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: Separated from its spacecraft for the past 55 years, the Kapton polyimide tape that once covered the Apollo 11 command module "Columbia" has since been added to numerous types of displays in commemoration of the first moon landing. This is the story of one such presentation: the one-of-a-kind wedding band crafted by the artisans at the Honest Hands Ring Company of Colorado. The ring was also made using lunar meteorite.
: The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will again feature deep space images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope on its 2025 Priority Mail postage stamps. Following a pair of stamps issued earlier this year that reproduced two popular JWST images, the new issues will focus on a star cluster and spiral galaxy that Webb imaged in infrared. The 2025 Priority Mail and Express stamps will be released on Jan. 21 at a ceremony in Big Sky, Montana.
: Space Center Houston will host the U.S. premiere of "The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks" when the immersive film begins daily shows in February 2025. Narrated and co-written by Hanks, "The Moonwalkers" envelops audiences in the history of the Apollo program and the future of lunar exploration by the Artemis program. Space Center Houston has updated its theater to support the multi-wall production.
: SpacePep's collects the nuts and bolts left over from Ariane 5 rockets and uses them to slice through European space history, literally. The French company produces knives with reclaimed metal from the retired heavy-lift boosters, which is encased in handles made from the wood of trees surrounding the launch pads at the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The company's new limited knife celebrates 45 years of Ariane.
: Blue Origin's NS-28 mission lifted off and landed in West Texas on Friday (Nov. 23), sending six passengers aboard New Shepard on a suborbital flight. Among the crew members was Emily "The Space Gal" Calandrelli, who became the 100th woman to fly into space. An MIT engineer, TV host and best-selling author, Calandrelli said she plans to use her experience to further inspire children to see themselves in science fields.
: SpaceX launched its sixth test flight of its Starship heavy-lift rocket Tuesday (Nov. 19), including its first physical payload: a toy banana. The full-size-but-fake fruit was not only "for scale," but also Starship's first zero-gravity indicator. Bananas also adorned the outside of the vehicle, with pixelated cartoon bananas holding actual size examples. A typical 8-inch banana measures 1/247th the height of the towering Starship and Super Heavy stack.
: Your doorbell today may have the same computing power as was on the Apollo spacecraft, but can it fly you to the moon? Apollo Instruments' new DSKY Moonwatch is a working replica of the display and keypad used by the astronauts to land on the moon, but shrunk down to the size of a smart watch. Using the same verb and noun interface to run the original Apollo software, the DSKY Moonwatch also works as a timepiece.
: National Geographic will premiere director Cristina Costantini's new feature-length documentary about the first U.S. woman in space, Sally Ride, at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. "SALLY" examines the life and "hidden love" of the NASA astronaut, whose 27-year relationship with her partner (and the film's narrator) was kept secret from the public. The documentary features rarely-seen footage filmed on Earth and in space.
: The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has announced the early-2025 opening of The Gantry at LC-39, a returning stop to its bus tour of the NASA launch site in Florida. The observation tower has been re-themed to "Off Earth, For Earth," showcasing how NASA's work supports the surrounding wildlife refuge. In addition to an Earth Information Center, The Gantry will feature a new immersive rocket engine test fire experience.
: Haribo, the candy company famous for its gummies, is lifting off in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The "Candy Cosmos" float features larger-than-life gummi candies and a rocket, joined by a giant balloon of Haribo's mascot Goldbear. It is the German confectioner's first time in the parade on Thursday (Nov. 28), but a return to space for Haribo gummies, which have a history of flying as space food and astronaut playthings.
: NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is again inviting its guests to "Discover Something Real" with the debut of Michael Lopez-Alegria's Axiom Mission-1 (Ax-1) flight suit on Thursday (Nov. 21). The black and blue uniform, which is now on display alongside space shuttle Atlantis, was worn by Lopez-Alegria when he became the first NASA astronaut to revisit the International Space Station on a privately-funded mission two years ago.
: At the end of the Yellow Brick Road, somewhere over the rainbow, you will find... the moon. With "The Wizard of Oz" celebrating its 85th anniversary and "Wicked" being released into movie theaters, collectSPACE spoke with actor Patrick Labyorteaux to discover the link between the Emerald City and Tranquility Base. Hint: You needn't a brain, a heart or courage to see this is going to be a tenuous link, but it is "for all mankind."
Upcoming space events:
Light show [12/1-1/5] Galaxy Lights Space Center Houston
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