Dragon reached 84 days, 1 hour and 15 minutes in space 47 years (shy one day) after the Skylab 4 command module logged the same.
Pathfinder has landed: An early mockup of a space shuttle orbiter has returned to the ground at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Alabama, 30 years after being hoisted onto exhibit atop an external tank and twin solid rocket boosters. The Pathfinder, which was built by NASA to fit check test facilities before becoming a display model, will be assessed prior to receiving a multi-year restoration.
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Sign up for dearMoon: Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa is seeking eight people to join him on a flight around the moon in 2023. Originally reserved for artists of Maezawa's choosing, now anyone who is creative and is open to collaboration can sign up to be considered for the dearMoon mission. Maezawa is paying for the flight, which will launch on SpaceX's Starship, now under development.
Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters: No longer a "hidden figure," Mary W. Jackson became a central part of NASA's identity on Friday (Feb. 26) with the official naming of the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington, DC. A ceremony and sign unveiling honored Jackson, who became NASA's first Black female engineer while contributing to the agency's early missions.
Chang'e 5 lunar soil display: Just months after being brought back to Earth, a sample of lunar soil collected by China's Chang'e 5 mission is ready to go on public display. The National Museum of China in Beijing will be exhibiting the moon material in a crystal container designed to honor the mission and what it represents for the country.
Fry's shuts space station: A one-of-a-kind, full-size mockup of the International Space Station has closed in a Houston suburb after more than 15 years. The football-field-length display was part of the theming of the Fry's Electronics retail store in Webster, Texas. The chain ended business on Wednesday (Feb. 24), closing all its locations. The space station was unique not just to the store, but as a complete representation of the sprawling complex in orbit.
Perseverance pastry: Krispy Kreme will offer a new, limited edition "Mars Doughnut" to celebrate NASA's Perseverance rover arriving at the Red Planet. Available only on Thursday (Feb. 18), the same day that the six-wheeled explorer will attempt to touch down, the Mars Doughnut is filled with chocolate Kreme and features a "red planet swirl" with cookie pieces "dusted" over its surface.
'For All Mankind' app: Now available from the Apple App Store, "For All Mankind: Time Capsule" augments the Apple TV+ alternate space race series. Using augmented reality (AR), the iPhone and iPad app allows users to discover some of the events that occurred in the decade between the show's first two seasons, including a timeline for how the Apollo-era still brought rise to the space shuttle.
'Hope' orbits Mars: The UAE (United Arab Emirates) is now the fifth government entity in history to successfully deploy a spacecraft into orbit around Mars. The country's Hope (or "Al-Amal" in Arabic) probe arrived at the Red Planet on Tuesday (Feb. 9) to begin forming the first complete picture of the Martian atmosphere. The Emirates Mars Mission is the first Arab-led interplanetary endeavor.
Moon (tree) dust: Fifty years ago, it was a seed orbiting the moon. Forty-five years ago, it was a seedling planted at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Four years ago, it fell in a hurricane. Now, what remains of the "Moon Tree" have been mixed into the paint that artist Chris Calle used to create "Touched by the Moon," a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 14 lunar landing mission.
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