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: Eileen Collins' patch in the Space Hipsters 'Signature Edition' series reflects the title of her memoir, "Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars." The collectible emblem depicts the 1999 shuttle launch on which she became the first woman to command a United States spacecraft, while also representing the women who blazed a path into space before her, those who gave their lives for spaceflight and her personal hurdles to reach orbit.
: The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force on Tuesday (April 30) debuted its vertical display of an Atlas D rocket restored to represent Gordon Cooper's 1963 ride to orbit. The new replica of Mercury-Atlas 9 (MA-9) now stands inside the Dayton, Ohio museum's silo-like missile gallery, where it will help inform visitors about the flight of then-U.S. Air Force Major Cooper and how NASA and the Air Force worked together.
: A year and a half after their seeds were flown to the moon and back on NASA's Artemis I mission, a literal forest of saplings are ready to be planted. NASA is beginning to notify the first wave of selected organizations that will raise the Artemis Moon Trees, using them as a means of outreach for their communities. These new natural monuments to exploration follow the trees that were grown from seeds carried on board Apollo 14 in 1971.
: Chinese taikonauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu are now on their way to spending six months on the Tiangong space station after launching on the Shenzhou-18 spacecraft on Thursday (April 25). Flying with them are zebrafish and hornwort as part of China's first in-orbit aquatic ecosystem experiment. Ye, Li and Li will also conduct stem cell research on plants and perform spacewalks to install additional debris shields.
: The European Space Agency (ESA) has graduated a new astronaut class, now known as the Hoppers. Five Europeans and the first representative of the Australian Space Agency completed basic training and are now eligible for flight assignments to the International Space Station and destinations beyond. Selected in 2022, the Hoppers also debuted their class patch, which depicts the six astronauts bouncing on flag-adorned hopping toys.
: Former NASA astronaut and director of Johnson Space Center Ellen Ochoa was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden during a White House ceremony on Friday (May 3). The first Hispanic woman to fly into space, Ochoa became the tenth U.S. astronaut to be presented with the country's highest honor. Among her fellow 2024 honorees was Jane Rigby, NASA chief scientist for the Webb Space Telescope.
: "I know it's a mouthful," says Jason Rubin, one of the two collectors behind the new podcast "Two Space Collectors Collecting Space." Wordiness aside, the inaugural installment of the bi-monthly show delivers on what the label says. Rubin and co-host Rich Jurek rely on their passion for their hobby and long-time friendship to fill their air space with engaging banter, a guest interview or soon, others "collecting space."
: Lego has announced mid-May launch dates for two sets aimed at adult space fans. First, under the Lego Icons line, the new NASA Artemis Space Launch System reproduces the rocket and its mobile launch tower that will be used to fly astronauts to the moon. Then, the latest Lego Art kit is The Milky Way Galaxy, a 3D colorful mosaic of our neighborhood in space. The $259.99 and $199.99 sets (respectively) will debut for sale May 15.
: Whether being used to take notes in class or signing a donation check, Retro 51's new Mercury 7 Astronaut pen is the perfect writing instrument to mark the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation's 40th anniversary. Inspired by the silvery spacesuits worn by the organization's founders, the $68 Tornado-model rollerball is limited to 1,958 pieces, each topped with the Foundation's 40 Years logo and shipped in a silver commemorative tube.
: Muhammed Faris was the first cosmonaut from Syria to fly into space. He died on Friday (April 19) at the age of 72. Faris launched aboard Soyuz TM-3 to the Mir space station as part of the Soviet Union's Interkosmos program. During his eight days in space, he observed Syria from orbit and noted the lack of political borders. Faris died in Türkiye where he and his family were living as refugees after fleeing the war in Syria.
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