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: In most cases, mission patches celebrate a spaceflight, its crew or payload and the program to which it belongs. Rarely is a patch the mission itself, but that is the situation with Margaritaville's new emblem, which is the first-ever insignia to directly fund science on the International Space Station. Created by the late Jimmy Buffett, the patch is the product of a partnership between Margaritaville and the ISS National Lab (CASIS).
: The result of the largest immersive production ever filmed in space, Felix & Paul's "Space Explorers: The ISS Experience" already delivered the best way to visit the International Space Station short of actually launching there. Now the studio's "Ultimate Edition" adds augmented reality (AR), an exclusive chapter about NASA's Artemis program and the return to the moon, improved VR controls and visuals optimized for 8K viewing.
: 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.
: Scott "Maker" Tingle is the new chief of the astronaut office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. He will help assign crews to missions, including the first astronauts to land on the moon in more than 50 years. He will also manage the corps' activities in-between flights and coordinate their work with international partners. Tingle is the 19th astronaut to be appointed chief, succeeding his former space station crewmate, Joe Acaba.
: 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.
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