Thanks to Dennis O for naming this week’s episode!

Spaceflight News

— Mars Sample Return redesign (spaceflightnow.com) (spacenews.com)

Short & Sweet

— China tests mission extension tech on-orbit (spacenews.com)

— X-37B’s latest mission passes one-year in space (space.com)

— Pale Blue Propulsion (spacenews.com)

Questions, Comments, Corrections

— From the intro: Eaton/Pallisades fire relief for JPL workers (spacenews.com) (americaspace.com) (securelb.imodules.com)

This Week in Spaceflight History

— Jan. 17, 2005: US-China Orbital Debris Event (space.com) (PPT: celestrak.org) (spaceref.com) (PDF: orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov)

— Next week (1/21 - 1/27) in 1997: A tap on the shoulder