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: As an X-15 pilot and space shuttle commander, Joe Engle was the first astronaut to fly two different winged vehicles into space. Engle died Wednesday (July 10) at the age of 91. Of his 16 flights on the X-15 rocket plane, three reached the 50 miles needed to earn astronaut wings. After being replaced on the Apollo 17 moon landing crew, Engle commanded STS-2 and 51-I, logging more than nine days in space while orbiting Earth.
: Responding to a request from a NASA visitor center in 1974, American Outdoor Products took tubs of Neapolitan ice cream, froze them solid and used a bandsaw to cut them into slices. The segments were then freeze-dried and wrapped to create "Astronaut Ice Cream." Still popular 50 years later, the treat is marketed today by Astronaut Foods, which will mark the milestone with limited packaging and products.
: "The Great Food Truck Race" on Food Network launched its 17th season at Johnson Space Center in Houston on Sunday (Jun. 30). With the teams gathered at the George S. Abbey Rocket Park, host and chef Tyler Florence judged their first competition, the "Blast-Off Challenge," to create a dish that would satisfy the often dulled tastes of astronauts in space. Joining Tyler was Space Center Houston's mascot, Cosmo.
: If you accidentally step on a Lego brick in the one-sixth gravity of the moon, does it still hurt? The world may some day know, now that the European Space Agency (ESA) has shown that future Artemis lunar structures could be built from bricks of similar design to the iconic toy. The "ESA Space Bricks," which for testing were 3D printed from meteorite dust, are going on display at select Lego Stores to help inspire kids around the world.
: The next collection in Swatch's popular crossover line with Omega is "Mission on Earth." The new watches still retain the classic Speedmaster "first watch worn on the moon" look, but add flourishes of color inspired by the hues from three sights that can be seen from space: lava, polar lights (aurora) and the desert. The three MoonSwatch models will be available beginning Saturday (June 15) for $270 each at select Swatch stores.
: Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, "Space Cadet" follows bartender and party girl Tiffany "Rex" Simpson (Emma Roberts) as she chases her childhood dream of becoming a NASA astronaut. Inspired by the agency's real 'AsCan' selection process, director Liz W. Garcia found the makings of a comedy in the extremes that those who apply embody. collectSPACE spoke with Garcia about the influences and astronauts behind "Space Cadet."
: The 21st Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft to deliver cargo to the International Space Station will fly under the name of the fallen commander of the space shuttle Challenger, the company announced on Monday (July 1). Francis R. "Dick" Scobee was lost with his STS-51L crewmates after flying on the week-long STS-41C mission in 1984. The new ship bearing his name is targeted to launch in early August.
: The California Science Center is still a few years away from opening its Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center and with it, the towering display of space shuttle Endeavour in its launch configuration. Until then, the Los Angeles museum has "Work in Progress," a gallery to preview the expansion and some of the artifacts that will join Endeavour on exhibit. Leading off the displays is SpaceX's first three-time-flown Dragon cargo spacecraft.
: After failing to dock to the Salyut 5 space station, Soyuz 23 commander Vyacheslav Zudov went from being stranded in space to sinking on Earth. Zudov survived the only Soyuz splashdown in history, landing in a frozen lake in 1976. On Wednesday (June 12), Zudov died at the age of 82. He logged a total of two days in space, serving only on backup crews before he retired from Russia's cosmonaut corps in September 1987.
: Seattle's Museum of Flight on Saturday (June 8) opened its new temporary exhibition, "Home Beyond Earth." The gallery showcases scale models, digital projections and over 50 artifacts to immerse visitors in the past, present and future of space stations. As guests walk through "Home Beyond Earth" they collect digital tokens that guide their journey and personalize their imagined life on board a space station best fitted for them.
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