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: Twenty-five years ago on Nov. 2, 2000, the first people moved aboard the International Space Station and made it their home. Expedition 1 began a quarter-century-long continuous human occupancy on board the ISS. Looking at the station today, though, you might not be able to tell how many people formed that chain and who they were. Fortunately, all 126 people from 12 countries left behind their mark: colorful decals showing they were there.
: From the makers of the Apollo in Real Time websites comes a new experience with 500 times more data. ISS in Real Time, by NASA contractors Ben Feist and David Charney, was created with only publicly-sourced files compiled solely during their free time. The site offers the chance to explore more than 9,000 days of photos, video and audio transmitted during the 25 years of continuous human residency on the space station.
: Chosen by more than 85 astronauts to wear on the space shuttle, Seiko's A829 Sports 100 digital watch is set for a comeback. Nicknamed the "Rotocall" for its unique bezel control or "Astronaut" for its NASA-approved status, the Sports 100 is returning with the same three colorways as first sold in 1982. The £480 ($550 USD) re-release replicates the look and functions of the watch worn on 55 shuttle missions, from 1982 to 2002.
: McDonald's Monopoly game is back and this time around it features NASA's new ride to the moon. The fast food chain's brown bags have been updated to promote some of the available prizes and there, next to an off-road vehicle, is the Space Launch System (SLS). Those you play and collect the proper combination of game pieces can win a trip to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, possibly in time to see the Artemis II SLS launch.
: What if something went wrong during the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project and what if the Americans and Soviets were not the only countries with space programs that could respond. That is just the beginning of the alternate space history that Chris Hadfield weaves into "Final Orbit," his third novel in "The Apollo Murders" series, out on Tuesday (Oct. 7). Hadfield crafts his thriller by using the actual, lesser-known events of the 1970s space race.
: As an astronaut, he commanded space shuttle Discovery. Now, as a senator, Mark Kelly is leading a call for his former ride into orbit to stay on display in the Smithsonian. Kelly (D-AZ), together with Senators Mark Warner (D-VA), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) are urging appropriators to block funding from being used to relocate Discovery to Space Center Houston, a transfer put forth and pushed forward by Texas' senators.
: The HTV-X1, Japan's first advanced resupply spacecraft, arrived at the International Space Station on Wednesday (Oct. 29), three days after its launch. JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui used the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to grapple the vehicle. On board the HTV-X1 are science equipment and technology demonstrations, as well as commercial payloads including a sake fermentation test and an airline's clients' passports.
: The Texas lawmakers behind the effort to (chop up?) relocate space shuttle Discovery to Houston are now calling for the Department of Justice to investigate the Smithsonian. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, along with Rep. Randy Weber, sent a letter to the attorney general alleging the institution has lobbied Congress to block the move, violating the law. The Smithsonian has asserted it is in compliance with the rules.
: Omega introduced seven new Speedmaster watches on Tuesday (Oct 14), expanding on its Dark Side of the Moon collection. Designed with four distinct dials, the new timepieces include two based on the words NASA astronaut James Lovell used to describe the moon while in lunar orbit aboard Apollo 8. The Grey Side of the Moon models include those brief remarks, "the moon is essentially grey," on their lunar "far side" surface caseback.
: Hayley Arceneaux helped dedicate her own spacesuit on Tuesday (Oct. 7), as it went on display at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. Exhibited together with the Inspiration4 zero-g indicator and imagery from the 2021 privately-funded all-civilian orbital mission, Arceneaux's suit was put on exhibit to encourage patients and their families that there is life after cancer and always reach for the stars.
: Future government and private astronauts will keep track of their two weeks on board Vast's Haven space stations by using IWC Schaffhausen timepieces. The Swiss luxury watchmaker has been named the "Official Timekeeper" by the space habitation company. IWC also plans to use Vast's orbiting platforms to advance the performance and durability of mechanical wristwatches while also pushing the boundaries of timekeeping in space.
: After five years of work, the Hall of Space at the Cosmosphere in Kansas has a unified look. The galleries, which tell the story of the space race, have now all been renovated to share a common, brighter and more open layout. The hall also now features new interactive displays and returns several space artifacts to display after decades being held in storage. The entire Hall of Space is now open to visitors at the Cosmosphere.
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