The guys over at Vat19 are now stocking three different types of astronauts ice cream, including AstroRox, which are like freeze-dried Dippin’ Dots, and two varieties of ice cream sandwich. While I’d fully expect that astronaut ice cream would look like Dippin’ Dots, the fully-formed, ice cream sammies are a surprise to me. They look just like they do when frozen, but you can eat them without refrigeration, and they never melt. Keep in mind that since they’re freeze-dried, they’re pretty fragile, so don’t go tossing them around unless you want to end up with ice cream shard-wiches.

While I haven’t personally tasted any of these, they are made using real ice cream ingredients, and I’ve been told they actually taste pretty decent (at least in a pinch). The AstroRox taste like neopolitan ice cream, while the ice cream sandwiches come in vanilla or cookies and creme flavors. What, no Cherry Garcia or Chunky Monkey? Damn. Still, I’m pretty sure Ben & Jerry’s doesn’t have a 3 year shelf life like these do. At least I now have something I’d actually eat in my zombie-proof shelter.

Wanna try them out for yourself? Head on over to Vat19 now. AstroRox sell for $3.50(USD) a pack, while the ice cream sandwiches go for $2.99 each.

The ESA has put some of its actual astronaut training materials online and in the iTunes App Store for iPad and iPhone users. There are two lessons available that astronauts actually use the keep trained on what to do when the Automated Transfer Vehicle or ATV is docking. One of the training lessons is a list of possible docking issues and wants due to troubleshoot them. The second lesson is the steps you need to go through to be able to open the hatch to the ATV once docked.

Considering that the vehicle is automated, you might be wondering why astronauts need to be present. The answer to that is obvious, you never know when HAL will go crazy and try to destroy the ISS. Astronauts have to be on hand and ready to respond if needed.

The checklist brought $390,000 at auction, but then NASA stepped in and claimed Lovell didn’t own the checklist, and that it was NASA property. The checklist went into the vault of the auction house and still sits there until this is all sorted out. It appears that it will literally take an act of Congress to get NASA to agree to let astronauts keep the items they took home after their missions. A bill is before Congress right now that was introduced by Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas, chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, and the panel’s top Democrat, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas would let astronauts keep certain items.

The bill sponsors wrote a letter to congressional colleagues asking to allow the “first generation of astronauts to retain spaceflight artifacts that have been in their possession… in many cases for more than 40 years.” In plain terms that sounds like NASA GTFO to me. The only thing the bill wouldn’t allow astronauts to keep are moon rocks.

[via PhysOrg]

Some large LEGO sets can be a challenge to assemble on the living room floor, so I can only imagine building in zero gravity would be a difficult task. Furukawa constructed the two foot-long model inside of what astronauts called a glovebox containment enclosure. The enclosure gets its name from the fact that it’s sealed with access gained by placing your hands inside sleeves with gloves attached.

Apparently, being able to snap the bricks together while wearing thick gloves was a challenge. The glovebox enclosure was used because the tiny LEGO bricks are fire hazard and if they floated off, they might have become stuck inside important equipment causing a catastrophic explosion and a fiery end to all aboard the ISS. Okay so that wouldn’t happen, but at least any blocks floating around in zero gravity won’t end up where a hapless astronaut floating to the restroom in the middle of the night might have stepped – or worse yet – sat on one.

[via Collect Space]

It combines four of my favorite things, computers, astronauts, passing out drunk, and hipster t-shirts all in a single package. Vote for it over at Threadless, and someday it could be hanging in your closet.

[via Likecool]

The lonely astronaut is a sort of leitmotiv that comes up frequently in science-fiction. I remember it being used in Alastair Reynolds‘ Revelation Space series. The Captain of the Nostalgia For Infinity manifests himself as a lonely astronaut. The lonely astronaut concept isn’t new, but Scott has definitely put a unique spin on the theme in his paintings, including this one featuring HAL9000.

You can buy originals or prints from Scott via his website. My personal faves include The Parking Ticket with R2D2, 7-Eleven, and a few others.
[via Laughing Squid]

The body and toe of the shoes also feature collages of pictures that Aldrin himself shot while he was on lunar missions. Less notable artsy-fartsy touches on the shoe include the “sleek midnight black” color of the shoe itself, which “physically represents the infinite darkness and unseen depths of space” and the light and dark swooshes that mimic the “light and dark side of the moon”. So basically black and black and white.

The Rocket Hero Mavrk Mid 2 will be available in select Nike 6.0 retailers starting January 1 for $85 (USD). Moon rock not included.

[via freshness and ESPN BMX Blog]

The Moonwalk lamp measures approximately 13 x 7 x 7 in. The spaceman’s body is made of metal that’s been laser-cut, folded and then lacquered, and the whole thing rests on a clear acrylic base. I’m not so keen on its retro filament bulb though, as it might not be energy efficient.

Unfortunately the Moonwalk Lamp is quite expensive: Home Privilege is selling it for € 187 (appx. $277 USD) each. That’s a tough price to swallow for a strip of metal with a bulb on top. I don’t like astronauts that much.

[via holycool]

Just as America’s Army was developed to simulate the Army experience without all that pesky paperwork and obedience, NASA’s game is set so simulate the astronaut experience. Astronaut‘s aim is to expose a new generation to the intelligence and technology that the space program is built upon, and perhaps in doing so, recruit tomorrow’s engineers and astronauts.

The game is designed around mission-based play that promises to expose gamers to all the challenges of space exploration, just without the floating around. Personally, I could do without that anyway… but that may mean I’m not the target demographic!

[EDGE via Massively]

Eagle this is Houston, what’s poppin? Over?

“Yeah, so.. I float over to where the cooler’s supposed to be, but in it’s place there’s this…I’m looking at this machine labeled “Urine Recycler”. Over.”

Don’t tell me it’s broken again! Dammit Timmy, I thought I told you to fix the Urine Recycler on the Endeavour!

“Houston, Houston: I don’t think it’s broken.”

What? So what’s the problem?

“The concept is the problem Houston. I have a problem with the whole freaking concept behind this machine.”

Eagle we spent $154 million on the Urine Recycler –

“And I spent half of my life training to do what? Drink my own — Jeebus Houston! How much does Gatorade cost nowadays?! How much for tap water?! What is this, Jackass? Am I being Punk’d or something?”

Eagle it’s not always urine; it also recycles moisture and sweat–

“I’m crashing the ISS on your ass in 3-2-1 you sadists.”

[via Scientific American]

The idea is that if something were to happen on the launchpad, endangered flight crew could hop into the roller coaster which would rapidly drop towards the ground, then away from the location of the rocket. The proposed