Latest news with #row
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Stranded astronauts didn't know if they would 'be able to make it back'
When astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore approached the International Space Station (ISS) last year with failing thrusters on their Boeing Starliner capsule, they were unable to fly forward to dock. And if they couldn't dock, they didn't know if they could make it back home again. "Docking was imperative," Mr Wilmore told BBC News, two months after he and Ms Williams finally made a successful return to Earth. "If we weren't able to dock, would we be able to make it back? We didn't know." The astronauts had been travelling on a test flight that was meant to last eight days. Instead, they ended up staying in space for nearly 10 months. The first challenge was to dock safely and successfully at the ISS, which they managed to do within several minutes after Mission Control on the ground helped them restart the craft's thrusters. Mr Wilmore said that the possibility they might never see Earth again "definitely went through our minds". But both astronauts said they didn't communicate the worst-case scenarios out loud in those moments, because they were trained to move on with solving problems. "You sort of read each other's mind and know where we're going with all the failures," Ms Williams told the BBC. "These were not expected," she admitted. But thoughts quickly turned to solutions: "At the same time, you know, we're like, what do we have? What can we do?" Astronauts Butch and Suni finally back on Earth How did the Nasa pair fill nine months in space? The pair's saga began in June 2024. They were taking part in the first crewed test flight of the Starliner spacecraft, which was developed by aerospace company Boeing. But after a number of technical problems during their flight, the option of Starliner carrying the astronauts home as planned was deemed to be a risk not worth taking - given that the pair could instead be brought back by another company, SpaceX. For that reason, they stayed in space until they hitched a ride back on a SpaceX capsule. For its part, Boeing maintained that its own capsule was safe to use - and was proven right when the craft returned, uncrewed, in September 2024. After months of experiments aboard the space station, Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore eventually returned to Earth on 18 March. During this phase of their mission, the pair were repeatedly described as stranded, implying there was no means for them to get off the ISS. But that was not the case, as the space station always has spacecraft attached to it - which could have acted in an emergency as a lifeboat to carry the astronauts back to Earth. Nonetheless, the pair's stay was longer than expected - though the Nasa pair embraced this. "We knew nobody was going to just let us down... we knew everybody had our back and was looking out for us," Ms Williams said. While in limbo, the pair even found themselves in the middle of a political row, after US President Donald Trump blamed his predecessor Joe Biden for abandoning them in space. But the astronauts said they ignored the politics and didn't feel abandoned. "We can't speak to that at all," said Mr Wilmore. "We understand space flight is hard, human space flight is even harder." After two months back on the ground, both astronauts say they are feeling fit and well, because the workouts that they undertook while in their zero-gravity environment paid off. Exercising in zero gravity means your body doesn't need much time to recover from the daily squats and deadlifts, Mr Wilmore explained. He said he performed squats and deadlifts "every single day for almost 10 months", meaning that he returned to Earth "literally stronger than I've ever been in my life". Ms Williams agreed - she went running days after landing back on Earth and once ran a full marathon in space strapped to a treadmill - but said it's not always easy to readjust to the weight of the world. "Just getting gravity back on your head and your back and all that kind of stuff is a little bit painful," she said. Since their return, the pair have been working with Nasa and Boeing to fix problems with the malfunctioning spacecraft that took them into space last summer. "We are very positively hopeful that there will be opportunities to fly the Boeing Starliner in the future," Mr Wilmore said. And both astronauts said they would personally fly in the craft again - once those technical issues were resolved. "It's a very capable spacecraft," Ms Williams said. "It has unique capabilities compared to other spacecraft that are out there that are really great for future astronauts to fly." What nine months in space does to the human body Astronauts reveal what life is like on ISS – and how they deal with 'space smell'
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Kansas Zoo Eagerly Awaits Summer Sightings of Flamingo Who Escaped 20 Years Ago and Joined a Wild Flock
Flamingo fans are hopeful to get a glimpse of an escaped zoo bird now known as "Pink Floyd" The African flamingo escaped from the Sedgwick County Zoo during a storm in June 2005 Multiple sightings of the bird thriving in the wild have been confirmed throughout the years, including a sighting in Texas in 2023An African flamingo that escaped a Kansas zoo twenty years ago is still keeping wildlife aficionados on their toes. "Pink Floyd," also identified as flamingo No. 492 because of the numbered band around its leg, escaped from the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita on a dark and stormy night in June 2005, the Associated Press previously reported. No. 492 and another African flamingo were two of 39 born in Africa, then shipped to the Kansas zoo in 2004. According to the outlet, employees didn't have a chance to clip the birds' wings, which made it easy for them to fly away. Blood testing also hadn't been done, so their sexes are unknown. While Pink Floyd has been seen numerous times since escaping into the wild two decades ago, Kansas news station KAKE TV reports that as of Wednesday, May 28, 2025, the other escaped flamingo has not been seen since June 2005. Pink Floyd often appears with other wild flamingos in the summer and spring, and was last seen in May 2023 on the Texas coast, the local news station said, noting that the area is a place the bird is known to frequent. "Flamingo No. 492 spotted for the sixth year in a row on the Texas Gulf Coast, 18 years after it escaped a Kansas zoo! Members of our Audubon Texas team were participating in the Texas Annual Waterbird Surveys and spotted this escape artist," Audubon Texas captioned a May 23, 2023, Facebook post. The organization shared two photos, one of the majestic bird standing alone during the day in what appeared to be a marshy area, and another of the African flamingo stretching its wings. A yellow "492" band can be spotted on its leg in both images. On May 22, 2024, a Corpus Christi-based Texas photographer named Dan Thornton claimed to have seen the bird. "This flamingo escaped from a zoo in Kansas in 2005 and has been named Pink Floyd. He has been in the coastal bend for several months. These photos were taken in Port Aransas," he wrote on a blog post, along with several of his shots of a flamingo. However, despite the photos, Thornton's encounter was never confirmed as a Pink Floyd sighting because his photos show the bird wading through water, blocking the view of the yellow band used to identify the famous flamingo. AP News reported that flamingo No. 492 had also been seen in Wisconsin and Louisiana, in addition to Texas, and that officials from Sedgwick County Zoo have no plans to recapture Pink Floyd. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "There really isn't an easy way to recapture the bird. It would only disturb wildlife where it's been found and possibly could do more damage to the bird than just leaving him alone," zoo spokeswoman Christan Baumer said in 2007. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Kansas Zoo Eagerly Awaits Summer Sightings of Flamingo Who Escaped 20 Years Ago and Joined a Wild Flock
Flamingo fans are hopeful to get a glimpse of an escaped zoo bird now known as "Pink Floyd" The African flamingo escaped from the Sedgwick County Zoo during a storm in June 2005 Multiple sightings of the bird thriving in the wild have been confirmed throughout the years, including a sighting in Texas in 2023An African flamingo that escaped a Kansas zoo twenty years ago is still keeping wildlife aficionados on their toes. "Pink Floyd," also identified as flamingo No. 492 because of the numbered band around its leg, escaped from the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita on a dark and stormy night in June 2005, the Associated Press previously reported. No. 492 and another African flamingo were two of 39 born in Africa, then shipped to the Kansas zoo in 2004. According to the outlet, employees didn't have a chance to clip the birds' wings, which made it easy for them to fly away. Blood testing also hadn't been done, so their sexes are unknown. While Pink Floyd has been seen numerous times since escaping into the wild two decades ago, Kansas news station KAKE TV reports that as of Wednesday, May 28, 2025, the other escaped flamingo has not been seen since June 2005. Pink Floyd often appears with other wild flamingos in the summer and spring, and was last seen in May 2023 on the Texas coast, the local news station said, noting that the area is a place the bird is known to frequent. "Flamingo No. 492 spotted for the sixth year in a row on the Texas Gulf Coast, 18 years after it escaped a Kansas zoo! Members of our Audubon Texas team were participating in the Texas Annual Waterbird Surveys and spotted this escape artist," Audubon Texas captioned a May 23, 2023, Facebook post. The organization shared two photos, one of the majestic bird standing alone during the day in what appeared to be a marshy area, and another of the African flamingo stretching its wings. A yellow "492" band can be spotted on its leg in both images. On May 22, 2024, a Corpus Christi-based Texas photographer named Dan Thornton claimed to have seen the bird. "This flamingo escaped from a zoo in Kansas in 2005 and has been named Pink Floyd. He has been in the coastal bend for several months. These photos were taken in Port Aransas," he wrote on a blog post, along with several of his shots of a flamingo. However, despite the photos, Thornton's encounter was never confirmed as a Pink Floyd sighting because his photos show the bird wading through water, blocking the view of the yellow band used to identify the famous flamingo. AP News reported that flamingo No. 492 had also been seen in Wisconsin and Louisiana, in addition to Texas, and that officials from Sedgwick County Zoo have no plans to recapture Pink Floyd. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "There really isn't an easy way to recapture the bird. It would only disturb wildlife where it's been found and possibly could do more damage to the bird than just leaving him alone," zoo spokeswoman Christan Baumer said in 2007. Read the original article on People
10 hours ago
- Sport
Abbott pitches 7 crisp innings as the Reds hold off the Cubs for a 6-2 win
CHICAGO -- Andrew Abbott pitched seven shutout innings in his third consecutive win, helping the Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 6-2 on Friday. TJ Friedl, Tyler Stephenson and Jake Fraley homered for Cincinnati, which improved to 3-1 on a six-game trip. Will Benson had two hits and scored twice. The Reds played without outfielder Austin Hays, one of their best hitters. Hays was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left foot contusion. Abbott (5-0) allowed one hit, struck out eight and walked one. The left-hander improved to 3-0 with a sparkling 0.55 ERA in six May starts. Emilio Pagán got two outs for his 14th save, working out of a jam in the ninth. Chicago had won four in a row and seven of eight overall. The NL Central leaders took two of three against the Reds in Cincinnati last weekend. Cubs right-hander Colin Rea (3-2) was tagged for six runs and a season-high 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings. Friedl drove Rea's third pitch of the game deep to right-center for his fourth homer of the season. Friedl also singled in the third for his seventh consecutive game with multiple hits. Stephenson connected for a two-run shot in the fourth, a 435-foot drive to center for his fourth homer. Fraley added another two-run shot in the sixth in his first game back after being sidelined by left calf tenderness. Chicago scored its two runs in the eighth. Michael Busch hit an RBI triple and scored on Matt Shaw's single to right. The Cubs had runners on first and second when Graham Ashcraft replaced Tony Santillan on the mound in the eighth. Ashcraft got Kyle Tucker to bounce into a 3-6-1 double play, ending the inning. Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong struck out swinging in his first three at-bats before reaching on a bloop double in the ninth. He flung his bat off to the side in frustration after striking out for the final out in the fourth. Left-hander Nick Lodolo (4-4, 3.39 ERA) starts on Saturday for the Reds. The Cubs were contemplating going with an opener, depending on Friday's game.
San Francisco Chronicle
10 hours ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Abbott pitches 7 crisp innings as the Reds hold off the Cubs for a 6-2 win
CHICAGO (AP) — Andrew Abbott pitched seven shutout innings in his third consecutive win, helping the Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 6-2 on Friday. TJ Friedl, Tyler Stephenson and Jake Fraley homered for Cincinnati, which improved to 3-1 on a six-game trip. Will Benson had two hits and scored twice. The Reds played without outfielder Austin Hays, one of their best hitters. Hays was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left foot contusion. Emilio Pagán got two outs for his 14th save, working out of a jam in the ninth. Chicago had won four in a row and seven of eight overall. The NL Central leaders took two of three against the Reds in Cincinnati last weekend. Cubs right-hander Colin Rea (3-2) was tagged for six runs and a season-high 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings. Friedl drove Rea's third pitch of the game deep to right-center for his fourth homer of the season. Friedl also singled in the third for his seventh consecutive game with multiple hits. Stephenson connected for a two-run shot in the fourth, a 435-foot drive to center for his fourth homer. Fraley added another two-run shot in the sixth in his first game back after being sidelined by left calf tenderness. Chicago scored its two runs in the eighth. Michael Busch hit an RBI triple and scored on Matt Shaw's single to right. Key moment The Cubs had runners on first and second when Graham Ashcraft replaced Tony Santillan on the mound in the eighth. Ashcraft got Kyle Tucker to bounce into a 3-6-1 double play, ending the inning. Key stat Up next Left-hander Nick Lodolo (4-4, 3.39 ERA) starts on Saturday for the Reds. The Cubs were contemplating going with an opener, depending on Friday's game. ___
