— Someday quickly, within the first few weeks or maybe months of 2023, NASA will start distributing one thing it has not had in additional than 50 years: new patches, flags and different souvenirs that took a visit across the moon.
The Artemis I Official Flight Equipment (OFK), with its practically 10,000 mementos from the recently-completed, uncrewed lunar mission, arrived again on the company’s Kennedy House Middle in Florida on Friday (Dec. 30) after splashing down and crossing the nation by truck. As soon as unpacked from the Orion spacecraft that carried it to the moon and again, the contents of the OFK can be introduced and despatched out to the organizations and people who supported the history-making Artemis I mission.
Whether or not any of these newly-minted moon collectibles — the primary created by the U.S. for the reason that finish of the Apollo program in 1972 — attain most people remains to be to be seen. If previous priority holds true, a few of the memorabilia will make its manner into fanatics’ arms, both coming immediately from NASA and its contractors or by being handed on by their unique recipients.
Whereas collectors look forward to these gadgets to turn out to be accessible, the brand new yr brings with it different alternatives to rejoice area exploration by means of new choices in 2023.
It isn’t but identified if the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) can be releasing any new space-related postage stamps this yr. Although it has already previewed lots of the points deliberate for the following 12 months and none of these have had a NASA or area theme, there’s nonetheless an opportunity that one (or extra) may come.
USPS officers suggested that what has been proven up to now is simply a partial record, “with extra to be revealed within the weeks and months forward.”
A fast search of a number of different international locations’ stamp packages returned only some area commemoratives deliberate for 2023 so far. Most prominently, Russia has a brand new stamp popping out that photos its medal for “Deserves in House Exploration,” a part of a sequence of stamps dedicated to the awards of the Russian Federation, which is about for launch later this month. Russia additionally has plans for a nonetheless be revealed stamp sheet devoted to Luna 25, the nation’s first moon mission for the reason that fall of the Soviet Union, to be issued in Might (the mission is tentatively deliberate to launch later this yr).
Just like the USPS, the U.S. Mint has but to announce any space-related cash or medallions to be struck within the upcoming yr. The Mint’s ongoing packages which have included area themes, such because the American Innovation greenback cash and the American Ladies quarters, are centered on different topics in 2023.
One doable launch is perhaps the bronze replicas of the Congressional Gold Medals honoring “Hidden Figures,” the Black ladies who labored for NASA as “human computer systems” throughout the early years of spaceflight. Licensed by Congress in 2019, the designs for the 5 medals — one every for supervisor Dorothy Vaughan, mathematician Katherine Johnson and engineers Mary Jackson and Christine Darden, in addition to a bunch award — have been final reviewed in late 2020.
Essentially the most anticipated area collectibles of 2023 stands out as the launch of Mattel’s line of SpaceX-inspired toys.
As introduced final July, the worldwide toy firm has entered right into a multi-year settlement with Elon Musk’s industrial spaceflight agency to make and market toys and “elevated collectibles” based mostly on SpaceX’s rockets and spacecraft. No specifics have been revealed but, however Mattel mentioned the primary toys can be launched by means of its Matchbox and Mattel Creations manufacturers someday this yr.
SpaceX is predicted to launch its Starship spacecraft and Tremendous Heavy rocket collectively for the primary time in 2023. The check flight (or flights) will advance NASA’s plans to make use of a model of the Starship to land the following people on the moon.
One other launch this yr are the restricted version NASA astronauts as a part of Funko’s Soda line of vinyl figures. Initially anticipated to ship in September of final yr, the soda can-packed astronauts solely started exhibiting up in retail shops in late December, with their huge launch now scheduled for this month.
LEGO, which flew 4 minifigures within the Artemis I OFK, has not introduced any new space-themed units for 2023, although a rumor of a Technic model of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover started to unfold on-line simply earlier than the brand new yr.
For e-book collectors, 2023 will carry a brand new assortment of early spaceflight imagery (“Photographing America’s First Astronauts: Undertaking Mercury By means of the Lens of Invoice Taub” by J.L. Pickering and John Bisney, Purdue College Press) and an astronaut’s information to stepping out in area (“How you can Spacewalk: Step-by-Step with Shuttle Astronauts” by Kathy Sullivan with Michael Rosen, MIT Children Press) amongst many different titles.
For autograph collectors, maybe the very best profile crew to be introduced in years is about to be revealed with the collection of the 4 astronauts chosen to fly on Artemis II, the primary mission of NASA’s new moon program. All that’s identified concerning the contingent right this moment is that one of many astronauts can be Canadian.
The Artemis II crew announcement is also adopted by the discharge of an Artemis II mission patch, although when that may happen, if in any respect, this yr is unknown. Extra sure for 2023, would be the launch of the patch for Boeing’s first CST-100 Starliner Crewed Flight Take a look at (CFT), slated for launch to the Worldwide House Station in April.
Different notable insignia for this yr could embody the primary flight patches for SpaceX’s Starship and United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket.
