Best space gifts for space nerds!

Hi it’s me Tim Dodd the Everyday Astronaut.

As someone who is FULL BLOWN obsessed with space stuff, I get asked all the time for good gift ideas for fellow space, spaceflight and rocket nerds.

So I put together a list of some of my favorite space things, AND to make it the super easiest thing for you, I’ve hyperlinked the photos in this article to take you straight to each thing. For full disclosure, some are affiliate links, which can help financially support Everyday Astronaut.  But just for the record, this is not sponsored content, so my opinions on these products is purely my own. These are all things I genuinely really like, use everyday and you see in my videos ALL the time.

LEGO SATURN V

Kicking the list off is the hard-to-beat LEGO Saturn V. Probably my favorite space gift to come out in recent years. This thing is super fun to build and looks awesome on display when you’re done. And, you know how I’m a fan of hidden easter eggs. LEGO cheekily made this set with 1,969 pieces. You know. 1969? The year we went to the moon… bonus points LEGO, bonus points ;)

BUZZ SPACE MODELS

If models of rockets are your thing, but maybe you don’t want to build them yourself, check out Buzz Space Models. You’ve seen them in literally all of my videos. They’re modeled, 3D printed and hand built by the talented Oli Braun. Do note, Oli is swamped with hundreds of orders and is pretty backed up, so you probably won’t get your hands on one by the holidays. But, consider getting your order in now anyways, and giving your giftee a picture of the model with the words “IOU.” It’ll be worth the wait.

CElESTRON BRASS TELESCOPES (OR ANY OTHER TELESCOPE)

Speaking of things you see in my videos, people ask me about telescopes all the time. Ok, full disclosure, I chose this exact telescope because I think it looks gorgeous and I just wanted it for some Everyday Astronaut pictures… Believe it or not, I didn’t actually take it out to look at planets until this summer! Looking at Saturn’s rings with my own eye blew my mind. I can’t believe I took this thing for granted so long. There’s tons of telescopes to choose from, but the model I chose is the Celestron 50mm brass telescope. If you’re unsure which to choose, I’d recommend heading to OPT Oceanside Telescopes and talk to them, their customer service team is super helpful and can help you find the right fit. Since I know nothing about this, they’re definitely the right people to talk to.

ULTIMATE GUIDE TO VIEWING THE COSMOS BOOK

So say you’re like me and you don’t know how or where to even get started with amateur astronomy. Or maybe your new telescope has piqued your interest in the cosmos and you need to know more. I highly recommend Universe Today’s new book, “Ultimate Guide to Viewing the Cosmos.” This is a book I wish I had three years ago when I bought my first telescope. It easily spells out the fundamentals of astronomy in a manner perfect for all ages. And, most important, it includes pretty pictures.

ADA LACE BOOKS

Speaking of books, my good friend and Everyday Astronaut contributor Emily Calindrelli has an amazing book series for young science lovers called Ada Lace. The series is super inspirational for young kids who love to learn. Ada Lace will encourage kids, and especially young girls, to be curious about science and the STEM field. Teaching kids scientific literacy at a young age is very important, and I think Ada Lace does this perfectly!

ELON MUSK BOOK

I think my favorite book I’ve ever read (ok, fine. I listened to it via audiobook because I’m awful at reading. Now you know.) is Ashley Vance’s Elon Musk. Now I know, I know. You all already call me an Elon Musk fanboy, but dang it, this book is phenomenal. If you haven’t read it (or listened to it), it’s an absolute must. It gives you so much perspective on Elon’s wild life, vision and brilliance. I’d recommend this even for non-space nerds. But that’s a different article.

GRID FIN NOT-A-COASTER DRINK ELEVATORS

So speaking of SpaceX fandom… this next thing is easily one of my favorite things ever. I had a guy named Spencer Wilhelm reach out to me on Twitter and ask if he could make laser engraved stuff for my store. That’s when the gears turned and we realized we should totally do Grid Fin coasters! The only problem is, a coaster with holes in it isn’t really the best coaster ever, so we made Grid Fin Not-A-Coasters Drink Elevators and I LOVE THEM.

SPACE SHIRTS, HATS, PATCHES, STICKERS, ONESIES, POSTERS….

Now, before this turns into some kind of EverydayAstronaut.com/shop infomercial, why don’t I just say, if you haven’t checked out my brand new store, you need to. There’s tons of new shirts, including a limited edition, limited run Buran collection pack (shirt, sticker, patch)  that’s almost sold out and won’t be available after November 30th.

We have some other fun new things, like kids and baby apparel (finally! You’re welcome), stickers, patches, and pins. And just like before, you can order rocket photo prints, but now they’re printed on professional paper instead of poster paper, offering a much higher quality print and a cheaper price point!

BLACK FRIDAY PROMO: Take 25% off everything in my webstore with coupon code GO4LIFTOFF. Plus, free domestic and discounted international shipping on orders over $100. (Available starting at Midnight Eastern Thursday, November 22nd and ends Midnight Pacific Monday November 26th)

ROCKET PHOTOS

Now speaking of rocket photo prints, I did want to point out if you are shopping around on my store and don’t find a launch you’re looking for, I’ve got some super talented rocket photographer friends that you can also shop. Check out Trevor Mahlmann, Brady Kenniston, Ryan Chylinski and John Kraus.

NIGHT SKY STAR MAP

But just in case I didn’t give you enough wall hanging options, these star maps make for awesome gifts. You can customize with a location and a special date, like a birthday or an anniversary… or maybe a favorite launch?… And they print out the night sky as seen that night from that location. I think it’s really cool and I’ve had one hanging in my office celebrating my wife’s and my wedding night.

SPACEX POSTERS

And of course, don’t forget these awesome SpaceX and NASA travel posters. They’re gorgeous!!! So gorgeous my wife broke her rule of not allowing space stuff outside of my office. The Olympus Mons SpaceX poster is framed and hung in the center of our living room. You can buy the posters individually or in a pack, and I think they just look so good on a wall.

MOVA GLOBES

Speaking of things you see in all my videos and always ask about… how could we not include MOVA globes. They are easily the most eye catching and envy-worthy things in a room. People are drawn to them instantly and want to know how they work. The globes somehow magically spin using just light. I truly can’t get enough of these things. They come in all sorts of sizes and you can get any planet too!

MINI MOON LAMP

Maybe you want something a little cheaper and less impressive, but still super fun? How about a mini 3D printed moon lamp slash night light? I first saw these back when I did a photo series called “My Best Friend Moon” and was looking to buy a moon as a prop for the photos. I found  a giant half a meter moon that was like $1,000 or something crazy, which I couldn’t afford so I just photoshopped it into every picture…haha. Well, now you can get these little guys for super cheap! Makes for a perfect gift for all ages.

NASA EDITION VANS

Next up, maybe the hottest space thing of the year are these NASA edition VANS! They came out with a handful of styles that I’m obsessed with. There are high tops and low tops in a few different colors (I got one of each…). These might be really hard to get your hands on through the VANS website, but considering how cool they are, it’s worth shopping around on Ebay or Amazon.

SPACEX AND ROCKET LAB SWAG

My other go-to places for space swag are SpaceX’s and Rocket Lab’s webstores. They’re really, really good. I may or may not own like half of these stores. Shop for apparel, home decor, knick knacks and tons of good gift-giving stuff.

SPACE MUSIC

Lastly, just in time for the holidays, I managed to finally get my music online for streaming or for purchase! Just search for Everyday Astronaut on your favorite music platform and enjoy. Or, pull up YouTube for an extra treat. My channel has a playlist of the full album with really fun background videos to each song. Check it out and enjoy some background music while you travel, build rockets, or float around in space… :)

Well, that’s gonna do it for me, I’m Tim Dodd, the Everyday Astronaut, bringing gift ideas down to Earth for everyday people.