'It's harder to be a parent than a space shuttle commander', trailblazing Nasa pilot tells BBC 1 day ago Share Save Rebecca Morelle Science Editor and Alison Francis Senior Science Journalist Share Save Tony Jolliffe/ BBC News From a very young age, Eileen Collins wanted to be an astronaut She's the astronaut who smashed through the glass ceiling. Eileen Collins made history as the first woman to pilot and command a Nasa spacecraft - but despite her remarkable achievements, not everyone will know her name. Now a feature-length documentary called Spacewoman, which chronicles her trailblazing career, looks set to change that. We meet Collins at London's Science Museum. She's softly spoken, warm and very down to earth - but you quickly get a sense of her focus and determination. She clearly has inner steel. "I was reading a magazine article on the Gemini astronauts. I was probably nine years old, and I thought that's the coolest thing. That's what I want to do," she says. "Of course, there were no women astronauts back then. But I just thought, I'll be a lady astronaut. " NASA Nasa's Space Shuttle programme flew for three decades But that little girl set her sights even higher - she wanted to be at the controls of a spacecraft. And the only way to achieve this was to join the military and become a test pilot. In the Air Force, she stood out from the crowd and was selected to join the astronaut programme. She was to fly Space Shuttles - Nasa's reusable "space planes". She knew the eyes of the world were on her when her first mission launched in 1995. "As the first woman to pilot the Space Shuttle, I worked very hard at that because I didn't want people to say, 'Oh look, the woman has made a mistake'. Because it wasn't just about me, it was about the women to follow me," she says. "And I wanted there to be a reputation for women pilots that was: 'Hey, they're really good'. " Eileen Collins Eileen Collins with her young daughter Bridget She was so good in fact that she was soon promoted to commander, in another first. Collins was also a parent to two young children. The fact that she was a working wife and mother was frequently brought up in press conferences at the time, with some journalists seemingly astonished that she could be both. But Collins says being a mum and a commander were "the two best jobs in the world". "But I'm going to tell you it is harder to be a parent than to be a space shuttle commander," she laughs. "The best training I ever had for being a commander was being a parent - because you have to learn how to say no to people. " NASA A huge investigation was launched after the Columbia disaster Nasa's Space Shuttles, which flew for three decades, reached breathtaking highs, but also some terrible lows. In 1986, the Challenger spacecraft suffered a catastrophic failure seconds after launching, killing all seven crew members on board. And in 2003, the Columbia shuttle broke up in the skies over Texas at the end of its mission, killing its crew of seven as well. A piece of insulating foam on Columbia's fuel tank broke loose during launch, damaging the heat shield with devastating results. Columbia was unable to withstand the fiery re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, disintegrating as the world watched on in horror. Collins shakes her head at the memory of the disaster, and of the friends whose lives were lost. But with her job as commander, she had to pick up the mantle - she was to be in charge of the shuttle's following flight. Did she think about quitting at that point? "People throughout the shuttle programme were counting on the commander to stick with it," she says quietly. "I think quitting the mission would have been the opposite of brave… and I wanted to be a brave leader. I wanted to be a confident leader. I wanted to instill that confidence in other people. " But when her mission finally took to the skies in 2005, the nightmare scenario happened again. A chunk of foam broke away during launch. This time, though, there was a plan in place to check the damage. But it meant undertaking one of the riskiest maneuvers in space history. Collins had to pilot the shuttle through a 360 degree flip while flying beneath the International Space Station. It allowed colleagues on the orbiting lab to photograph the craft's underside and check if the heatshield had been breached. "There were engineers and managers saying it couldn't be done, all these reasons why it was too dangerous," she says. "I listened to the discussion, they knew I was the commander, and I said: 'It sounds like we can do it'. " NASA Collins remained cool and calm under pressure With her hands steady at the controls, her voice calm as she spoke to mission control, Collins piloted the craft through a slow, graceful somersault. With the shuttle's underside now visible, the damage was quickly spotted - and a spacewalk was carried out to repair it. It meant Collins and her crew would make it safely home. This was Collins's last flight. She tells us that she always planned to stop after her fourth mission - to give others a chance to go to space. And she's watched plenty of astronauts follow in her footsteps. Does she have any advice for the next generation dreaming of the stars? "Do your homework, listen to your teacher, pay attention in class and read books, and that will give you something to focus on," she says in a matter-of-fact way. Those who follow Collins to space will learn just how much she achieved, not only as a woman, but as a formidable pilot and commander. She says she has no regrets about bringing her astronaut career to an end. She made her decision and didn't look back. But there's still a wistful look in her eye when we ask if she'd be tempted if a seat on a spacecraft became free. "Yes, I would love to go on a mission someday. When I'm an old lady, maybe I'll get a chance to go back in space

com/2025/10/19/opinion-the-hurricane-season-that-still-isnt-steve-milloy/ By Steve Milloy Cynical, disaster-seeking climate change hysterics have been pushing, for decades now, a narrative that global warming, especially warming ocean temperatures, increase the risk of hurricane activity. Every year, they seem to be eagerly awaiting devastating superstorms to prove them right. And the 2025 hurricane season looked ripe. In May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted a more-active-than-average season (which runs from June 1 to Dec. The Washington Post hyped this prediction into: “The forecast underscored the dangers of a historically active stretch of Atlantic hurricane activity. ” And, indeed, the stage was set for the perfect storm to cause catastrophic impact on the American Southeast: NOAA fretted hurricane-fueling warm ocean waters; the South had just come off of a record year of domestic net migration raising the potential human cost; and climate change-denying President Trump had scaled back the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) which, alarmists claimed, would significantly hinder disaster response. (RELATED: What Happened To Climate Change, The Existential Threat Of Our Time?) There was an ominous anniversary, too. Late summer 2025 marked exactly 20 years since the catastrophic Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. “Now more than ever, NOAA is prepared for what the hurricane season may bring,” said Laura Grimm, NOAA’s acting administrator, at an event announcing the forecast in Jefferson Parish, La. , to mark the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. ” Yep, the narrative of a disastrous 2025 hurricane season fueled by man-made climate change wrote itself; all the alarmists had to do was wait. June and July passed quickly and quietly without a single U. August showed promise as Hurricane Erin swelled into a threatening category 5 hurricane. The alarmists manned their stations, and the media began sowing panic over this climate-induced superstorm. Unfortunately for the catastrophists, the storm never got closer than 200 miles from the U. By early September, the Atlantic was still pitching a shutout. 10, the day at the center of the peak hurricane window, saw zero hurricane landfalls and no storms on the horizon. No devastating storm has yet hit, and time is running out for the season. There are six weeks remaining. Sure, anything could happen in that time. But so far nothing has. Instead of just admitting the error of their ways, the climate activists at the Washington Post doubled down this week and claimed that the lack of storms is actually evidence of manmade climate change. This never-admit-error mindset underscores the climate movement’s willingness to twist any outcome into proof of their radical worldview. With them, it’s always: “Heads I win; tails you lose. ” When ideology is put aside and actual scientific principles are followed, the picture is crystal clear: there is no relationship between man-made emissions and increased hurricane frequency, intensity or any other aspect of hurricanes. All hurricane activity remains within the bounds of natural variability, according to NOAA. Hurricane tracking reveals that there have been no changes in trends, even though man-made emissions have steadily risen during the same period. And while promoters of climate change narratives like to highlight the increased costs in storm damage, they ignore the fact that population growth in coastal regions is the main driver in this phenomenon – not increased storm strength. Even the Washington Post has had to admit this. The superstorms that weren’t, serve as a stark reminder: the climate agenda thrives on fear. Rain or shine, the alarmists’ forecast of planetary doom remained the same. In doing so, they show their hand – prioritizing political agenda over evidence. It’s time to separate rhetoric from reality and liberate ourselves from climate hysteria. Steve Milloy is a biostatistician and lawyer. He posts on X at @JunkScience

From Hollywood to horticulture: Cate Blanchett on a mission to save seeds 6 hours ago Share Save Rebecca Morelle Science Editor and Alison Francis Senior Science Journalist Share Save Tony Jolliffe/BBC News Cate Blanchett has teamed up with Kew's Millennium Seed Bank She's a Hollywood A-lister, with a mantelpiece groaning under the weight of awards. But Cate Blanchett has taken an unexpected diversion from her day job - to immerse herself in the world of the humble seed. Her eyes light up as she enthuses about the banksia species from her native Australia. "It's quite a brutal looking seed pod that only releases its seed in extremely high temperatures," she tells us. "It does look like a cross between a mallet and a toilet brush. So they're not always pretty, but yet what comes out of them is so spectacular. " RBG Kew Australia's banksia seed pods explode open after being exposed to fire We meet her at Kew's Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) at Wakehurst botanic garden in Sussex. She lives locally and teamed up with the project as it celebrates its 25th anniversary. "Really, I stumbled upon Wakehurst. I was just in awe of the landscape and I always feel regenerated by being in the natural world," she says. "And then I discovered the seed bank, and I literally had my mind blown by the work that goes on here… and I thought, anything I can do to be connected to it - I found it so inspiring. " The MSB is home to more than 2. 5 billion seeds collected from 40,000 wild plant species around the world. The seeds, which come in every shape, size and colour, are carefully processed, dried and then stored in freezers at a chilly -20C. RBG Kew Cate Blanchett and a team from Kew met The King to talk about the seed bank The conservation project was opened by The King - then the Prince of Wales - in 2000. He's taken part in a special episode of a Kew podcast about the project called Unearthed: The Need For Seeds with Cate Blanchett. In the recording he talks about his concerns that many plant species are being lost. "I know how absolutely critical it all is, and the destruction of rainforests, the extinction of endless species, which have very likely remarkable properties," he tells the podcast. When the seed bank first opened, it was seen as a doomsday vault - a back-up store of seeds to safeguard wild plants from extinction. But 25 years on, the collection is being used for a different purpose: to restore environments that are under threat. Tony Jolliffe/BBC News The MSB has more than 2. 5bn seeds - including these blue Ravenala agathea seeds "We want those seeds to be back out in the landscape," explained Dr Elinor Breman from the MSB, who's been showing Cate Blanchett the team's work. "We're just providing a safe space for them until we can get them back out into a habitat where they can thrive and survive. " This includes projects like one taking place on the South Downs. A special mix of seeds from the MSB are being sown to help restore the rare chalk grasslands there. And this restoration work is being repeated around the world. "We've been to every kind of habitat, from sea level to about 5,000m, and from pole to pole - literally," explained Dr Breman. "And we're involved in restoring tropical forest, dry deciduous forest, grassland, steppe - you name it - we're trying to help people put those plants back in place. " Kevin Church/BBC News Seeds from the seedbank are being used on the South Downs in Sussex The seed bank also helped to restore plants after intense wildfires swept across Australia in 2019. Cate Blanchett says this meant a lot to her. "There are almost 9,000 species of Australian plant that are stored [at the MSB]. And we know that bushfires are getting increasingly more intense. And it's sad to say - but knowing that insurance policy exists, is of great solace to me. " Working as an ambassador for Wakehurst has meant that the actor has had a chance to get hands on with the seeds. "Have I got dirt under my fingernails? Well, I'm trying to turn my brown thumbs green," she laughs. "You know, living in Sussex, you can't not but become a passionate gardener. So I've had a lot of questions about how one stores seeds as a lay person, and I've learned a lot about that. My seed management has definitely, definitely improved. " And after spending so much time with the researchers at the MSB, is she at all tempted to swap the film set for the lab? "I wish I had the skill - maybe I could play a scientist," she laughs

Nasa Apollo missions: Stories of the last Moon men 8 August 2025 Share Save Ben Fell BBC News Share Save NASA Who will be the next human to leave their footprint on the surface of the Moon? They were the pioneers of space exploration - the 24 Nasa astronauts who travelled to the Moon in the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s. The death of Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell, who guided the stricken mission safely back to Earth in 1970, means there are now just five people remaining who have escaped the relative safety of Earth orbit and ventured deeper into space. More than 50 years since a human last set foot on the Moon, the race to put people back on the lunar surface is heating up once again. Nasa hopes its Artemis programme will lead to astronauts living on the Moon this decade. China is also aiming to have people on the lunar surface by 2030, having landed a probe on the far side of the Moon in June 2024. A number of private companies have tried to send scientific craft to the Moon, although the mishaps have outnumbered the successes. Nasa had intended to launch Artemis 2, its first crewed lunar expedition since Apollo 17 in 1972, last year but that date has slipped into 2026, as the space agency says it needs more time to prepare. Meanwhile, companies such as SpaceX and Boeing continue to develop their own technology, although not without their setbacks. The issues with Boeing's Starliner which left two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station were embarrassing for the aerospace giant, while the "rapid unscheduled disassemblies" of SpaceX's Starship have become a customary sight to space watchers. These delays highlight the sad fact that the number of remaining Apollo astronauts is dwindling. NASA Apollo 13 was Jim Lovell's final mission Along with Frank Borman and Bill Anders, Jim Lovell made history when the three undertook the first lunar mission on Apollo 8, testing the Command/Service Module and its life support systems in preparation for the later Apollo 11 landing. Their craft actually made 10 orbits of the Moon before returning home. Lovell was later supposed be the fifth human to walk on the lunar surface as commander of Apollo 13 - but of course, that never happened. Instead the story of his brush with death was immortalised in the film Apollo 13, in which he was played by Tom Hanks. Watch: Moment Jim Lovell told earth "Houston, we've had a problem" as Apollo 13 suffered a fault Following his retirement from Nasa in 1973, Lovell worked in the telecoms industry. Marilyn, his wife of more than 60 years, who became a focus for the media during the infamous incident, died in August 2023. But what of the remaining five Moon men? Who are they, and what are their stories? Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11) NASA Buzz Aldrin, right, along with his crewmates Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins, before their mission to the Moon On 21 July 1969, former fighter pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin left his lunar landing craft and became the second person to step on the surface of the Moon. Almost 20 minutes beforehand, his commander, Neil Armstrong, had been the first. Aldrin's first words were: "Beautiful view". "Isn't that something?" asked Armstrong. "Magnificent sight out here. " "Magnificent desolation," replied Aldrin. The fact that he was second never sat comfortably with him. His crewmate Michael Collins said Aldrin "resented not being first on the Moon more than he appreciated being second". But Aldrin was still proud of his achievement; many years later, when confronted by a man claiming Apollo 11 was an elaborate lie, the 72-year-old Aldrin punched him on the jaw. And following Neil Armstrong's death in 2012, Aldrin said: "I know I am joined by many millions of others from around the world in mourning the passing of a true American hero and the best pilot I ever knew. " Despite struggles in later life, he never lost his thirst for adventure and joined expeditions to both the North and South Poles, the latter at the age of 86. Allow X content? X’s cookie policy privacy policy ‘accept and continue’. This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to readandbefore accepting. To view this content choose Accept and continue While embracing his celebrity, he has remained an advocate for the space programme, especially the need to explore Mars. "I don't think we should just go there and come back - we did that with Apollo," he says. And his name has become known to new generations as the inspiration for Buzz Lightyear from the Toy Story series of films. In January 2023, at the age of 93, he married for a fourth time. Charles Duke (Apollo 16) There are only four people still alive who have walked on the Moon - Charlie Duke is one of them. He did it aged 36, making him the youngest person to set foot on the lunar surface. In a later BBC interview, he spoke of a "spectacular terrain". "The beauty of it… the sharp contrast between the blackness of space and the horizon of the Moon… I'll never forget it. " But he had already played another significant role in Nasa's exploration of the Moon. After Apollo 11 touched down in 1969, it was Duke - in mission control as the Capsule Communicator, or Capcom - who was waiting nervously on the other end of the line when Neil Armstrong said: "Houston, Tranquility Base here. " NASA Charlie Duke, along with Jim Lovell and Fred Haise in Mission Control, during the Apollo 11 mission In his distinctive southern drawl, Duke replied: "Roger, Tranquility. We copy you on the ground, you've got a bunch of guys about to turn blue, we're breathing again. " "I really meant it, I was holding my breath the last minute or so," he later told the BBC. In 2022, Duke told the BBC he was excited about Nasa's Artemis mission - but warned that it wouldn't be easy for the new generation of astronauts. "They've picked near the South Pole for the landing, because if there's any ice on the Moon, it would be down in that region. So that's gonna be difficult - because it's really rough down there. But we'll pull it off. " Charlie Duke now lives outside San Antonio, Texas, with Dorothy, to whom he has been married for 60 years. Fred Haise NASA Fred Haise and his crewmates seemed surprised by their celebrity after they returned to Earth. Fred Haise was part of the crew of Apollo 13 that narrowly avoided disaster in 1970 after an on-board explosion caused the mission to be aborted when the craft was more than 200,000 miles (321,000km) from Earth. The whole world watched nervously as Nasa attempted to return the damaged spacecraft and its crew safely. Once back, Haise and his crewmates James Lovell and Jack Swigert became celebrities, to their apparent surprise. "I feel like maybe I missed something while I was up there," he told talk show host Johnny Carson when the crew appeared on The Tonight Show. Haise never made it to the Moon. Although scheduled to be commander of Apollo 19, that mission was cancelled because of budget cuts, as were all other flights after Apollo 17. He later served as a test pilot on the prototype space shuttle, Enterprise. Like many of his fellow Apollo alumni, after leaving Nasa, Haise continued to work in the aerospace industry until his retirement. Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17) NASA Harrison Schmitt was the first scientist to visit the Moon Unlike most other astronauts of the time, Schmitt had not served as a pilot in the US forces. A geologist and academic, he initially instructed Nasa astronauts on what to look for during their geological lunar field trips before becoming a scientist-astronaut himself in 1965. Schmitt was part of the last crewed mission to the Moon, Apollo 17, and along with commander Eugene Cernan, one of the last two men to set foot on the lunar surface, in December 1972. After leaving Nasa in 1975, he was elected to the US Senate from his home state of New Mexico, but only served one term. Since then he has worked as a consultant in various industries as well as continuing in academia. He is also known for speaking out against the scientific consensus on climate change. David Scott (Apollo 15) NASA David Scott was the seventh person to walk on the Moon

Jim Lovell, Apollo 13 astronaut, dies aged 97 9 August 2025 Share Save Share Save Watch: Moment Jim Lovell told earth "Houston, we've had a problem" as Apollo 13 suffered a fault Astronaut Jim Lovell, who guided the Apollo 13 mission safely back to Earth in 1970, has died aged 97. Nasa said he had "turned a potential tragedy into a success" after an attempt to land on the Moon was aborted because of an explosion onboard the spacecraft while it was hundreds of thousands of miles from Earth. Tens of millions watched on television as Lovell and two other astronauts splashed back down into the Pacific Ocean, a moment which has become one of the most iconic in the history of space travel. Lovell, who was also part of the Apollo 8 mission, was the first man to go to the Moon twice - but never actually landed. Acting Nasa head Sean Duffy said Lovell had helped the US space programme to "forge a historic path". In a statement, Lovell's family said: "We will miss his unshakeable optimism, his sense of humor, and the way he made each of us feel we could do the impossible. He was truly one of a kind. " Tom Hanks, who played Lovell in the 1995 movie Apollo 13, called the astronaut one of those people "who dare, who dream, and who lead others to the places we would not go on our own". Hanks said in a statement on Instagram that Lovell's many voyages "were not made for riches or celebrity, but because such challenges as those are what fuels the course of being alive". NASA Teenage rocket maker One Saturday, a 16-year-old hauled a heavy, three-foot tube into the middle of a large field in Wisconsin. He had persuaded his science teacher to help him make a makeshift rocket. Somehow, he had managed to get his hands on the ingredients for gunpowder - potassium nitrate, sulphur and charcoal. He pulled on a welder's helmet for protection. He packed it with powder, struck a match and ran like hell. The rocket rose 80 feet into the air and exploded. Had the chemicals been packed slightly differently, he would have been blown to pieces. For Jim Lovell, this was more than a childish lark. In achieving his dream to be a rocket scientist, he would become an American hero. But it was not going to be easy. Getty Images The crew of the ill-fated Apollo 13: Jack Swigert, Jim Lovell and Fred Haise James Arthur Lovell Jr was born on 25 March 1928 - just a year after Charles Lindbergh made his historic trip across the Atlantic. "Boys like either dinosaurs or airplanes," he said. "I was very much an airplane boy. " When he was five years old, his father died in a car accident. His mother, Blanche, worked all hours, struggling to keep food on the table. University was well beyond their financial reach. The answer was the US Navy, which was hungry for new pilots after World War Two. It was not building rockets but at least it involved flying. Lovell signed up to a programme that sent him to college at the military's expense while training as a fighter pilot. Two years in, he gambled and switched to the Navy Academy at Annapolis, on Chesapeake Bay, in the hope of working with his beloved rockets. It was a lucky decision. A few months later, the Korean War broke out and his former fellow apprentice pilots were sent to South East Asia. Many never got to finish their education. Marriage was banned at Annapolis and girlfriends discouraged. The navy did not want its midshipmen wasting their time on such frivolities. But Lovell had a sweetheart. Marilyn Gerlach was the high school girl he had shyly asked to the prom. Women were not allowed on campus and trips outside were limited to 45 minutes. Somehow the relationship survived. Just hours after his graduation in 1952, the newly commissioned Ensign Lovell married her. They would be together for more than 70 years, until Marilyn's death in 2023. Getty Images Jim and Marilyn Lovell were high school sweethearts He did everything he could to advertise his love of rocketry. His thesis at the Navy Academy was in the unheard-of topic of liquid-fuel engines. After graduation, he hoped to specialise in this pioneering new technology. But the navy had other ideas. Lovell was assigned to an aircraft carrier group flying Banshee jets off ships at night. It was a white-knuckle, high-wire business fit only for daredevils. But for Lovell, it was not enough. Kennedy's men In 1958, he applied to Nasa. Project Mercury was America's attempt to place a man in orbit around the Earth. Jim Lovell was one of the 110 test pilots considered for selection but a temporary liver condition put paid to his chances. Four years later, he tried again. In June 1962, after gruelling medical tests, Nasa announced its "New Nine". These would be the men to deliver on President Kennedy's pledge to put American boots on the Moon. It was the most elite group of flying men ever assembled. They included Neil Armstrong, John Young and, fulfilling his childhood dream, Jim Lovell. Getty Images Apollo 8 was Nasa's most dangerous mission yet Three years later he was ready. His first trip into space was aboard the two-man Gemini 7. Lovell and fellow astronaut Frank Borman ate a steak-and-eggs breakfast and blasted off. Their mission: to find out if men could survive two weeks in space. If not, the Moon was out of reach. With the endurance record complete, Lovell's next flight was in command of Gemini 12 alongside space rookie Buzz Aldrin. This time they proved that man could work outside a spacecraft. Aldrin clambered awkwardly into the void, spending five hours photographing star fields. Now for the Moon itself. The crew of Apollo 8 would be the first to travel beyond low Earth orbit and enter the gravitational pull of another celestial body. It was Nasa's most dangerous mission yet. 'Get the camera' The Saturn V rocket that shot Lovell, Borman and William Anders out of our atmosphere at 25,000mph (40,233km/h) was huge - three times larger than anything seen on the Gemini programme. As navigator, Lovell took with him a sextant to take star readings - in case the computers failed and they had to find their own way home. Sixty-eight hours after take-off, they made it. The engines fired and Apollo 8 slid silently behind the Moon. The men heard a crackle in their headsets as the radio signal to Mission Control faltered and then failed. The spellbound astronauts pinned themselves to the windows, the first humans to see the far side of our nearest celestial neighbour. And then, from over the advancing horizon, an incredible sight. "Earthrise," gasped Borman. "Get the camera, quick," said Lovell. Getty Images The image of Earth from Space captivated the World It was Christmas Eve 1968. America was mired in Vietnam abroad and civil unrest at home. But at that moment, it seemed that humanity was united. The people of the world saw their planet as the astronauts saw it - fragile and beautiful, shining in the desolation of space. Lovell read from the Book of Genesis, the basis of many of the world's great religions, to the people of the Earth. "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. " For him, it was an image that changed our world forever. He put his thumb against the window and the whole world disappeared behind it. It was the most moving experience of his life. As the spacecraft re-emerged from the darkness, Lovell was first to announce the good news. "Please be advised," he said as the radio crackled back into life, "there is a Santa Claus. " At that very moment, 239,000 miles away, a man in a blue Rolls-Royce pulled up outside Lovell's house in Houston. He walked past the dozens of reporters camped outside and handed a box to Marilyn. She opened the star-patterned tissue paper and pulled out a mink jacket. "Happy Christmas," said the card that came with it, "and love from the Man in the Moon. " Getty Images President Lyndon B Johnson, like millions of others, sat glued to his television sets during the Apollo 8 mission They went up as astronauts and came down celebrities. The people of the Earth had followed their every move on TV. There were ticker tape parades, congressional honours and a place on the cover of Time Magazine. And they had not even set foot on the Moon. That honour went, of course, to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. A year later, Kennedy's dream was posthumously seen to fruition. A small step was taken and mankind took its giant leap. The New Nine had done their job. 'Houston, we've had a problem' In April 1970, it was Jim Lovell's turn. Fortunately, the crew of Apollo 13 did not believe in unlucky numbers. Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise were men of science - highly trained and determined to follow Armstrong and Aldrin to the lunar surface. But things went badly wrong. They were 200,000 miles above the Earth and closing in on their target when they needed to stir tanks containing vital oxygen and hydrogen. Swigert flicked the switch. It should have been a routine procedure but the command module, Odyssey, shuddered. Oxygen pressure fell and power shut down. "I believe we've had a problem here," said Swigert. Lovell had to repeat the message to a stunned Mission Control: "Houston, we've had a problem. " It was one of the greatest understatements of all time. The crew were in big trouble - a dramatic explosion had disabled their craft. Getty Images Flight controllers at Nasa working out how to get the crippled Apollo 13 back to Earth. Haise and Lovell worked frantically to boot up the lunar module, Aquarius. It was not supposed to be used until they got to the Moon. It had no heat shield, so could not be used to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. But it could keep them alive until they got there. The world stopped breathing and watched. For a second time, Jim Lovell had brought the world together as one. The first time it had been for Earthrise, the second would be to witness his fight to survive. “For four days," said Marilyn, "I didn’t know if I was a wife or a widow. " Temperatures fell to freezing, food and water were rationed. It was days before they limped back to the fringes of Earth's atmosphere. They climbed back aboard the Odyssey and prayed the heat shield had not been damaged. The radio silence that accompanies re-entry went on far longer than normal. Millions watched on TV, many convinced that all was lost. After six agonising minutes, Jack Swigert's voice cut through the silence. The team on the ground held its breath until the parachutes deployed and the crew was safely down. The mission was Nasa's greatest failure and, without question, its finest hour. Getty Images Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert are rescued from the Pacific Ocean after their dramatic escape

Skeletons found in mass grave are ancient Roman soldiers, study finds Scientists believe the skeletons, which were found completely intact, belong to men who lived 1,700 years ago Now, researchers from several European archaeological institutions have been able to determine not only when the men lived, but also how they may have died. Mursa was conquered by the Romans during the first century BC and became a large settlement that was also an important centre for trade and craft. The male skeletons, all with various injuries, were found "completely preserved" during excavations in 2011 at the site of the Roman city of Mursa - modern-day Osijek - in Croatia's far east, a new research paper says. Scientists say seven skeletons found in a mass grave in Croatia were most likely Roman soldiers who lived 1,700 years ago. According to the paper, the men in the grave were aged between 36-50 years old, taller-than-average in height, and were "robust" individuals. Their diets were mainly vegetarian, but some had also indulged in a little meat and seafood. All showed various healed and un-healed injuries, including those caused by blunt force trauma, and there were puncture wounds on two of their torsos, which the scientists believe were likely caused by arrows or spear tips. All of the men were suffering from some kind of "pulmonary [affecting the lungs] disease during the final days of their lives". DNA analysis has also revealed the men had a mix of ancestry and that none appeared to be from the local area. The paper noted that the Roman Empire was a particularly violent era and that Mursa was involved in several conflicts. The researchers believe the men were likely victims of the 'Crisis of the Third Century', most probably the battle of Mursa from 260 CE, when there were "numerous battles fought between various claimants to the throne". The paper states that the pit the skeletons were found in would have originally been a water-well - several of which have been discovered in the area. It notes that mass burials and mass graves were "not a customary way of interring the dead in the Roman Empire", and were mostly used in extreme situations and mass casualty events. Given the various angles the skeletons now lie, the researchers say they were "most probably thrown in" the well before being covered with soil. Mursa has been of archaeological importance for years, with various ancient civilisation sites discovered in the area

Mystery heatwave warms Pacific Ocean to new record 1 day ago Share Save Mark Poynting and Matt McGrath BBC News Climate and Science Share Save Kevin Carter/Getty Images People head to the coast in San Diego on a hot summer's day The waters of the north Pacific have had their warmest summer on record, according to BBC analysis of a mysterious marine heatwave that has confounded climate scientists. Sea surface temperatures between July and September were more than 0. 25C above the previous high of 2022 - a big increase across an area roughly ten times the size of the Mediterranean. While climate change is known to make marine heatwaves more likely, scientists are struggling to explain why the north Pacific has been so hot for so long. But all this extra heat in the so-called "warm blob" may have the opposite effect in the UK, possibly making a colder start to winter more likely, some researchers believe. "There's definitely something unusual going on in the north Pacific," said Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist at Berkeley Earth, a research group in the US. Such a jump in temperatures across a region so large is "quite remarkable", he added. The BBC analysed data from the European Copernicus climate service to calculate average temperatures between July and September across a large area of the north Pacific, sometimes known as the "warm blob". The region extends from the east coast of Asia to the west coast of North America, the same area used in previous scientific studies. The figures show that not only has the region been warming quickly over the past couple of decades, but 2025 is markedly higher than recent years too. That the seas are getting hotter is no surprise. Global warming, caused by humanity's emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases, has already trebled the number of days of extreme heat in oceans globally, according to research published earlier this year. But temperatures have been even higher than most climate models - computer simulations taking into account humanity's carbon emissions - had predicted. Analysis of these models by the Berkeley Earth group suggests that sea temperatures observed across the north Pacific in August had less than a 1% chance of occurring in any single year. Natural weather variability is thought to be part of the reason. This summer has seen weaker-than-usual winds, for example. That means more heat from the summer sunshine can stay in the sea surface, rather than being mixed with cooler waters below. But this can only go so far in explaining the exceptional conditions, according to Dr Hausfather. "It certainly is not just natural variability," he said. "There's something else going on here as well. " One intriguing idea is that a recent change to shipping fuels might be contributing to the warming. Prior to 2020, dirty engine oil produced large amounts of sulphur dioxide, a gas harmful to human health. But that sulphur also formed tiny, Sun-reflecting particles in the atmosphere, known as aerosols, which helped to keep a lid on rising temperatures. So removing that cooling effect in shipping hotspots like the north Pacific could be revealing the full impact of human-caused warming. "It does seem like sulphur is the primary candidate for what's driving this warming in the region," said Dr Hausfather. Other research suggests that efforts to reduce air pollution in Chinese cities has played a role in warming the Pacific too. That dirty air did a similar job to shipping in reflecting sunlight away, while cleaning it up could have had the unintended consequence of allowing more ocean heating. Possible impacts for the UK? The north Pacific's marine heatwave has already had consequences for weather on both sides of the Pacific, likely boosting very high summer temperatures in Japan and South Korea and storms in the US. "In California, we've seen supercharged thunderstorms because the warm ocean waters in the Pacific provide heat and moisture," said Amanda Maycock, professor in climate dynamics at the University of Leeds. "In particular, there are things we call atmospheric rivers… bands of air, which contain very high amounts of moisture that fuel themselves from the ocean waters," she added. "So if we have warm ocean waters… they can then bring a lot of moisture onto the land, which then falls out as rain, or in the wintertime can precipitate out as snow. " Reuters The intense heat to hit Japan in August was likely amplified by Pacific Ocean heat, researchers say Long-term weather forecasting is always challenging, but extreme heat in the north Pacific has the potential to affect the UK and Europe in the coming months too. That's because of relationships between weather in different parts of the world known as teleconnections. "Although the current warm conditions are located in the north Pacific, these can generate wave motions in the atmosphere that can alter our weather downstream into the north Atlantic and into Europe," said Prof Maycock. "That can tend to favour high-pressure conditions over the continent, which brings us more of an influence from the Arctic, where we have colder air," she added. "That can be drawn over Europe and bring us colder weather in early winter. " A colder outcome is by no means certain, as this is a complex area of science. Several other weather patterns also affect UK winters, which are typically getting milder with climate change. And a warm north Pacific appears to have different effects later in the winter, favouring milder and wetter conditions in some parts of Europe. Emerging La Niña in the tropical Pacific Another factor to throw into the mix is what's happening further south in the eastern tropical Pacific. There, surface waters are unusually cool - a classic sign of the weather phenomenon known as La Niña. La Niña, and its warm sibling El Niño, are natural patterns, although research published this week highlighted that global warming could itself impact the swings between them. Weak La Niña conditions are expected to persist over the next few months, according to NOAA, the US science agency. All else being equal, La Niña generally increases the risk of a cold start to winter in the UK, but also brings a higher chance of a mild end, the Met Office says. "These two drivers in the north and tropical Pacific will be acting together this winter," said Prof Maycock. "But since the La Niña is quite weak this year, the extreme warmth in the north Pacific could be more important for forecasting the winter ahead. " Additional reporting by Muskeen Liddar and Libby Rogers

Chinese Nobel laureate and physicist Chen Ning Yang dies aged 103 Yang Chen Ning is ranked among the most influential physicists of the 20th century Yang was also a professor at Beijing's prestigious Tsinghua University and an honorary dean of the Institute for Advanced Study at the institution. Yang and fellow theoretical physicist, Lee Tsung-Dao, were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957 for their work in parity laws, which led to important discoveries regarding elementary particles - the building blocks of matter. An obituary released by CCTV cited illness as the cause of death. Chen Ning Yang, Nobel laureate and one of the world's most influential physicists, has died at the age of 103, according to Chinese state media. Born in 1922 in China's eastern Anhui province, he was the oldest of five children and raised on the campus of Tsinghua University where his father was a professor of mathematics. As a teenager, Yang told his parents: "One day, I want to win the Nobel Prize. " He achieved that dream at the age of 35, when his work with Lee studying the law of parity earned them the honour in 1957. The Nobel committee praised "their penetrating investigation. which has led to important discoveries regarding the elementary particles". Yang received his science degree in 1942 from National Southwest Associated University in Kunming, and later completed a master's degree at Tsinghua University. At the end of the Sino-Japanese War, he travelled to the US on a fellowship from Tsinghua and studied at the University of Chicago, where he worked under Italian physicist Enrico Fermi, inventor of the world's first nuclear reactor. Throughout a prolific career, he worked across all areas of physics, but maintained particular interest in the fields of statistical mechanics and symmetry principles. Yang received the Albert Einstein Commemorative Award in 1957 and was also awarded an honorary doctorate by Princeton University in 1958. Yang married his first wife Chih Li Tu in 1950, with whom he had three children. After Tu's death in 2003, Yang married his second wife Weng Fan, who is more than 50 years his junior. The pair had first met in 1995 when Weng was a student in a physics seminar, and later reconnected in 2004. At the time, Yang called her his "final blessing from God"

Landmark deal to cut global shipping emissions in tatters after US pressure 13 hours ago Share Save Esme Stallard Climate and science reporter Share Save CFOTO/Getty Images Shipping accounts for 3% of global emissions but is set to grow A landmark deal to cut global shipping emissions has been abandoned after Saudi Arabia and the US succeeded in ending the talks. More than 100 countries had gathered in London to approve a deal first agreed in April, which would have seen shipping become the world's first industry to adopt internationally mandated targets to reduce emissions. But US President Donald Trump had called the plan a "green scam" and representatives of his administration had threatened countries with tariffs if they voted in favour of it. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared the outcome a "huge win" for Trump. But reflecting the pressure countries faced, the Secretary General of the International Maritime Organisation Arsenio Dominguez issued a "plea" for this not to be repeated. In a dramatic conclusion on Friday, when countries should have been voting to approve the deal, Saudi Arabia tabled a motion to adjourn the talks for a year. The chairman said this would mean that the agreement was not approved, as key timelines for the treaty would have to be revised. The motion passed by just a handful of votes. Ralph Regenvanu, Minister for Climate Change for the Republic of Vanuatu, said Saudi Arabia's motion was "unacceptable given the urgency we face in light of accelerating climate change". "We came to London in reluctant support of the IMO's Net-Zero Framework. While it lacks the ambition that climate science demands, it does mark a significant step," he said. The shipping industry has been broadly supportive of the deal because it offered consistent global standards. Speaking after the talks ended, Thomas Kazakos, secretary-general of the industry body the International Chamber of Shipping, said : "We are disappointed that member states have not been able to agree a way forward at this meeting. " "Industry needs clarity to be able to make the investments," he added. The UK and most EU nations voted to continue the talks, but some countries including Greece went against the EU bloc and voted to abstain. The countries that voted in favour of adjourning the talks included Russia, Saudi Arabia and the US, who raised concerns that the deal would lead to price rises for consumers. Some key countries including China that had initially voted to support the deal in April agreed to delay proceedings. Island states Bahamas also changed their position and Antigua and Barbuda, who agreed in April, abstained. A delegate from the island states group told the BBC that these nations particularly rely on the US for trade and had been leaned on heavily by the Trump administration to change their position

Bears kill seven people in Japan this year as attacks hit record high A black bear in Iwate, northern Japan - one of two types of bear found in the country Attacks by bears tend to surge in autumn before bears hibernate, with experts saying low yields of beech nuts because of climate change could be driving hungry animals into residential areas. Depopulation has also been cited as a factor. A 60-year-old man cleaning an outdoor hot spring bath has gone missing what is suspected to be the latest incident. Seven people have died since April - the highest since 2006 when data was first recorded - with fatalities mostly in north-eastern regions and the northern prefecture of Hokkaido. The number of people killed by bears in Japan this year has reached a record high, the country's environment ministry has said. The environmental ministry figures show the seven fatalities this year surpassed the five recorded in the year to April 2024. About 100 other people have also been injured so far this year, up from 85 injuries and three fatalities, in the previous 12 months. Investigators found human blood and bear fur at the scene of the latest suspected bear attack in the city of Kitakami in Iwate prefecture on Thursday. It comes after it was confirmed that a man found dead last week in Iwate was killed by a bear. Another recent incident took place in Numata, Gunma, north of Tokyo, when a 1. 5ft) adult bear entered a supermarket, lightly injuring two men, one in his 70s and another in his 60s. The store is close to mountainous areas, but has never had bears come close before. According to local media, the store's manager said about 30 to 40 customers were inside, and the bear became agitated as it struggled to find the exit. The same day a farmer in Iwate region was scratched and bitten by a bear, accompanied by a cub, outside his house. And earlier this month a Spanish tourist was attacked by a bear at a bus stop in the village of Shirakawa-go in central Japan. Two types of bear are found in Japan - Asian black bears, and bigger brown bears which are found on the island of Hokkaido