The space race between the capitalist US and communist USSR saw decades of competition to push the boundaries of what mankind could achieve in space, all in the name of ideological superiority. Now, a new space race is underway, but instead of a clash of cultures, this is a clash of egos – between two […]
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption “One small step for man…” It is claimed that 22 million watched the coverage of Neil Armstrong’s historic moonwalk on the day, but the number who actually saw it live was probably rather smaller because it was an event that unexpectedly took place in the middle of the night, […]
The minutes before landing were tense, as fuel ran low and connections frequently dropped out between the lunar module, Eagle, and mission control. Relive the tense moments as Neil Armstrong manually piloted Eagle towards the surface of the Moon. Join us on Saturday 20 July at 18:45 GMT (19:45 BST) as we count down the […]
Image copyright NASA-VRS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Image caption The Moon landing was born out of conflict but for a moment in time brought the world together As if illuminated by a divine light, the Saturn V rocket shimmered on launch pad 39A at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Emblazoned with the stars and stripes and cloaked by the […]
Image copyright Patrick Byrne Image caption Local people have been commenting on social media about the dry river bed Low rainfall, blockages and diverted flows are blamed for sections of the river drying out on the border between Essex and Suffolk. The Environment Agency hopes heavy rain this weekend will provide enough water to partly […]
Image copyrightAFP Image caption Bees pollinate many essential crops and are vital for fruit-growersLarge areas of central and southern Russia have seen a major decline in their bee populations in recent months. The head of the Russian beekeepers’ union, Arnold Butov, said 20 regions had reported mass bee deaths. The affected regions include Bryansk and […]
Image copyright David Schwarzhans Image caption David Schwarzhans, the pilot of the sightseeing helicopter, took images of the whales Dozens of dead beached whales have been spotted by sightseers during a helicopter flight over western Iceland. The dead pilot whales were photographed during the trip on Thursday over a beach at Longufjorur. It’s unclear how […]
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionFacebook group Bioluminescent Plankton Watch Wales has more than 6,000 members “Every splash, every jump, made the sea just light up. It won’t be an experience we forget easily.” Photographers and nature lovers have been watching bioluminescent plankton glowing off the Welsh coast. Bioluminescence describes the light […]
Image copyright Butterfly Conservation/PA Image caption Travelling at speeds of up to 30mph, the painted lady butterfly migrates 7,500 miles a year A potential mass influx of butterflies to the UK has led to calls for volunteers to help count them. The painted lady butterfly commonly flies to the UK during the summer months, but […]
Fifty years ago James Burke, Magnus Magnusson and Cliff Michelmore were the presenters leading the BBC’s coverage of the Moon landing. In the week prior to the landing, James clocked up 22 hours of broadcasting. And on the night of 20 July, he and his co-presenters had to fill five hours of live television, only […]
Image copyrightNASA Image caption The Sirius crew (L-R): Reinhold Povilaitis (USA); Daria Zhidova (Rus); Yevgeny Tarelkin (Rus); Anastasia Stepanova (Rus); Allen Mirkadyrov (USA); Stefania Fedyai (Rus)What do you crave after spending four months cooped up in a mock spaceship? “A tasty steak!” was Anastasia Stepanova’s swift reply, when she emerged from her Sirius-19 quarters, along […]
Image caption The sand dune will take about five weeks to create – but could last for 15 to 20 years Nearly two million cubic metres of sand is being shifted to a stretch of eroding Norfolk coastline in a radical plan to save it from the sea. The 6km-long dune will protect Bacton Terminal, […]