NASA's Artemis program to return people to the surface of the Moon for the first time since the 1970s is a test of whether the space agency's old way of exploration will stand up in the modern space age.
Why it matters: If next week's scheduled launch of the new moon rocket — the Space Launch System — succeeds, it could prove that NASA is still on the cutting edge of the technology needed for human space exploration, even as companies like SpaceX nip at its heels.
Heavy rains across the U.S. South and Southwest triggered flooding that killed at least one person in Texas and prompted evacuations in Arizona on Monday — as the storms caused hundreds of flight cancellations.
Threat level: The National Weather Service warns the widespread heavy rain and flooding is expected to persist throughout the week, advancing slowly into the Lower Mississippi Valley and South.
The extreme heat and drought that has been roasting a vast swath of southern China for at least 70 straight days has no parallel in modern record-keeping in China, or elsewhere around the world for that matter.
Why it matters:Based on recent studies, the question facing climate scientists is how much climate change contributed to this disaster.
