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: In Sunday's (May 18) episode of "The Last of Us" (Season 2, Ep. 6 on HBO Max), there is a scene that is sure to delight fans of both space history and the game on which the series is based. Without getting too spoilery, production designer Don Macaulay had the task of replicating a museum with a full astronomy and space exploration exhibit, including an Apollo capsule, as it would appear after most of civilization has been destroyed.
: The United States Mint has set noon EDT on Thursday (May 15) as its T-0 for the launch of Florida's American Innovation $1 coin celebrating the space shuttle. Depicting the reusable orbiter lifting off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the dollar is a tribute to the ingenuity embodied by the 30-year program. The coins come in 25-piece rolls for $36.25 and 100-piece bags for $123.50, minted in Philadelphia (P) or Denver (D).
: The National Air and Space Museum is almost ready to open five more of its halls as its 7-year renovation continues. The "Boeing Milestones of Flight" and "Futures in Space" galleries, along with the Lockheed IMAX theater and three aviation galleries will debut on July 28. The public will again be able to view John Glenn's "Friendship 7" and an Apollo lunar module, as well as see for the first time SpaceX and Blue Origin equipment.
: Playmobil is inspiring kids (and adults) to imagine their future on the moon through a new play set produced in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA). Now in stores in both Europe and the U.S., the $22.99 (€19,99/£19.99) Starter Pack Space Mission comes with an astronaut figure, lunar rover, mobile science station and rock samples, as based on what ESA is doing now to send astronauts to the moon.
: Now on approach, the new Lego Icons Shuttle Carrier Aircraft is set for a landing May 15. The $229.99, 2,417-piece kit recreates the modified Boeing 747 jetliner and NASA's prototype orbiter Enterprise as they appeared when they arrived at the Paris Air Show in 1983. The jumbo jet has deployable 18-wheel landing gear and the winged orbiter can be outfitted with its engines or aerodynamic tail cone.
: On Aug. 1, Lego will roll out into stores the Lunar Outpost Moon Rover Space Vehicle, a new toy building set inspired by the real robotic explorers that are enabling humanity's return to the moon. The $99.99 kit uses 1,082 pieces to form a futuristic all-terrain rover with rocker suspension, deployable solar panels and a rotating arm; a smaller mining rover; and Lunar Outpost's MAPP, or Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform, rover.
: The NASA engineer who, with his team, found the "way to make 'this' fit into the hole for 'this,' using nothing but 'that'" during the (real) Apollo 13 mission has died at 95. Ed Smylie was NASA's crew systems division chief when an in-flight explosion resulted in a series of problems, including the need to scrub the air of carbon dioxide aboard the spacecraft. The solution, as is now storied space history, involved a sock, hoses and tape.
: A Soviet probe that failed to reach the planet Venus in 1972, fell back to Earth Saturday (May 10). Setting its reentry apart from others was that as a descent capsule the uncrewed Kosmos 482 spacecraft was designed to survive a plunge back into the atmosphere, whether it be on Venus or Earth. If it remained intact is not known. According to Roscosmos, the probe (or any of its debris) fell into the Indian Ocean, west of Jakarta.
: Sixty-four years after the first American to fly into space sought permission to pee in his suit, a new campaign is pairing the experiences of children and astronauts. Goodnites' Mission Dry aims to destigmatize wearing protective nighttime underwear by comparing them to crew members who don absorbent garments when they launch into orbit and go out on spacewalks. Former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly stars in a new video for the campaign.
A Belgian artist who was credited with sculpting a small metal figurine left on the moon as a tribute to the space explorers who made the ultimate sacrifice died on Saturday (May 3). Paul Van Hoeydonck was 99. In August 1971, Apollo 15 commander David Scott placed the "Fallen Astronaut" statuette and its accompanying memorial plaque near where he had parked the moon rover, where it remains, lying in the lunar regolith.
: Actor John Lithgow gives voice to the modern day Buzz Aldrin in the new dramatic podcast "BUZZ." Debuting on May 6, the iHeartPodcasts and Thoroughbred Studios' audio series tells the dramatized story of the personal challenges that the Apollo 11 astronaut faced both before and after he returned from the moon. The 11-episode podcast also features the voice work of Geoffrey Arend as Aldrin at the time of the mission.
: China launched its 15th human spaceflight Thursday (April 24) and six-and-a-half hours later docked to the Tiangong space station for a six-month stay. Shenzhou 20 commander Chen Dong, together with first-time fliers Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, will conduct more than 60 science investigations, perform spacewalks to install debris shields and run public outreach and educational activities, while keeping Tiangong running.
Upcoming space events:
Speaker Series [05/21-23] NASA Salute Week Grand Living, League City, Texas
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