May 27, 2020 - Science

SpaceX, NASA postpone crewed launch due to weather

Miriam Kramer, author of Space

The Falcon 9 rocket at sunrise in Florida, May 27. Photo: NASA/Joel Kowsky

SpaceX and NASA have postponed the company's first crewed flight from Cape Canaveral because of bad weather. The next launch opportunity could be as soon as Saturday.

Why it matters: If successful, the launch will be the first time a private company has sent people to orbit and the first crewed launch from the U.S. since the end of the space shuttle program in 2011.

The call to scrub the launch came down to the wire, at about 17 minutes to launch, with astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken already loaded into the capsule and fueling of the rocket underway.

Details: Weather was always going to be a limiting factor for this launch.

  • The Crew Dragon comes equipped with an abort system that will propel the capsule away from a failing rocket, allowing it to splash down in the ocean and keeping the astronauts safe.
  • NASA and SpaceX, therefore, have to keep an eye on the weather and sea states down range as well as the weather around the launch site.

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Miriam Kramer
Aug 1, 2020 - Science

NASA astronauts head home after historic spaceflight

The Crew Dragon spacecraft as it leaves the International Space Station. Photo: NASA TV

NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are heading back to Earth from the International Space Station aboard their SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Why it matters: Behnken and Hurley's return will mark the end of SpaceX's first crewed mission to the station — and the first mission in which American astronauts launched from U.S. soil in nine years.

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Updated 34 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 3:30 p.m. ET: 18,614,542 — Total deaths: 702,330 — Total recoveries — 11,181,018— Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 3:30 p.m. ET: 4,793,950 — Total deaths: 157,416 — Total recoveries: 1,528,979 — Total tests: 58,239,438 — Map.
  3. 2020: Joe Biden will no longer travel to Milwaukee for Democratic convention.
  4. Public health: Florida surpasses 500,000 confirmed cases — Moderna skirts disclosures of vaccine costs.
  5. Sports: The return of high school sports hangs in the balance — UConn becomes first FBS team to cancel football season.
  6. Education: Chicago Public Schools to begin school year fully remote.
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Updated 45 mins ago - World

Beirut explosion: Death toll rises to 135, officials under house arrest

Photo: Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images

The death toll from Tuesday's explosion in Beirut, Lebanon has now surpassed 130, including at least one U.S. citizen, amid a search for answers as to why a huge store of ammonium nitrate was left unsecured near the city's port for nearly seven years.

What we know: The government says around 5,000 people are injured. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said current indications are that the massive explosion was accidental, despite President Trump's puzzling claim on Tuesday evening that it appeared to be a bomb attack.

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