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History-making NASA-SpaceX astronauts returning from International Space Station

No Comments National News

NASAby CATHERINE THORBECKE, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — Two months after a history-making launch, the first NASA-SpaceX astronauts finally have a return flight scheduled.

Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, who left Earth on May 30, are slated to undock from the International Space Station at 7:34 p.m. ET on Saturday and splash down off the coast of Florida at 2:42 p.m. ET on Sunday. Their journey will be broadcast live by NASA.

Their return would mark the first time a commercially built American spacecraft returned from space. It’s also NASA’s first crewed water landing since 1975.

Stakes are high as once the Crew Dragon spacecraft undocks from the ISS, the astronauts will only have 48 hours of oxygen in their capsule.

Weather remains a top concern as Tropical Storm Isaias moves through the area, but the astronauts expressed confidence about the splashdown during a news conference from the ISS on Friday.

“I still don’t feel nervous about it — we’re focused on the things we need to do to be as safe as possible,” Behnken said. “We won’t leave the Space Station without good landing opportunities in front of us. We don’t control the weather, we know we can stay up here longer, there’s more chow.”

Hurley said every spaceflight is a “once-in-a-lifetime experience” for astronauts, but “this one probably is a great topper, at least for me, personally.”

“The water-landing portion of it is pretty challenging from a physiological standpoint,” he noted, especially after being in a microgravity environment for months. He said they have exercised “very hard” to help prepare.

In addition, Hurley said if they get physically ill during their return they will have the “appropriate hardware.”

“Just like an airliner, there are bags if you need them, and we’ll have those ready,” he added. “If that needs to happen, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened in a space vehicle.”

Splashdown expectations

There are seven possible splashdown sites near coastal cities — Pensacola, Tampa, Tallahassee, Panama City, Cape Canaveral, Daytona, and Jacksonville — and NASA said it will make a final selection based on several factors, primarily weather. As of Friday, near Panama City was considered the primary site, with Tampa the backup.

Once the spacecraft enters Earth’s atmosphere, it will deploy two sets of parachutes at about 18,000 feet in altitude and then four more at about 6,000 feet in altitude, according to NASA.

After the splashdown, SpaceX will send two boats to first check the capsule and make sure the area around it is free of hypergolic propellant vapors. The second boat will recover the parachutes.

The first boat then will hoist the capsule with Hurley and Behnken in it and move it to a stable location for the hatch to be opened as medical professionals look on. After a medical check, Behnken and Hurley will board a NASA plane to Houston.

Behnken said Friday he is most excited to see his family and his 6-year-old son upon returning to Earth, saying, “He’s changed a lot in the couple of months that we’ve been up here.”

Behnken added that he already has some tips for his wife, fellow astronaut Megan McArthur, who will be on a NASA-SpaceX mission scheduled to launch next spring.

“A lot of them will be about how life on Space Station goes,” he said. “I’ll definitely have some advice about living inside of Dragon and where best to pack all your personal items so you can get to them conveniently.”

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Basketball returns with virtual fans, social justice

No Comments Sports News

cmannphoto/iStockBy GMA TEAM, ABC News

(ORLANDO, Fla.) — The NBA returned Thursday night with its first two games since the coronavirus pandemic began. As virtual fans sat courtside, the Black Lives Matter movement took center court.

Watch the full report from ABC’S Good Morning America:

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Scoreboard roundup — 7/30/20

No Comments Sports News

iStockBy ABC News

(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

INTERLEAGUE

Atlanta 2, Tampa Bay 1

Washington 6, Toronto 4

Boston 4, NY Mets 2

AMERICAN LEAGUE

NY Yankees 8, Baltimore 6

Chicago White Sox 4, Cleveland 0

Kansas City 5, Detroit 3

Seattle 8, LA Angels 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE

San Diego 6, San Francisco 5

Cincinnati, Chicago Cubs (Postponed)

LA Dodgers 6, Arizona 3

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

Utah 106, New Orleans 104

LA Lakers 103, LA Clippers 101

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

'American Idol' auditions go virtual with "Idol Across America" August 10

No Comments Country Music News

Courtesy ABCSince filling hotel ballrooms or stadiums with screaming — and singing — hopefuls is no longer an option amid the COVID-19 pandemic, American Idol is taking its auditions on the road virtually for the spring 2021 edition of the show.

Starting August 10, the show will kick off its “Idol Across America” remote auditions, which will take place in all 50 states as well as Washington, D.C. for the first time ever.  To sign up for a chance to virtually audition for an American Idol producer, visit www.americanidol.com/auditions. 

All the details are there — you just need to be between the ages of 15 and 28. You’re allowed to audition during any date, regardless of where you actually live.  The show will use “custom-built Zoom technology” to hold the auditions.

Earlier this year, American Idol became the first reality competition series to air remotely, with contestants performing and judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and Katy Perry commenting from their respective homes. Singer Just Sam was crowned the winner on May 17.

The audition dates are as follows:

Delaware, Florida and Ohio (Aug 10)
Louisiana, Missouri and Wisconsin (Aug 12)
Arizona, Oregon and Washington (Aug. 14)
Georgia, Maryland, Washington D.C. and Rhode Island (Aug 16)
Open Call Auditions (Aug 17)
Alabama, Arkansas and Kansas (Aug 18)
Idaho, New Mexico and Utah (Aug. 20)
Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas (Aug 22)
Michigan, Tennessee and Virginia (Aug 24)
Open Call Auditions (Aug 25)
Iowa, Mississippi and Oklahoma (Aug 26)
Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota (Aug 28)
Connecticut, New Jersey and New York (Aug 30)
Colorado, Montana, Nevada and Wyoming (Sep 1)
Maine, South Carolina and West Virginia (Sep 3)
Alaska, California and Hawaii (Sep 5)
Kentucky, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania (Sep 7)
Massachusetts, North Carolina and Vermont (Sep 9)

By Andrea Dresdale
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Don Cheadle, Julianne Moore, others launching quarantine film series

No Comments Entertainment News

Getty Images for EIF & XQ(LOS ANGELES) — A group of Hollywood celebrities have compiled a short film series while in — and all about — quarantine.

Julianne Moore, Don Cheadle, Chris Cooper, Rosie Perez and Debra Winger top the all-star cast of With/In, a collection of short films made during lockdown by a number of top actors and directors, according to Deadline.

Storylines include a couple stuck together after a one night stand, kids scheming to run away from their paranoid dad, a divorced couple isolating together for the sake of their dog, and a widow dealing with her grief.

Producers Celine Rattray and Trudie Styler said in a joint statement, “We wanted to explore what isolation means to different people, and asked a handful of artists whose work we really admire. What they came up with, to our delight, were stories about human connection that were powerful and funny and very different. Our plan is to continue to tell these stories, and to capture a moment in time that is continuing to change.”

Some proceeds for the film anthology will benefit Feeding America, which has pivoted to helping the food insecure in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic

By George Constantino and Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.