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Artemis: 'We're building on safe, capable designs'

Doug Hurley was the pilot on the very last shuttle mission in 2011 and also flew on the very first crewed SpaceX Dragon mission. In this interview, he discusses the evolution in spacecraft design - from Apollo to Artemis - with our science correspondent Jonathan Amos.

2 September 2022

Human spaceflight

Space exploration

Space Launch System (SLS)

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Astronaut Matthew Dominick squirting ketchup into his mouth on the International Space Station

Ketchup in space: 'You gotta squirt it out'

American astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams posing for a portrait inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Station

How do you vote when you're stuck in space?

The Hunter's supermoon is seen shining brightly between two buildings, as the moon shines through London's skyline on 17 OCtober

Stargazers around the world catch supermoon

Science & Environment

A picture of the Hunter's Moon

What is the Hunter’s Moon?

Image shows a white rocket launching from the launchpad, with white smoke visible at the bottom and an orange fire

Moment Nasa spacecraft blasts off to hunt alien life

Clouds and the eye of a hurricane captured from space

Watch: Vast size of Hurricane Milton seen from above

A view of the northern lights above the earth from space

Mesmerising auroras captured over Earth from space and on the ground

A rocket launches with fire and plumes coming from its base

Spacecraft launches to investigate asteroid threats to Earth

Crew on board the ISS

Joyful welcome by stranded astronauts for SpaceX capsule crew

Oleg Kononenko

Watch: Space crew returns to Earth after longest stay on ISS

The moment the Crew Dragon capsule splashes down and returns to Earth

'Splashdown confirmed' - SpaceX crew arrives back on Earth

Sarah Gillis emerges from a capsule into dark space

Watch: Key moments from first non-professional spacewalk

Science & Environment

Astronauts sit in cockpit as rocket launches

SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission blasts off

Black and white picture of capsule being hanging below three parachutes

Starliner undocks from ISS and returns to Earth without crew

Cargo spacecraft with Earth in the background

Watch: Supplies get delivered to astronauts stranded in space

A woman, mimicking a weightlifter, pushes up a bar with two men on either end

Watch: Astronauts enjoy zero-gravity Olympics

Column of fire after rocket sets off from launch pad

Moment Ariane-6 rocket blasts into space on first flight

Science & Environment

Lunar probe in a field, next to Chinese flag and with helicopter in bacground

Moment China's lunar probe lands back on Earth

Large June full Moon behind Temple of Poseidon, Greece

Stunning video shows Strawberry Moon rising over ancient Greek temple

Astronaut Suni Williams arrives at International Space Station

Astronauts in Boeing capsule arrive at space station

A man walks in front of an uprooted tree, the roots of which tower over him

Fallen trees cause widespread damage after bomb cyclone

Two people died in the storm that hit the West coast of the US and Canada overnight.

Science & Environment

A yellow alert for high winds gusting up to 60 mph (97km/h) covers the whole of Scotland

Weather forecast ahead of Storm Ashley

A yellow alert for high winds gusting up to 60 mph (97km/h) covers the whole of Scotland.

Science & Environment

SpaceX's Super Heavy booster fires out of its exhaust at the bottom of the rocket itself while it lands into the rocket launcher holder that it fired out of, during SpaceX Starship's fifth flight test, in Boca Chica, Texas, U.S., October 13, 2024

Watch: Why is the latest SpaceX rocket test a big deal?

The BBC's Pallab Ghosh explores why this world first test is a big deal for space exploration.

Science & Environment

SpaceX Starship booster caught in mid air

Watch astonishing moment Starship booster caught in mid-air 'chopsticks manoeuvre'

It’s the first time the "chopsticks manoeuvre" has been attempted, with previous boosters landing in the ocean.

Science & Environment

Split screen showing weather presenter giving remote update and Hurricane Milton satellite image

Meteorologist becomes emotional giving Hurricane Milton update

The weather system has rapidly intensified into a category five storm with winds of up to 175mph (281km/h).

Science & Environment

Suni Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore grin as they float aboard the International Space Station

'Space is my happy place,' says stranded astronaut

Suni Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore gave an update from the ISS on their extended stay in space.

Science & Environment

Bow of Titanic missing section of railing

Video shows Titanic missing large section of railing

The discovery was made during a series of dives by underwater robots this summer.

Science & Environment

A video grab shows the northern lights (Aurora Borealis) flickering over the earth's surface with the moon setting in the background, and parts of the Internation Space Station (ISS) visible in the foreground. The Earth's curvature can be seen as it rotates

Watch: The Northern Lights seen from space

A timelapse captured from the International Space Station shows the Moon setting into streams of aurora.

Science & Environment

Pink and green Northern Lights hang in the sky above a car in a field

Timelapse shows Northern Lights glowing above Wisconsin

The footage reveals the light show that concurred with the Perseid meteor shower earlier this week.

Science & Environment

The Titan Arum plant took 12 years before it successfully flowered in the venue's Glasshouse in 2015.

Rare 'corpse flower' blooms in botanical gardens

The Titan Arum plant produces a stench that has been compared to decaying flesh or smelly socks.

Science & Environment

High winds and waves on coast

High winds and heavy rain as Caribbean hit by hurricane

Hurricane Beryl has made landfall with floods in Barbados, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada.

Science & Environment

Humpback whale's tail

Why scientists are using a crossbow to study whales

Researchers use the device to take remote biopsies from wild humpback whales to monitor their health.

Science & Environment

Female duck and chicks

Duckling family march to safety at Hardwick Hall

The annual duck march has been a tradition at Sedgefield’s Hardwick Hall Hotel for the past 24 years.

Science & Environment

Mountain lion in Los Angeles

Video captures new mountain lion spotted in Hollywood

While the giant cats are native to California, it is rare for them to make their way into the city of Los Angeles.

Science & Environment

Sea lion on row boat

Malnourished sea lion jumps into rowing boat

The animal stayed in the boat for over 15 minutes and was later taken to get medical care.

Science & Environment

Squid attacking camera

Rare footage shows deep-sea squid attacking camera

Watch video of the super-fast Dana squid getting a close-up 1km below the Pacific Ocean's surface.

Science & Environment

BBC Environment Correspondent Jonah Fisher asks Water Minister Robbie Moore

BBC asks if quality of water for bathing really is improving

BBC environment correspondent talks to water minister about bathing water quality

Science & Environment

Black hole

This is what it's like inside a black hole

A black hole is a region of space with such strong gravity not even light can escape.

Science & Environment

BBC News Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt talks to a marine biologist about our warming oceans

'If I were a barnacle I'd be worried'

BBC News Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt talks to a marine biologist about our warming oceans

Science & Environment

Family of foxes

Family of foxes enjoy garden playtime

Aldridge gardener captures fox and five kits on camera shortly after mowing his lawn.

Science & Environment