You think there's a lot happening in Earthly news? Let's look to the stars as of late

[View this email in your browser]( [Open Ars Technica in your browser]( [Ars Orbital HQ] [The Ars Mission Logo mug]( When it comes to space, somehow even the mundane can be fascinating. We all know All-American Hero™ Neil Armstrong as the man who [took humanity's first steps on the moon]( but by all accounts he was a mild-mannered, highly skilled engineer who kept to himself in real life. Yet, you've seen First Man, right? Amazing (and [mostly accurate](. Or, what about paint? It only earns more than two seconds of thought on Earth if [someone famous uses it]( or AI comes up with [goofy color names](. But for space? The [paintshop at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab]( sounds fascinating, and that team just finished some work on the Mars 2020 rover that will allow it to withstand UV rays, jolts, vibrations, and Martian temperatures without emitting any organic compounds. (Ask the paintshop about such things, and they maintain good perspective: "I think my paint is just about everywhere in the solar system.") Yes, we still have [an entirely separate newsletter]( dedicated to spaceflight happenings. But the last few weeks have brought so much out of this world news—from [SpaceX's 17th successful launch]( of 2018 to [ISS leaks]( to NASA celebrating its [60th anniversary]( this week's Orbital Transmission is looking towards the skies, too. (We swear it's not just some excuse to remind everyone our mission logo mug recently [received a discount]( in the Ars store... though that never hurts, right?.) —[@NathanMattise]( [Advertisement]( [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Powered by Live Intent]( [Ad Choices]( Orbital Transmission 10.16.2018 [A still from First Man]( [First Man]( is a first rate space movie As Ars' Space Guru Eric Berger put it, "I'm passionate about space history, NASA, commercial space, and the whole enterprise of trying to push things and people off this planet and deeper into space—and I absolutely loved this movie." The production team combined a devotion to research and accuracy with a flair for creative effects and visuals. As such, [First Man]( perhaps the best job to date of conveying the unfathomable stakes and accomplishments of early spaceflight. [A safe return home for two ISS-bound space travelers]( What happens next after [the Soyuz rocket failure]( Last Thursday, a rocket carrying an astronaut and a cosmonaut to the International Space Station failed, forcing a dramatic return to ground. So [what's next for NASA]( No one is ready to say, but Berger read the tea leaves at Houston the day after: "I think they believe the Russians, who have flown the Soyuz vehicle for half a century, will identify the issue with Thursday's launch, fix what needs to be fixed, and get back into service within a few months." [Laika]( If First Man is too serious, try [Laika]( instead The real-life story of the first creature sent to space is a sad, likely even tragic tale. But what if the Soviets didn't send historic pup Laika on a suicide mission to space? What if, instead, she choose to help humanity progress and ended up saving an alien planet in the process? Debuting at Fantastic Fest 2018, [Laika]( is stop-motion alternative history equal parts weird and charming. [RIP Paul Allen]( Microsoft co-founder and space pioneer Allen, 65, died from complications related to his treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Though the entrepreneur will be best remembered for founding Microsoft alongside Bill Gates and bringing sports to the Pacific northwest with the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trailblazers, his recent work showed a deep value for space exploration. In 2011, for instance, he funded the [Stratolaunch system]( a space initiative to launch rockets from a giant airplane. [Advertisement]( [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Powered by Live Intent]( [Ad Choices]( [Facebook Logo]( [Twitter Logo]( [YouTube Logo]( [Instagram Logo]( Copyright © 2018 Ars Technica / Condé Nast, All rights reserved. You are receiving our newsletter because you signed up at Ars Technica (). Our mailing address is: Ars Technica / Condé Nast 1 World Trade CenterNew York, NY 10007 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display] [Image not meant for display]                              Â