Robert Z. Pearlman
Robert Pearlman is a space historian, journalist and the founder and editor of collectSPACE.com, an online publication and community devoted to space history with a particular focus on how and where space exploration intersects with pop culture. Pearlman is also a contributing writer for Space.com and co-author of "Space Stations: The Art, Science, and Reality of Working in Space” published by Smithsonian Books in 2018. He previously developed online content for the National Space Society and Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin, helped establish the space tourism company Space Adventures and currently serves on the History Committee of the American Astronautical Society, the advisory committee for The Mars Generation and leadership board of For All Moonkind. In 2009, he was inducted into the U.S. Space Camp Hall of Fame in Huntsville, Alabama. In 2021, he was honored by the American Astronautical Society with the Ordway Award for Sustained Excellence in Spaceflight History.
Latest articles by Robert Z. Pearlman
!["Stars On Mars" celebronauts, including Lance Armstrong and Ariel Winter, come together in their simulated Martian habitat.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4czSRTKDJ5Q7TjAonnRwxg-320-80.jpg)
Fox names Lance Armstrong, Ariel Winter among 'celebronauts' on 'Stars On Mars'
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
A crew of celebrities are set to go where none have gone before. "Well, sort of," says William Shatner, the actor-turned-astronaut who serves in Mission Control for "Stars on Mars," June 5 on Fox.
![NASA photographer Bill Taub poses with astronaut Alan Shepard a month before Shepard's 1961 launch.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JxYTZ4XJr9zbPqV6nYQJLZ-320-80.jpg)
New book reveals NASA photographer's unseen Mercury astronaut archives
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
As a NASA photographer, Taub was there to capture the start of the U.S. space program. A new book reveals Taub's role 'Photographing America's First Astronauts.'
![Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin work to connect cables to a newly relocated equipment airlock from the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module during a May 3, 2023 spacewalk outside of the International Space Station.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nmznbBShrWMFq9GNubCz3A-320-80.jpg)
Russian cosmonauts relocate airlock on International Space Station spacewalk
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin exited an airlock to move a different airlock during a spacewalk outside of the International Space Station on May 3.
![A (simulated) Microsoft Zune floats by a window inside the Cupola aboard the International Space Station in a new spot featuring "The Guardians of the Galaxy." A 3D printer on the space station will be used to create the Zune in an effort to engage students in STEAM education and the future of manufacturing in space.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4fYqaxFNjwbHUxsJDsBvh6-320-80.jpg)
Guardians of the Galaxy visit (real) ISS for 3D-printed Zune and STEAM education
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
Before "The Guardians of the Galaxy" launch into theaters, Rocket and Cosmo are making a pitstop at the International Space Station to help engage students in 3D printing.
![MotoArt's new Lockheed C-121G Super Constellation PlaneTags were cut from various areas on NASA 420, the space agency's Gemini and Apollo tracking station test aircraft, including its exterior and interior surfaces, explaining the different paint and metal finishes.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/s9ZxMizJVuXwTR2nTsTHwZ-320-80.jpg)
New MotoArt PlaneTags made from NASA aircraft used by Apollo tracking stations
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
A NASA aircraft used to test the agency's Gemini and Apollo tracking stations has "taken off" as a popular collectible. MotoArt's latest PlaneTag is made from NASA 420, a C-121G Super Constellation.
![an exterior view of the International Space Station with Earth in the background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7bPMjvZk9BU2P9NuULLrMF-320-80.jpg)
Russian spacewalk to move airlock outside space station postponed
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
A Russian spacewalk to move an experiment airlock from one International Space Station module to another has been postponed, the country's federal space corporation Roscosmos announced.
![Artwork from the "Vyzov" ("The Challenge") movie poster depicts actress Yulia Peresild as surgeon Zhenya Belyaeva floating in the Cupola aboard the International Space Station.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iAMmQ8LSiPnuowEPwhrXXb-320-80.jpg)
Shot in space, feature film 'The Challenge' rockets at Russian box office
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
"Vyzov" ("The Challenge"), the first feature-length narrative movie to have scenes shot in space by a professional filmmaker, rocketed to the top of Russia's box office.
![Joe Tegtmeyer holds up a possible heat shield tile from the first test flight of SpaceX's Starship and Super Heavy launch vehicle on April 20, 2023. The fragment was found on South Padre Island Beach, about seven miles from where Starship launched.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LpMt966UGF7L3myGCCKcEP-320-80.jpg)
'Look what I found!' SpaceX urges finders to report debris from Starship test flight
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
Hours after the first test flight of SpaceX's Starship ended with the spacecraft being commanded to explode, possible debris from the colossal rocket began to wash up on the surrounding shores.
![Lone Star Flight Museum president and CEO Doug Owens (right) and Allison McIntyre, chief of the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center pose for a photo at the opening of the museum's new Space Gallery, Thurs., April, 13, 2023.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Txns3AB3GcfTwXGodZFrJU-320-80.jpg)
Shuttle simulators and astronaut artifacts featured in new Lone Star 'Space Gallery'
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
A museum dedicated to the history of Texas aviation now has a "space" devoted to flight even higher than the state's skies. The Lone Star Flight Museum in Houston opened its Space Gallery.
![Stem Ciders' new CAPSTONE Cider was created in partnership with Advanced Space to celebrate the success of the company's satellite in a trailblazing orbit around the moon.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sFgCDEiUJyLD5ivsYKpeX7-320-80.jpg)
CAPSTONE Cider celebrates success of trailblazing satellite in lunar orbit
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
A company behind a NASA mission is capping off its first six months with an experimental cider. Advanced Space and Stem Ciders are releasing CAPSTONE, a hoppy cider celebrating a spacecraft.
![Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin (at right) watch as a large radiator is moved from the Rassvet mini-research module to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module by the European Robotic Arm during a April 18-19, 2023 spacewalk outside of the Russian segment of the International Space Station.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/X8omtktc7xVeS5FwoSU5pY-320-80.jpg)
Russian cosmonauts relocate radiator on International Space Station spacewalk
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin helped relocate a large radiator outside of the International Space Station, completing a spacewalk that had been twice delayed.
![SpaceX's new Starship Torch trades the real spacecraft's six methane-fueled rocket engines with a refillable butane lighter.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MAJKELZeEaAzZVYZBd9VVS-320-80.jpg)
Light this candle: SpaceX taking orders for Starship model with rocket engine torch
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
As the first space launch of the world's most powerful rocket looms, you can now "light" or "land" your own Starship. SpaceX debuted new models of its stainless steel spacecraft.
![Expedition 68 flight engineer Nicole Mann works on the Four Bed Carbon Dioxide Scrubber (FBCO2), including the installation of Calnetix Technologies' Momentum In-Line Blower (seen floating at center) on the International Space Station, February 2023.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Jgbdu5Jw2mnatdBbnjbWVK-320-80.jpg)
Clearing the air from Apollo to Artemis, NASA tests new CO2 scrubber on space station
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
A new air filtration system with a magnetic-bearing blower has been installed on the International Space Station. The carbon dioxide scrubber could advance life support for astronauts on the moon.
![Polish Lego fan Jan Woźnica's "Tales of the Space Age" captures the visual style of sci-fi posters while celebrating humanity's pursuit to find a place in the cosmos.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7GxvB4eRyL5A42wsS7cAh3-320-80.jpg)
New Lego Ideas 'Tales of the Space Age' set creates out-of-this-world displays
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
Lego's next set to celebrate humanity's fascination with the cosmos uses the toy to capture the style that inspired exploration. "Tales of the Space Age" builds four postcard-size works of space art.
![NASA Administrator Bill Nelson (right) and Jeannie Schulz, widow of Peanuts gang creator Charles M. Schulz, holding the Artemis I Snoopy zero gravity indicator pose with Schulz's NASA Exceptional Public Achievement Medal plaque on Wednesday, April 5, 2023, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/284bNaYfw6F7NWG3w5PEDC-320-80.jpg)
Jean Schulz awarded NASA achievement medal for sending Snoopy to the moon
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
Jean Schulz, the widow of Peanuts' creator Charles M. Schulz, has been recognized for being a "huge champion" of NASA and inspiring millions of people around the world by sending Snoopy to the moon.
![Northrop Grumman has named its next Cygnus resupply spacecraft for fallen NASA astronaut Laurel Clark.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zhdX4TPYQcALpoEFkUdvaC-320-80.jpg)
Northrop Grumman names cargo craft for fallen Columbia astronaut Laurel Clark
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
A NASA astronaut whose first spaceflight was the ill-fated final mission of the space shuttle Columbia is being remembered by Northrop Grumman with the naming of the "S.S. Laurel Clark" cargo craft.
![Artemis II crew members (from left) Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen and Reid Wiseman pose by an Orion spacecraft simulator at NASA's Johnson Space Center.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VuUemUh3VuvJ4h8E79bqCB-320-80.jpg)
Newly named Artemis 2 crew to notch many firsts on historic moon mission
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
The astronauts who will fly on NASA's Artemis 2 mission are set to break records and establish a number of firsts. But for one crew member, being first is less important than what will come next.
![The Artemis 2 crew, from left: pilot Victor Glover, commander Reid Wiseman and mission specialists Jeremy Hansen and Christina Koch. Together, they will become the first people to fly to the moon in more than 50 years.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wc4iLxGT6WvdCVCvyC5kcD-320-80.jpg)
Four for the moon! NASA names Artemis 2 astronaut crew for 1st lunar mission since Apollo
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
NASA has named its first moon crew in over 50 years. The agency announced Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch of NASA and Canada's Jeremy Hansen as the Artemis 2 crew.
![The third release in Space Hipsters' Signature Edition space patch series honors STS-41D astronaut Mike Mullane and is based on art sketched by Mullane's son, Patrick, 40 years ago.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sPbth5qFVrxtU8Eq8DbXPk-320-80.jpg)
Son's design for astronaut dad's mission patch put into production 40 years later
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
A sketch that NASA astronaut Mike Mullane's son drew as a possible patch design for his 1984 space shuttle mission has been made into a new embroidered emblem.
![A sign positioned near one of the giant tracks of NASA's Crawler-Transporter 2 identifies the Artemis-upgraded, Apollo-era vehicle as a Guinness World Record holder.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3LNNeDt4meyyp36xjigsbZ-320-80.jpg)
NASA's Apollo-era crawler, upgraded for Artemis, sets Guinness world record
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
It's taken seven years, but now it's official: one of NASA's Apollo-era rocket movers is the heaviest self-powered vehicle. Guinness World Records confirmed Crawler-Transporter 2 tipped the scale.
![Peter Lord, co-founder and creative director at Aardman, holds up the stop motion animation figure of Shaun the Sheep that flew on NASA's Artemis 1 mission to the moon. Behind him is Shaun's European Space Agency astronaut portrait.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cjcUka3xACgbhWL9kGv9JC-320-80.jpg)
'Baa'-ck from the moon, Shaun the Sheep to go on Artemis post-flight ESA tour
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
Europe's first lunar "lamb-assador" returned home as he prepares to be herded off on a post-flight tour. Shaun the Sheep arrived at Aardman Animations after splashing down from the moon.
![Puppeteers bring Marcie, Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Woodstock to life as they learn about NASA's Artemis moon missions during "All Systems Are Go," the new 20-minute show now at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ceVk9AegHi3WqjFbyCRfVA-320-80.jpg)
'All Systems Are Go' Snoopy stage show debuts at NASA visitor complex
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
Snoopy and NASA's plans for exploring the moon received a "go" to launch as "All Systems Are Go," a new stage show featuring life-size puppets, debuted at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
![STS-78 payload specialist Jean-Jacques Favier, representing the French space agency CNES, holds up a Bubble Drop Particle Unit test container to a camera inside the Spacelab module aboard the space shuttle Columbia in July 1996.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZsLewTXC5vN2B8cQhLkKB6-320-80.jpg)
CNES astronaut Jean-Jacques Favier, 1st French scientist to fly in space, dies at 73
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
Jean-Jacques Favier, who in 1996 became the sixth astronaut and first scientist from France to launch into space, has died at the age of 73. Favier flew as an STS-78 payload specialist.
![The U.S. Postal Service's "OSIRIS-REx Return to Earth" postage stamp celebrates the seven-year NASA mission to bring back rock and soil from the surface of the asteroid Bennu.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3CKMrYseYHtKshjcYziLsE-320-80.jpg)
NASA asteroid sample return mission to land on U.S. postage stamp
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
The USPS dropped news of a surprise space stamp, revealing it plans to mark the upcoming plunge to Earth by the OSIRIS-REx capsule carrying the largest sample ever collected from an asteroid.
![The Canadian Space Agency's new logo retains elements from its original 1996 mark but rearranges them to evoke taking flight and a sense of pride as a new era of space exploration begins.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EgvsV3C52i8HQmLUZyEW48-320-80.jpg)
Maple leaf to the moon: Canadian Space Agency debuts new logo
By Robert Z. Pearlman published
When the first Canadian to launch to the moon lifts off with NASA's next Artemis mission, he or she will do so wearing a new symbol of Canada's efforts in space: the Canadian Space Agency's new logo.