Robert Pearlman
@collectspace.bsky.social
editor of http://collectSPACE.com, on the trail of space history artifacts, missing moon rocks and where space exploration intersects with pop culture
NASA's Artemis II crew rehearsed their launch day activities at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday (Dec. 20), and in doing so revealed their ride to their rocket — again.
NASA rewraps Boeing Starliner Astrovan II for Artemis II crew ride to launch pad
Artemis II, meet Astrovan II. NASA's first astronauts who will fly by the moon in more than 50 years participated in a practice launch countdown, including taking their first trip on a transport vehic...
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December 21, 2025 at 12:55 AM
NASA's Artemis II crew rehearsed their launch day activities at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday (Dec. 20), and in doing so revealed their ride to their rocket — again.
Jared "Rook" Isaacman was sworn in as NASA's head on Thursday (Dec. 18). He is NASA's fourth administrator to have flown into space and is the first chief to be born during the space shuttle program.
Private astronaut Jared Isaacman sworn in as NASA Administrator
NASA has a new chief, just in time for the new year. Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur who self-financed two history-making spaceflights, was sworn into office the day after the Senate voted ...
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December 18, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Jared "Rook" Isaacman was sworn in as NASA's head on Thursday (Dec. 18). He is NASA's fourth administrator to have flown into space and is the first chief to be born during the space shuttle program.
On Christmas Eve 1999, seven Santa hats circled the planet. Now more than quarter century later, one of those red and white caps is on display, but only for the holiday season.
Astronaut's space shuttle-flown Santa hat on display for the season
A red and white conical cap that circled the world one Christmas Eve -- not atop a jolly old man riding a reindeer-guided sled, but rather on a NASA astronaut aboard a space shuttle -- has gone on dis...
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December 17, 2025 at 1:00 AM
On Christmas Eve 1999, seven Santa hats circled the planet. Now more than quarter century later, one of those red and white caps is on display, but only for the holiday season.
For the third year in a row, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will feature deep space images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope on its Priority Mail postage stamps for 2026.
US Postal Service returns to Webb Space Telescope for 2026 Priority Mail stamps
Given its latest pair of Priority Mail stamps revealed for the new year, maybe the U.S. Postal Service should consider relabeling its expedited deliveries as
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December 14, 2025 at 5:45 PM
For the third year in a row, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will feature deep space images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope on its Priority Mail postage stamps for 2026.
The "white room" that the next moon-bound astronauts will use to enter their spacecraft on the launch pad has been painted to display the Artemis program logo...
Artemis adornment: NASA paints program logo on launch gantry white room
NASA's
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December 13, 2025 at 1:15 AM
The "white room" that the next moon-bound astronauts will use to enter their spacecraft on the launch pad has been painted to display the Artemis program logo...
NASA's Artemis IV crew will land with and deploy a small, four-wheel rover, becoming the first astronauts to work alongside a robot on a celestial body other than Earth.
Lunar Outpost rover to study lunar dust alongside Artemis astronauts on moon
B-9 had Will Robinson. Twiki had Buck Rogers. And, of course, C-3PO and R2-D2 had Luke Skywalker. Now, in a scenario straight out of science fiction, MAPP will have whoever NASA names to the crew of t...
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December 8, 2025 at 3:55 PM
NASA's Artemis IV crew will land with and deploy a small, four-wheel rover, becoming the first astronauts to work alongside a robot on a celestial body other than Earth.
The pair of twin rocket boosters that will power the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on NASA's Artemis II mission to the moon can now properly serve as candles for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and founding of the United States.
NASA reveals 'America 250' logo on rocket launching astronauts to the moon
Astronaut Reid Wiseman, commander of NASA's upcoming Artemis II mission to the moon, recently remarked that flying during the United States' 250th anniversary has definitely got him and his crew
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December 3, 2025 at 10:10 PM
The pair of twin rocket boosters that will power the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on NASA's Artemis II mission to the moon can now properly serve as candles for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and founding of the United States.
The newly-announced NASA Artemis Space Launch System Rocket from LEGO does something that no prior LEGO set of the moon-bound vehicle has done before: launch!
LEGO announces new NASA Artemis SLS rocket set to lift off (literally!) in 2026
How do you top a highly-detailed scale model of NASA's new moon-bound rocket and its support tower? If you are LEGO, you make it so it can actually lift off. The NASA Artemis Space Launch System Rocke...
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December 2, 2025 at 10:05 PM
The newly-announced NASA Artemis Space Launch System Rocket from LEGO does something that no prior LEGO set of the moon-bound vehicle has done before: launch!
Soyuz MS-28 arrived at the International Space Station on Thursday (Nov. 27), bringing three new crew members just in time for a Thanksgiving Day feast...
Soyuz MS-28 crew makes Thanksgiving Day arrival at International Space Station
The first-ever space crew to launch on Thanksgiving Day has made it official: you cannot escape holiday traffic, even if you are in orbit. For the first time, there was only one available parking spot...
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November 27, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Soyuz MS-28 arrived at the International Space Station on Thursday (Nov. 27), bringing three new crew members just in time for a Thanksgiving Day feast...
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and The Jim Henson Company are bringing Gobo, Red and Uncle Traveling Matt to Florida for a new stage show...
Launch your cares away, Fraggles coming to NASA for 'Space-y' play
Uncle Traveling Matt is finally going to discover that
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November 23, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and The Jim Henson Company are bringing Gobo, Red and Uncle Traveling Matt to Florida for a new stage show...
Estes Rockets' latest flying model reproduces Russia's Soyuz in museum-quality detail. The $130 kit includes more than 100 parts that were formed using various molding methods, as well as the first 3D-printed resin component in an Estes product.
Russia's Soyuz made by Estes into highly-detailed flying model rocket
The world's most flown rocket is about to see its flight rate increase, albeit at a small scale. Russia's Soyuz has been made into a detailed collector's model capable of flight. Released by Estes, th...
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November 21, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Estes Rockets' latest flying model reproduces Russia's Soyuz in museum-quality detail. The $130 kit includes more than 100 parts that were formed using various molding methods, as well as the first 3D-printed resin component in an Estes product.
On Monday (Nov. 17), the Columbia Memorial Space Center in Downey, California, broke ground for a new 20,000-square-foot expansion that among other purposes will display the original full-scale space shuttle mockup built by Rockwell in 1972.
Project Inspiration: Groundbreaking marks display site for original mock space shuttle
An astronaut led a ground breaking in Downey, California, beginning to clear the way for a new education complex and permanent home for the original full-scale
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November 19, 2025 at 12:55 AM
On Monday (Nov. 17), the Columbia Memorial Space Center in Downey, California, broke ground for a new 20,000-square-foot expansion that among other purposes will display the original full-scale space shuttle mockup built by Rockwell in 1972.
The first installations in the Kent Kresa Space Gallery include a walkthrough solid rocket booster segment, a space shuttle main engine and a Rocket Lab Electron small-lift booster.
Rocket Lab Electron among first artifacts installed in CA Science Center space gallery
It took the California Science Center more than three years to erect its new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, including stacking NASA's space shuttle Endeavour for its launch pad-like display. Now ...
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November 18, 2025 at 4:16 PM
The first installations in the Kent Kresa Space Gallery include a walkthrough solid rocket booster segment, a space shuttle main engine and a Rocket Lab Electron small-lift booster.
The New Mexico Museum of Space History is restoring a big part of the state's role in sending astronauts to the moon...
Little Joe (II), big project: Apollo abort test rocket being restored at NM museum
A rare surviving example of a NASA rocket that was used to test the first spacecraft to fly astronauts to the moon is being restored 60 years after its last use. A Little Joe II is being refurbished a...
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November 14, 2025 at 8:00 PM
The New Mexico Museum of Space History is restoring a big part of the state's role in sending astronauts to the moon...
After six months in space and finding a "tiny" debris strike had damaged their ride home, China's Shenzhou 20 crew landed on the Shenzhou 21 capsule on Friday (Nov. 14).
China's Shenzhou 20 crew lands safely after debris hit causes capsule swap
China's fifth space station crew is safely home on Earth, despite their spacecraft still being docked to the orbiting Tiangong outpost. Shenzhou 20 taikonauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie lan...
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November 14, 2025 at 12:25 PM
After six months in space and finding a "tiny" debris strike had damaged their ride home, China's Shenzhou 20 crew landed on the Shenzhou 21 capsule on Friday (Nov. 14).
NASA's Mars ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) probes, named "Blue" and "Gold," are expected to enter Mars' orbit in September 2027. Built by Rocket Lab, the twin craft are adorned with company touches, including a couple of kiwis.
NASA Mars ESCAPADE twin spacecraft (with kiwis) launch on New Glenn rocket
The first multi-spacecraft science mission to launch to Mars is on its way and catching a ride on the twin probes are the first kiwis to fly to the Red Planet. NASA's ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Accel...
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November 13, 2025 at 9:46 PM
NASA's Mars ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) probes, named "Blue" and "Gold," are expected to enter Mars' orbit in September 2027. Built by Rocket Lab, the twin craft are adorned with company touches, including a couple of kiwis.
The two new tees feature the International Space Station and a photo that astronaut Leland Melvin took of the moon from Earth orbit.
Astronauts design t-shirts for Uniqlo 'Peace For All' charity sale
A professional football player-turned-NASA astronaut-turned author and advocate for science education has taken yet another turn: designing t-shirts to promote world peace. Leland Melvin has collabora...
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November 10, 2025 at 4:15 PM
The two new tees feature the International Space Station and a photo that astronaut Leland Melvin took of the moon from Earth orbit.
In total, Rick Hauck logged 18 days, 3 hours and 8 minutes in space on three space shuttle missions while completing 288 orbits...
Astronaut Rick Hauck, who led first flight after shuttle Challenger tragedy, dies at 84
Former NASA astronaut Rick Hauck, who flew on three history-making space shuttle missions, including the
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November 7, 2025 at 11:20 AM
In total, Rick Hauck logged 18 days, 3 hours and 8 minutes in space on three space shuttle missions while completing 288 orbits...
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 emblem, which is the first-ever insignia to directly fund science on the International Space Station.
Margaritaville on a mission: Jimmy Buffett patch to fund ISS science
The first mission patch to directly fund research on the International Space Station is the first product of a long-standing but little known collaboration between the ISS National Laboratory and Marg...
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November 5, 2025 at 11:25 PM
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 emblem, which is the first-ever insignia to directly fund science on the International Space Station.
Scott Tingle is the 19th astronaut to be appointed chief, succeeding his former space station crewmate, Joe Acaba.
Scott Tingle named NASA's new chief astronaut, succeeds ISS crewmate Joe Acaba
NASA has named its 19th chief astronaut. Scott Tingle, who spent 166 days on the International Space Station in 2018 and was next to command the first operational flight of Boeing's Starliner, is succ...
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November 5, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Scott Tingle is the 19th astronaut to be appointed chief, succeeding his former space station crewmate, Joe Acaba.
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...
'Space Explorers: Ultimate Edition' VR app brings users to ISS and space to their homes
With the release of Felix & Paul Studios' latest version of
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November 4, 2025 at 1:00 AM
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...
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...
Humans have lived on ISS for 25 years: here's how they left their mark
The International Space Station has served for 25 years as a continuous home for a total of 162 people from 12 countries. All of the residents made their mark in one way by contributing to its assembl...
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November 2, 2025 at 3:30 PM
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...
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.
Japan's first advanced cargo ship, HTV-X1, arrives at the International Space Station
For the first time in five years, a Japanese spacecraft has arrived at the International Space Station. JAXA (the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) oversaw the HTV-X1, its first upgraded cargo ship,...
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October 29, 2025 at 4:20 PM
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.
From the makers of the Apollo in Real Time websites comes a new experience with 500 times more data.
ISS in Real Time 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 International Space Station.
ISS in Real Time 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 International Space Station.
25 years, one website: 'ISS in Real Time' captures quarter-century on space station
With the milestone just days away, you are likely to hear this week that there has now been a continuous human presence on the International Space Station (ISS) for the past 25 years. But what does th...
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October 27, 2025 at 1:15 PM
From the makers of the Apollo in Real Time websites comes a new experience with 500 times more data.
ISS in Real Time 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 International Space Station.
ISS in Real Time 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 International Space Station.
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.
TX lawmakers double down on Discovery, call for DOJ investigation into Smithsonian
Have you heard the news that Texas' senators want to chop up NASA's retired space shuttle Discovery in order to move it from the Smithsonian to Houston? The lawmakers in question have and are now cryi...
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October 22, 2025 at 11:30 PM
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.