'The Martian' becomes real life: Meet 'Spudnik,' the space potato

Trump invited Artemis 2 moon astronauts to the White House | 'The Martian' in real life: Meet 'Spudnik,' the space potato | Europe's Ariane 6 rocket launches 32 internet satellites Created for ceo.studentlike.spuniv@blogger.com | Web Version   April 30, 2026 FOLLOW US FOLLOW US   Taking you out of this world, every day SIGN UP ⋅   WEBSITE   The Launchpad Trump invited Artemis 2 moon astronauts to the White House Happy Thursday, space fans! We saw the Artemis 2 astronauts go to the White House (and you'll want to see what happened), astronauts are playing "The Martian" with potatoes in space, and new ideas emerge to protect Earth from potentially dangerous asteroids. Check out what's big in space this week below! What Happened?   Trending 'The Martian' in real life: Meet 'Spudnik,' the space potato Fuzzy, purple, and edible, Spudnik is a marvel. How Did it Grow? Spaceflight Europe's Ariane 6 rocket launches 32 internet satellites Liftoff occurred at 4:57 a.m. EDT on Thursday (April 30). See the Launch Science & Astronomy Strange little red dots may really be 'black hole stars' Finding X-rays coming from one of the little red dots discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope could be the key to answering what these weird objects truly are. Learn More This company plans to protect us from dangerous asteroids Exploration Labs has proposed the first commercial deep space ride share mission, known as Apophis EX, to rendezvous with potentially hazardous asteroid Apophis. Asteroids! Today in Space An Amazon rainforest river from space The Ucayali River snakes across the rainforest in this image captured by NASA astronaut Jessica Meir from the International Space Station. See the Image Space deal of the day Lego goes big with 9 new sets for this year's May the 4th May the 4th 2026 includes the Mandalorian’s N-1 Starfighter, which will be seen in the upcoming Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu movie Star Wars Deals! Best Lego Star Wars sets 2026: Top models in time for Star Wars day We used the force to track down the best Lego Star Wars sets this side of Tatooine. Best Lego Star Wars helmets 2026 The best Lego Star Wars helmets from a galaxy far, far away. Editor's Note Editor's Note And that's it for our space update today! It's been a wild week in space already, but stay tuned for some new skywatching intel tomorrow and start rewatching your favorite Star Wars movies and shows to prepare for May the 4th on Monday. Keep looking up! Chelsea Gohd Content Manager, Space.com Stay up-to-date on all things space science, news, and entertainment by subscribing to our newsletters. Sign Up   Follow SPACE Contact Us: Feedback | Advertise Sign Up | Update Profile | Unsubscribe Privacy Policy | Cookies Policy | Terms and Conditions When you purchase through links in our content, we may earn an affiliate commission.   Future US LLC © Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036