SpaceX capsule brings Crew-10 astronauts home after five months on ISS
After nearly five months on the International Space Station, the five astronauts from the United States, Japan and Russia began their return to Earth on Friday onboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule. At 2215 GMT, the spacecraft separated from the orbiting station. It is scheduled to splash down off the coast of California at 1533 GMT on Saturday, following a 17-hour descent.
The returning crew includes US astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, will conclude NASA’s 10th Commercial Crew rotation mission. The space mission was a program designed to maintain regular ISS staffing through partnerships with private space companies.
The capsule’s high-speed re-entry will be slowed first by atmospheric drag, then by large parachutes to ensure a safe landing. A SpaceX recovery vessel will retrieve the spacecraft from the Pacific Ocean before the astronauts disembark and breathe fresh air for the first time since their March launch.
During their stay, Crew-10 conducted a range of experiments, including research into plant growth and the effects of gravity on human cells. Their mission also followed the unexpected extended stay of NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who had been stranded on the ISS for nine months after a propulsion failure rendered Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft unfit for return. Wilmore has since announced his retirement after 25 years with NASA.
The crew is departing after a new crew with US astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan’s Kimiya Yui and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, arrived at the ISS for a six-month mission.
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England sticking with Key, McCullum and Stokes despite Ashes humbling
London (AP): England is not sacking anybody following the 4-1 Ashes loss in Australia.
A review of the tour by the England and Wales Cricket Board, announced within hours of the final match in January, was concluded on Monday. Firing people would “be the easy thing to do,” ECB chief executive Richard Gould said but he insisted, "This is not the time to throw everything out."
Managing director Rob Key, coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes kept their jobs after the best England side to go to Australia in 14 years lost the Ashes in 11 days with two games to spare.
“Moving people on can sometimes be the easy thing to do. That's not the route that we're going to take,” Gould said. “I've seen the driving ambition and determination that we're lucky enough to have within our leadership group to take the lessons from the Ashes and move forward.”
Gould previously was the chief executive of Bristol City soccer club and said the ECB would not follow the same route as soccer's hire-and-fire culture.
“Cricket is a very unique sport in that it takes a team of leadership ... it's not like football where there's a single point of failure or success with a manager," he said. He added the ECB would not “select or deselect management based on a popularity campaign.”
The main criticisms of England's tour were poor preparation, player misbehavior, and selection mistakes.
At a press conference at Lord's, Gould and Key said McCullum and Stokes have not had a “bust up,” they did not want McCullum to “completely change” but “to evolve,” the behavior of some players was “unprofessional,” there will be more consequences for underperforming, and a commitment to “better long-term planning” ahead of major test series.
Some changes were already implemented for the Twenty20 World Cup, where England reached the semifinals. Gould implied that performance saved McCullum.
Key acknowledged that England supporters would be disappointed to see the management team go unpunished.
“I know people want punishment and that people then should be sacked for that,” Key said. “That doesn't mean we don't feel like we've gone through some serious pain: Brendon, myself, Ben. It's been as tough a time as I think I've had.”
