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: For years, Mars Inc. has promoted M&M's as the "first candy in space." They can now add, "and latest at the moon." In a post-flight interview, the crew of NASA's Artemis II mission spoke of eating Peanut M&M's while awaiting recovery after they splashed down. The anecdote, meant to illustrate how their lives had returned to normal, confirmed that the sweet staple of U.S. human spaceflight had now become an Artemis-era snack.
NASA released a new set of photos taken on board Integrity, the Artemis II Orion spacecraft, capturing the four crew members as they traveled to the moon and back. The images also caught an unexpected, but also unmistakable figure aboard: Mickey Mouse has now joined the moon mission club. Less a planned cameo appearance than the result of using an off-the-shelf product, the Disney mascot flew as the illustration on a package of baby wipes.
: Before astronauts wore mission patches, they had their call signs painted on the side of their spacecraft. That "nose art" was short lived, ending after the six flights of the Mercury program, the last of which launched 63 years ago on Friday (May 15). Vintage space gear supplier Luna Replicas has now recreated the art-adorned heat shield shingles that bore the names such as "Liberty Bell 7," "Friendship 7," "Aurora 7" and "Faith 7."
: More than 20 men and women who have traveled into space came together Saturday (May 16) to see two of their fellow fliers enter the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Both shuttle-era spacewalkers, Tom Akers and Joe Tanner were honored for their service to NASA on each of their four missions, including servicing the Hubble Space Telescope. Akers and Tanner's induction brings the Astronaut Hall of Fame's ranks to 113 members.
: Inspired by their song "In a Daydream" being played by NASA to wake up the Artemis II crew on the way to the moon, the Freddy Jones Band has now released "reimagined and extended moon" versions of the 1993 single. Reid Wiseman, mission commander, selected the song as it filled him with joy. The band members felt the same about their track reaching into space, which set their tone for the remix and related merch.
: National Air and Space Museum curators, NASA officials, an astronaut, an archeologist and others met on Thursday (May 21) for a series of panel discussions on the why, what and how of preserving the International Space Station at the end of its life on orbit. A part of the AIAA's ASCEND conference, the Smithsonian-organized sessions addressed stakeholders' wishlists and the constraints of fulfilling such as the program concludes.
: The first astronaut to catch a satellite in orbit, John Fabian died on Thursday (May 21). He was 87. Selected in 1978 with the first space shuttle candidate class, Fabian launched twice into Earth orbit. On STS-7 he flew with Sally Ride, and used the Canadarm to deploy and retrieve a free-flying science platform. Fabian then repeated his satellite feat on STS-51G. In total, across his two flights, he spent over 13 days and 4 hours in space.
: China launched its 17th human spaceflight on Sunday (May 24) for at least a six-month stay on the Tiangong space station. Shenzhou 23 commander Zhu Yangzhu, together with first-time fliers Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying, will conduct science and maintain the three-module complex. Lai is the first taikonaut to come from Hong Kong. One of the Shenzhou 23 members will be selected during the expedition to spend a full year in space.
: Guests going Soarin' at Disney World's EPCOT will now take flight alongside NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket as it lifts off on an Artemis moon mission. On Soarin' Across America, the opening scene of the new semiquincentennial edition flies by the Kennedy Space Center to chase the rocket as it climbs into the sky. Guests at Disneyland's California Adventure will be able to see the same SLS launch when Soarin' opens there July 2.
