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: The U.S. Postal Service on Saturday (July 11) issued a new set of ten stamps celebrating Barbie's many careers, including being an astronaut. The spacesuited doll chosen for the stamp is one of the same displayed by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, even though it is one of the more futuristic and pink-forward designs. For 60 years, Barbie has donned outfits influenced by NASA and styled after real astronauts.
: After backing up the first person from his country to fly into space, Aleksandr Aleksandrov flew on a 1988 Interkosmos Mir mission, making him the second Bulgarian in space and first to live on a space station. Aleksandrov died on Friday (July 10) at the age of 74. He spent almost 10 days in orbit after launching on the Soviet Soyuz TM-5 mission. Onboard Mir, Aleksandrov conducted more than 50 science experiments.
: LEGO has revealed that its next space-themed Icons set will focus on the Hubble Space Telescope. Scheduled for release on Aug. 1, the $139.99 kit creates a detailed desktop model of the spacecraft in celebration of its 35 years of observations. Scaled roughly to the size of the included astronaut minifigure, the Hubble features an opening aperture door, posable antennas and arrays, and removable panels to see in the instrument bay.
: For two decades, aft skirt no. 13 flew at the base of a solid rocket booster on 11 missions, flying with all five of NASA's winged orbiters. Now, as it nears its debut as a one-of-a-kind museum exhibit, collectors have the chance to own a small part of the skirt. MotorArt on Thursday (July 9) is launching sales of its Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster PlaneTags in two limited edition sets: 2,000 of the Aft Skirt Skin and 4,000 Hold-Down Post tags.
: When an Artemis mission lands with the next astronauts to explore the surface of the moon, they will mark their success in part by deploying the United States' flag revealed on America's 250th birthday. The red, white and blue banner was flown over the U.S. Capitol before being presented to Apollo 17 lunar module pilot Harrison Schmitt and the Artemis II crew during a speech by President Donald Trump on July 4th.
: The only member of the "Mercury 13" to fly into space, Wally Funk died on Wednesday (July 8) at the age of 87. An accomplished aviator, who broke several glass ceilings as a flight instructor for both military and civilian pilots, Funk's suborbital launch on Blue Origin's first human spaceflight, NS-16 in 2021, set a record for the oldest woman to fly into space. Funk was the last living member of the "Mercury 13" space test subjects.
: Canada's first astronaut to fly to the moon is leaving the country's space agency. Jeremy Hansen announced on Monday (July 6) that he will end his full-time assignment to the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and transition to being a reservist in the Royal Canadian Air Force in September. Hansen made history as the first non-American to leave low Earth orbit as a mission specialist on NASA's Artemis II mission in April.
: The United States has been launching items into space for a little less than one-third of its history. As the country celebrates its 250th anniversary, collectSPACE considers the question: What is the oldest example of Americana that was carried off the planet? The (possible) answer involves a number of United States' icons, from a Revolutionary War flag to the Statue of Liberty, the Golden Spike and the Star-Spangled Banner.
: Retro 51 and Goldspot Pens have introduced the Voyager Golden Record Tornado, a limited edition writing instrument. The acid-etched brass barrel of each of the 500 rollerball pens is adorned with the diagrams that cover the discs traveling through the interstellar medium, awaiting their discovery by extraterrestrial, intelligent life. The $76 pen comes in tube inscribed with the two records' greetings in 55 languages.
: The four astronauts who flew on the Artemis II mission to the moon in April have been put forward for the Congressional Gold Medal. Sen. Mark Kelly (a former space shuttle commander) and Rep. Don Bacon introduced a bill to honor Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen for their role in advancing exploration. If passed, the Artemis II crew will join John Glenn and the Apollo 11 crew as recipients.
: Ironically, the artifact that gave it its start is absent a half-century later. The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum turned 50 on Wednesday (July 1) with five renovated galleries awaiting visitors. One object not on display, though (or at least not identified as such) is the Viking lander surface sampler that received a signal from Mars and cut the museum's opening ribbon. For the anniversary, a tale about a 50-year-old arm.
: Astronaut Danny Olivas was among the invited guests for the reveal of space shuttle Endeavour's new vertical display on Wednesday (Jun 24). Having twice launched on an orbiter, Olivas is no stranger to the sight of a towering stack. So how does the experience at the California Science Center compare? collectSPACE spoke with Olivas about his reaction, ranking the shuttle displays and his hopes for Endeavour's impact.
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