Thunder and lightning in the area may have contributed to the mission scrub which will have another opportunity on Saturday9.47pm BSTPS: the crew will now return to pre-flight quarantine for the safety of the International Space Station and its onboard crew.9.44pm BSTThank you very much for following along even if that was, possibly, a record short Guardian US live blog, in the circumstances. Tricky things, rocket launches.Do join us again on Saturday afternoon if, as expected, Nasa makes its second attempt at this mission then. Continue reading...
Dinosaur-on-dinosaur dining habit revealed by scrutiny of fossil bones from Colorado siteAbout nine metres long, with grasping claws and a skull it used like a hatchet, Allosaurus was among the most fearsome dinosaurs of the Jurassic period. Now, it seems, the animal could also have been a cannibal.Fossil researchers have revealed that bite marks found in a cache of dinosaur bones from the Mygatt-Moore quarry, western Colorado, were made by dinosaur-on-dinosaur dining. And the marks on Allosaurus bones had potentially been made by dinosaurs of their own kind. Continue reading...
The first crewed flight from US soil since 2011 was called off 16 minutes before lift off; the next opportunity is on SaturdayThe United States’ long-anticipated return to human spaceflight will have to wait a few more days after poor weather forced mission managers to scrub Wednesday’s planned launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida.The first crewed flight from US soil since 2011 was called off 16min 53sec before the scheduled 4.33pm lift-off time, with SpaceX and Nasa officials blaming “strength of electric fields in the atmosphere”, translating to lightning near the launchpad. Continue reading...
John Magufuli has repeatedly played down the threat from the pandemicOpposition politicians in Tanzania have accused president John Magufuli of covering up a major outbreak of Covid-19 in the east African country.Magufuli has repeatedly played down the threat from the pandemic and refused to impose a strict lockdown as many other leaders on the continent have. Continue reading...
by Angela Giuffrida Rome correspondent on (#53ZCW)
Pristine ‘archaeological treasure’ near Verona may date to 3rd century AD, say expertsA perfectly preserved ancient Roman mosaic floor has been discovered near the northern Italian city of Verona.Archaeologists were astonished by the find as it came almost a century after the remains of a villa, believed to date to the 3rd century AD, were unearthed in a hilly area above the town of Negrar di Valpolicella. Continue reading...
Doug Liman on board as director of film be shot aboard International Space Station, backed by Nasa and Elon MuskThe projected Tom Cruise space movie that became headline news after both Nasa and Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted about it in early May appears to be becoming closer to reality after film-maker Doug Liman was reported to be on board as director.Deadline reported that Liman, who has worked with Cruise on action thrillers Edge of Tomorrow and American Made, has written a script and is on the production team as well as directing. Continue reading...
Latest figures from public health authorities on the spread of Covid-19 in the United Kingdom. Find out how many confirmed cases have been reported in each of England’s local authorities
This week, Musk’s SpaceX will launch the first US astronauts into space in nine years. We’re meant to be inspired, but back on the ground the workers are struggling
by Helen Sullivan (now and earlier); Kevin Rawlinson, on (#53X93)
WHO warns of second peak as global cases pass 5.5m; Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar denies picnic with friends was rule breach; world health leaders urge green recovery. This blog is closed
Medics including Royal College of Ophthalmologists say cases of impaired vision alongside coronavirus infection ‘rare’See all our coronavirus coverageSpeaking to the press on Monday, Dominic Cummings said he drove, with his wife and child, on a 30-mile trip to Barnard Castle during lockdown to see if he could drive safely, concerned that his eyesight might have been affected by coronavirus.In a press conference later the same day, Boris Johnson also claimed to have experienced problems with his eyesight following Covid-19, brandishing a pair of glasses and saying: “I’m finding that I have to wear spectacles for the first time in years … I think that’s very, very plausible that eyesight can be a problem associated with coronavirus.” Continue reading...
Fiona Harvey’s obituary of Sir John Houghton reminded me of the humility of this distinguished scientist. After meeting Sir John at a Welsh government event, I tentatively wrote to him asking if he would address a public meeting in my local town of Narberth in Pembrokeshire. To my surprise and delight he responded positively.A few weeks later, we greeted Sir John, who had travelled from his home in North Wales, and walked to the Queens Hall, where the Weight Watchers group was clearing up, having just finished their session. On seeing this, Sir John promptly grabbed hold of a broom to help and then happily joined us in setting out the seating for the meeting. Continue reading...
Wednesday will see the launch of the first crewed space flight from the US into orbit in almost a decadeWednesday’s crewed SpaceX launch will be the first time since the final flight of the space shuttle Atlantis, on 8 July 2011, that astronauts have blasted off from US soil into orbit.Here are the key things you need to know: Continue reading...
Elon Musk’s SpaceX, in partnership with Nasa, to launch Falcon 9 rocket from Florida carrying two American astronautsIn a historic moment a decade in the making, the skies above Florida will light up on Wednesday when the launch of a rocket born from a groundbreaking public-private partnership returns the United States to the business of human spaceflight.Not since the retirement of Nasa’s space shuttle fleet in 2011 has the US possessed the capability to send its own astronauts into orbit, and the success of this week’s mission, formally known as SpaceX Demo-2, is likely to shape the direction of the space agency’s near-Earth ambitions for a generation. Continue reading...
Latest figures from public health authorities on the spread of Covid-19 in the United Kingdom. Find out how many confirmed cases have been reported in each of England’s local authorities
Mission terminated early in flight over Pacific Ocean off coast of southern CaliforniaRichard Branson’s Virgin Orbit has failed in its first test launch of a new rocket carried by a Boeing 747 and released over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern California.The inaugural launch had appeared to be going well until moments after the rocket was dropped from beneath the left wing of the jumbo jet dubbed “Cosmic Girl”. Continue reading...
The question is not whether the prime minister will forgive his adviser, but whether people will forgive this government for failing to keep us safeWe must shield the vulnerable. This is what most of us have understood for the past 10 weeks. Most families have been split apart, often in dire circumstances. For adults and parents of children with compromised immune systems, this remains a frightening time. To be in touch with your own vulnerability is profoundly unsettling. Even on a sunny day, the mood you detect is one of anxiety. “Let’s have a socially distanced picnic and pretend it’s all OK,” is one reaction; another is refusing to edge out of lockdown without the kind of reassurance that can never be given.In this clammy emotional climate, it is unbelievable that Boris Johnson’s interpretation of shielding the vulnerable meant shielding Dominic Cummings. Contempt for the public has been met with contempt from the public. The anger is real, and it will not dissipate. Cummings’ situation is untenable and Johnson is fatally damaged, whatever happens next. Continue reading...
Latest figures from public health authorities on the spread of Covid-19 in the United Kingdom. Find out how many confirmed cases have been reported in each of England’s local authorities
Chile’s president says hospitals are ‘very close to limit’, France records lowest number of daily Covid-19 cases since March, India restarts domestic flights
The very message that was at the core of the government’s plan to suppress Covid-19 – stay at home – has been underminedThe lockdown was a nationwide policy: everyone was expected to follow the same rules. It has nevertheless exposed some stark inequalities. Elites have been able to endure the period in comfort, often in remote, spacious holiday homes. Those with office jobs have found themselves stuck in their flats, juggling restless children and Zoom meetings. And at the lower end of the income scale, there are people still showing up for their essential jobs as cleaners, delivery drivers and nurses, with scant childcare support and constant worry about exposure to the virus.These are tense times, with millions of us making sacrifices, some large, some small. Whether’s it’s cobbling together a home-schooling programme while ill yourself, being deprived of the support of extended family or missing a loved one’s funeral, the toll has been significant. It’s no surprise then, that news the prime minister’s chief adviser travelled from London to Durham with his family while lockdown measures were in place has set off a wave of fury. While the British people have been remarkably forgiving of special privileges for senior members of the government – such as access to priority testing and tracing for themselves and their families, and early medical support upon diagnosis – extending this to an exemption from lockdown rules feels like a step too far. Continue reading...