NASA begins countdown to April 1 Moon launch

They're sipping smoothies, snapping phone pics, dealing with crashed email and fixing broken toilets: astronauts, they're just like us.

The four crewmembers zipping through space toward the Moon are carrying out a mission unlike any before it, but they're also still muddling on through life's mundanities -- all while they float around together in a square footage equivalent to two minivans.

Mission specialist Christina Koch, the first woman to venture into deep space, said preparing for the 10-day journey was akin to planning for a camping trip.

"It represents togetherness and something a little out of the ordinary," she said in a video released by NASA.

Orion wares include 58 tortillas, 43 cups of coffee, barbecued beef brisket and five types of hot sauce.

And one toilet... which had a problem.

It's the first time astronauts venturing into deep space have had a real toilet onboard: the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 70s provided crewmembers with waste collection bags that were ultimately left on the lunar surface.

Much to the astronauts' relief, Koch remedied the issue with the toilet aboard Orion -- "I'm proud to call myself the space plumber," she said during a Q&A session late Thursday with US media.

"I like to say that it is probably the most important piece of equipment on board," she said. "So we were all breathing a sigh of relief when it turned out to be just fine."

- Sleeping 'like a bat' -

The toilet is in a small cubicle that's quite loud; the astronauts need to wear ear protection when they use it.

But it's "the one place that we can go during the mission where we can actually feel like we're alone for a moment," Canadian Jeremy Hansen said during a demonstration video released by the Canadian Space Agency prior to blast-off.  

The Artemis astronauts also quickly encountered email trouble: mission commander Reid Wiseman said he was experiencing issues with Microsoft Outlook.

"I also see that I have two Microsoft Outlooks, and neither one of those are working," he said on NASA's livestream.

Who among us?

Members of the Houston-headquartered Mission Control fixed the problem -- where would we be without our IT experts?

The astronauts must adhere to a sleep routine to ensure they're rested for the mission that will see them slingshot around the Moon and conduct a battery of test maneuvers, equipment checks and scientific observations.

They have sleeping bags that tether to the wall to keep them from floating around the capsule.

"Christina has been sleeping heads down in the middle of the vehicle, kind of like a bat suspended from our docking tunnel," Wiseman explained, describing their preferred spots for shut-eye.

"It's more comfortable than you would think," he added.

- Childlike joy -

But there are no rest days for the weightless: the astronauts have 30 minutes of exercise built in to their schedules.

They use a "flywheel exercise device," similar to a yo-yo, that can allow for aerobics like rowing as well as provide resistance to perform moves like weighted squats and deadlifts.

It's paramount that astronauts work out: the microgravity environment takes stress off bones and muscles, which can lead to significant loss without precautions.

NASA also recently updated their policy to allow smartphones on its flights: "We are giving our crews the tools to capture special moments for their families and share inspiring images and video with the world," the US space agency's administrator Jared Isaacman wrote on X in February.

And while their mission demands extreme precision, there is still room for childlike levity.

Hansen took questions from media while wedged in horizontally and described the joy of floating: "It just makes me feel like a little kid."

For Victor Glover -- the first person of color to fly around the Moon -- a lot of that raw delight arrived at takeoff.

"It was a ride where you're trying to be professional," he said.

"But the kid inside of you wants to break out and just hoot and holler."

mdo/mlm

As four astronauts whiz toward a flyby of the Moon, looking out for them are mission control experts using cutting-edge technology and lessons learned from the Apollo program 50 years ago.

At the Johnson Space Center in Houston, a team of engineers and technicians watched over 100-odd computer screens Friday as the Artemis astronauts in the Orion capsule headed for their rendezvous with Earth's natural satellite on day three of their high-stakes mission.

The nerve center of the operation is the White Flight Control Room, where flight directors Judd Frieling and Rick Henfling oversee everything as the space travelers prepare to slingshot around the Moon on Monday using its gravitational pull, before heading home.

Nearby is the computer screen of the CAPCOM, or capsule communicator, the person responsible for all direct communication with the astronauts.

This time, the CAPCOM is Stan Love, a seasoned former astronaut who sends instructions, flight updates and decisions from the flight directors to the four astronauts: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, all from the United States, and the Canadian Jeremy Hansen.

"The team in mission control is very well trained, and experts in their systems that they're watching over on the spacecraft," NASA spokesperson Kylie Clem said, with the busy control room visible behind her.

"They work for a period of years to earn and graduate essentially into this role and working in the front room," Clem added.

- History -

Of course, Houston is no stranger to space history.

On July 20, 1969, mission control received a message that reassured millions of Americans: "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." 

It was of course the voice of Neil Armstrong, the first person to set foot on the Moon, with the Apollo 11 mission. 

He would later utter what has become one of history's most famous quotes: 'That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

It was here, too, that NASA heard the anxious and oft-misquoted words "Ah, Houston, we've had a problem," spoken by astronaut Jim Lovell on April 13, 1970, during the Apollo 13 mission. 

An oxygen tank had exploded in their spacecraft, forcing them to abort their lunar landing plans.

"All of our mission control rooms are all in this building," said Clem.

"There are different wings that have been modified over the years, but it's in the same building essentially as the historic Apollo mission control room, the International Space Station flight control room, and this room that we're in now."

-'Physics doesn't change'-

The Artemis 2 mission is the first crewed one to the Moon -- the astronauts will not land, only fly by it -- since the last Apollo flight in 1972. 

Since then, of course, the technology has changed dramatically.

NASA Orion Program Manager Howard Hu said that among other things this involves much greater computing capability, which lets the crew interact more with the spacecraft's systems.

He said another is sensor capability -- "the ability for us to know exactly where we are in space."

Hu also said the precision with which NASA can now do rendezvous and docking, for instance, "is a huge step in technology."

And while the Apollo capsules had room for three astronauts, the Orion craft carries four, as equipment was made to be more compact without a loss of functionality. 

The Apollo vessels were cone-shaped to maximize stability as the craft sped back to Earth through the atmosphere. Orion kept this feature.

"But physics doesn't change. The teardrop shape is very efficient from the aerodynamics perspective," said Hu.

"The Apollo giants were just very good technical engineering experts," he said.

"So we learned a lot from them in terms of the things they learned and we leveraged off of that."

mav/dw/sst

The NFL will not discipline Kansas City Chiefs star Rashee Rice after finding insufficient evidence he violated league conduct policy amid claims he assaulted his ex-girlfriend, a spokesman said Friday.

Rice's former partner Dacoda Jones has accused the wide receiver of multiple assaults over a span of 18 months between 2023 and 2025, including when she was pregnant.

In a civil lawsuit filed in February, she sought more than $1 million in damages for "severe and permanent injuries."

She also posted photos of herself with a bloodied lip, scratches and bruises in a now-deleted Instagram post, which did not name her alleged attacker.

The National Football League opened its own probe into the allegations, and Friday said the wide receiver had not been found in violation of the league's personal conduct policy.

"There was insufficient evidence to support a finding that he violated the personal conduct policy," spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement to AFP.

Rice has not been criminally charged in the matter, and the civil case is still pending.

In her lawsuit, Jones alleged that Rice "grabbed, choked, strangled, pushed, thrown, scratched, hit, and headbutted" her, as well as hitting her with inanimate objects.

"Additionally, he has engaged in other violent and abusive behaviors towards Ms. Jones, including throwing objects, destroying property, punching walls, and breaking furniture, as well as locking her out in the middle of the night.

"Many of these behaviors occurred while Ms. Jones was pregnant."

At the time the lawsuit was filed, Rice's lawyer Sean Lindsey said Jones had previously given a sworn statement that Rice had not struck her.

On Friday, Lindsey sent a statement to US media thanking the NFL for its investigation.

Jones has two children with 25-year-old Rice, a talented pass-catcher who won a Super Bowl in 2024 at the end of his rookie year with the Chiefs.

In 2025, Rice served a six-game suspension after his conviction for causing a multi-vehicle collision the previous year. 

Rice pleaded guilty to felony charges of collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury.

amz/bb

When Mizzou softball met No. 22/20 LSU on Thursday, it struggled. A 9-1 loss in six innings seemingly set the tone for how the second game of the series would play out, as Missouri’s offense failed to find a rhythm, and the Tigers fell 16-4 Friday in Columbia.

Mizzou's pair of Abbys struck gold in the first inning; Abby Hay singled, while Abby Carr hit a two-run homer, and the Tigers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. This, however, would be the highlight of MU's offense Friday.

Despite initial success, Missouri had major defensive problems, with a detrimental miscommunication between Madison Uptegrove and Claire Cahalan in the second that cost the Tigers a base. 

Addy Waits made a miscue in the third inning, throwing to second base instead of first and allowing LSU runners to make it on base. Sophie Smith made a misjudgment in the seventh, choosing to throw to first instead of tagging the runner then throwing home.

Missouri couldn’t voice a response to LSU pitcher Cece Cellura and struggled with timing. Mizzou briefly got around the pitcher in the fifth, and Uptegrove advanced all the way to third base. She then took advantage of a wild pitch to score.

This didn’t shake LSU, as it proceeded to add nine runs to the score. Kylee Edwards' triple in the seventh made her the first LSU softball player in program history to achieve a cycle.

“We gave in to ‘hard,’” Missouri coach Larissa Anderson said. “Yesterday was hard, and today was hard, and we just gave in a little bit. I want them to be proud of the product that they put on the field and compete.”

Missouri's Marissa McCann pitched 3.1 innings, allowing seven hits, six runs and a homer. Carr then took the mound to try to stop the bleeding for 1.2 innings. Nathalie Touchet entered the circle in the sixth, but LSU got around her as well.

Rylee Michalak was brought in briefly in the seventh before Courtney Donahue finished the inning off. Mizzou's pitchers recorded 11 total walks with 16 runs allowed, the most since 2016.

“You're not going to win any ball game having 11 walks,” Anderson said. “We've got to control the strike zone better, (and) we've got to be more competitive. We can't give up as many free bases.”

Mizzou will seek redemption, closing out the series at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Mizzou Softball Stadium.

(The Center Square) – A student at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego was suspended after posting a pro-Immigration and Customs Enforcement flyer reading, “We [heart] ICE – Real Americans,” following an anti-ICE walkout on campus, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

Student-led anti-ICE walkouts have continued to rise nationwide. In 2026 alone, more than 300 such walkouts and protests have taken place. Various organizations have led training programs within K–12 schools, and the National Education Association has provided $1.7 million in funding to a May Day 2026 training toolkit that includes anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement messaging, according to an investigation by Defending Education.

A “Four Weeks of Power” training series is organized and led by Free the Future, the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools, New York University’s Steinhardt Metro Center and the Midwest Academy.

Torrey Pines school officials reportedly claimed the student's flyer was “harassment” and “intimidation,” leading to the student's suspension and prompting concerns from free speech advocates.

“Schools cannot favor one viewpoint over another. When students express themselves non-disruptively, the First Amendment guarantees their right to freedom of speech, regardless of what opinion they share,” Conor Fitzpatrick, senior attorney at FIRE, told The Center Square.

Midwest Academy has received $1,735,000 since 2015. The NEA funding has supported trainings and organizing efforts that promote demonstrations calling for policies like taxing the wealthy, opposing ICE and expanding democracy, according to materials outlined in the toolkit.

At the school level, the toolkit encourages participants to stage “walk-ins,” where students and supporters gather on campus to protest or “celebrate” issues related to school conditions and public policy.

“It should be deeply concerning that one of the suggested tactics is to enter schools to protest against policies they don’t like,” Rhyen Staley, director of research at Defending Education, said in a statement. “Putting children's education and safety at risk for political gain is unethical and immoral.”

The Center Square reached out to Defending Education for further comment but has not received a response. 

Fitzpatrick said punishing students for expressing certain viewpoints while allowing others raises concerns about viewpoint discrimination.

“Any time a student is punished for non-disruptive speech, it makes others scared to exercise their own free speech rights,” Fitzpatrick said. “We expect schools to prepare students for real life, and in life, students will have co-workers, neighbors and elected officials who may not talk, think or pray the same way they do.”

Fitzpatrick added that, generally, speech in schools rises to the level of punishable harassment only if it is “so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive” that it effectively denies other students equal access to educational opportunities. He said intimidation must meet a high legal threshold, such as a true threat involving intent to commit unlawful violence, to be subject to discipline.

The Center Square reached out to the NEA for a comment, but has not received a response.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — No. 8 Mizzou gymnastics advanced to its sixth consecutive NCAA Regional Final after placing second at the NCAA Championships Second Round on Friday in Lexington, Kentucky. The Tigers scored a 196.875, putting them behind No. 9 Arkansas (197.175) but ahead of Maryland (195.775) and NC State (195.700).

After the first session of competition, Missouri junior Hannah Horton is tied with Arkansas' Joscelyn Roberson for the lead on floor, and she is tied with Arkansas' Morgan Price for first on bars. Both routines earned scores of 9.925.

The Tigers faced adversity in the second rotation on beam, as they scored the lowest on that event. Railey Jackson led with a 9.850 after a stuck dismount, and Olivia Kelly later matched that score.

Amy Wier, who competed in the second position, earned a 9.725 after missing her leap connection and having to repeat the skill. Kaia Tanskanen followed with a 9.775 after a wobble on her flight series and dismount. 

Lauren Macpherson earned a 9.750 after a major wobble and a step back on her dismount, and Addison Lawrence took a fall during her routine to bring in a 9.150 that had to be dropped.

With all of the miscues, Missouri earned a 48.950 total on beam. Mizzou coach Shannon Welker took time to motivate and refocus his team before heading into the floor rotation.

“Make sure you hold your landings,” Welker told his squad. "Let's do what we're capable of doing.”

The Tigers certainly held their landings and more as Missouri found its footing on floor, earning a 49.450.

Jackson opened with a strong 9.850, and Elise Tisler executed two controlled landings for a 9.875. Tanskanen nailed a stuck full twisting-double back in her first pass to earn a 9.900.

Horton delivered an engaging routine to the music of Tyler, The Creator. A sky-high double layout led her to a rotation-high 9.925. 

“This year, this routine actually brought me out of my shell,” Horton said. “Every single year, I'm getting better and better at performing.”

The Tigers began the meet on bars. Makayla Green earned a 9.775 in the lead-off position after a sizable step back on her dismount. Macpherson matched Green’s score. Welker is hoping to see his Tigers loosen up on the event Sunday.

“We just need to be a little more aggressive there to open up, and we'll be fine,” Welker said.

Maiya Terry knocked the first stuck dismount of the rotation for a 9.900, the fifth score of 9.900 or better for the freshman this season.

“It's everything I ever dreamed of,” Terry said. “I wasn't really sure of myself coming to college. I think just being able to do that week after week has been such a confidence booster.”

Horton followed with a strong routine for a 9.925. Freshman Kimarra Echols, who became the second MU freshman in program history to earn WCGA Regular-Season All-America honors (Uneven Bars Second Team All-America), earned a 9.800 to assist the Tigers to a 49.200 total.

Missouri ended its meet on vault, clinching a spot in the NCAA Regional Final. Jackson delivered a clean Yurchenko 1½, bringing in a 9.850. Horton and Echols both earned 9.900 to close the meet.

The Tigers will compete in the NCAA Regional Final at 4 p.m. Sunday. They will face Arkansas and the top two finishers from Session 2. Missouri will have to finish in the top two to advance to the NCAA Championships Semifinal in Fort Worth, Texas.

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic will miss the remainder of the NBA regular season with a left hamstring strain, the team said Friday.

Doncic "has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and will be out for the remainder of the regular season," the Lakers, who have five games left in the regular season, said in a statement.

ESPN reported that Doncic, who leads the league in scoring, is "uncertain" for the playoffs.

Doncic's injury is a massive blow to the Lakers, who have clinched a playoff berth but at third in the Western Conference are just one game ahead of the fourth-placed Denver Nuggets.

Doncic, who is averaging 33.5 points per game, 8.3 assists and 7/7 rebounds, limped out of the third quarter of the Lakers' crushing 139-96 loss to the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.

The 27-year-old Slovenian was emotional as he hobbled toward the sideline. Moments earlier he had pulled up in obvious pain while driving to the basket.

Doncic produced a magical March campaign, delivering 13 30-point performances. That included seven 40-point games -- with one game of 51 and one of 60.

He had joined icon Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to score 600 points in the month of March and became one of just 10 players to score 600 points in any calendar month.

He has been central to the Lakers' surge to third in the West and put himself firmly in the Most Valuable Player conversation.

But missing five more games could see him fail to play the minimum 65 games required for award eligibility.

Doncic had felt some discomfort in the hamstring in the first half of Thursday's game, but coach JJ Redick said team medical staff had cleared him to return for the second half.

"We checked him out," Redick said after the game. "He got work done, but he was cleared. We're not going to put a player at risk. Those things happen."

bb/amz

Thiago Tirante stunned top-seeded Ben Shelton 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 6-4 on Friday to book a semi-final showdown with friend and fellow Argentinian Roman Burruchaga at the ATP clay court tournament in Houston, Texas.

Tirante, ranked 83rd in the world, notched his second career win over a top-10 player as he sent the ninth-ranked Shelton packing to reach the second ATP semi-final of his career.

"I knew that Ben was a very difficult player, a great player, so I had to take more risks at some times of the match," said Tirante, who fended off a break point early in the third set and broke Shelton for a 5-4 lead before serving it out with a comfortable hold.

"I did sometimes good, I did sometimes bad, but that's the key. (I had to stay) mentally strong all the time and try to break the serve -- he serves amazing."

Burruchaga, ranked 77th, upset third-seeded American Learner Tien, ranked 22nd in the world, 7-5, 6-4 to reach his first career semi-final.

The son of former soccer player Jorge Burruchaga, who won the World Cup with Argentina in 1986, the 24-year-old had already knocked out another member of the world top 40 on Thursday, 33rd-ranked local favorite Brandon Nakashima.

bb/amz

As Artemis 2 astronauts forged ahead Friday on their lunar mission, NASA released initial images taken from inside the Orion spacecraft, including a full portrait of Earth featuring its deep blue oceans and billowing clouds.

After a flurry of high-stakes activity including a dramatic blast-off and an engine firing that catapulted them on their historic trajectory to circle the Moon, the four astronauts aboard were able to catch their breath, even as they continued to perform a variety of equipment checks and tests.

"There has been a tremendous amount of disbelief for me, it's just so extraordinary," said Canadian Jeremy Hansen during a Q&A session with press late Thursday.

"I really like it up here," said Hansen, on his first ever journey to space. "The views are extraordinary."

"It's really fun to be floating around" in zero gravity, he added. "It just makes me feel like a little kid."

Hansen is on the crew with Americans Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman.

They are due to loop around the Moon early next week -- a feat not accomplished in more than 50 years.

NASA official Lakiesha Hawkins praised the photographs taken by commander Wiseman, calling them "amazing" during a briefing Friday.

"We continue to learn all about our spacecraft as we operate it in deep space with crew for the first time," Hawkins said.

"It's important to remind ourselves of that as we learn a little bit more day by day.

- 'Great spirits' -

Friday's to-do list includes a CPR demonstration and medical kit checks, the US space agency said, as well as preparation for the scientific observations they'll need to document when they are closest to the Moon on day six of their journey.

NASA officials reported Friday that all systems were performing well, and that the astronauts were in "great spirits" and had spoken to their families.

The next major milestone of the approximately 10-day journey is expected overnight Sunday into Monday, at which point the astronauts will enter the "lunar sphere of influence" -- when the Moon's gravity will have stronger pull on the spacecraft than Earth's.

If all proceeds smoothly, as Orion whips around the Moon the astronauts could set a record by venturing farther from Earth than any human before.

"There is nothing normal about this," said mission commander Wiseman late Thursday.

"Sending four humans 250,000 miles away is a Herculean effort, and we are now just realizing the gravity of that."

The Artemis 2 mission is part of a longer-term plan to repeatedly return to the Moon, with the goal of establishing a permanent lunar base that will offer a platform for further exploration.

bur-mdo/mlm

Pope Leo XIV led a torch-lit procession at the Colosseum in Rome on Friday as he prepares for his first Easter as pontiff in the shadow of war in the Middle East.

Among the 30,000 people attending the poignant ceremony, known as the Way of the Cross, was Sarah, a Palestinian Catholic.

"We need peace in the Holy Land," she told AFP.

"People like you and me listen, but the governments don't. They still do whatever they want. They don't listen. They promise and they don't deliver," the 61-year-old said.

Geryes Bejjani, a 33-year-old Lebanese man, said he had come with friends to "carry a message of peace and coexistence," despite the difficulty of travelling from his homeland which has been dragged into the war.

"The pope is the only purely selfless political leader... There's no hidden agenda, there's no ambiguity in his message. And that's his strength," he said.

Leo, the first US-born pope, has repeatedly and ever more insistently called for peace in the Middle East and this week directly urged US President Donald Trump to find an "off-ramp".

"Hopefully he's looking for a way to decrease the amount of violence, of bombing," he said.

The United States and Israel sparked the war on February 28 by bombing Iran, which retaliated with strikes against Gulf states and an effective chokehold on the vital Strait of Hormuz.

"If only Trump would listen to anyone!" said Ines Duplessis, 29, who came from Paris to the Colosseum ceremony, where attendees held candles in a silence broken only by liturgical chants and recited prayers.

"For me, it's very symbolic, but nothing more," she said of the pope's appeals.

"Sadly, everything is so driven by political and economic interests" that "it's a bit of a lost cause", she said.

On Sunday, Leo will preside over Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square before delivering a typically political blessing which is especially anticipated this year.

– 'A form of humility' –

It is the first time since 2022 that the pope has personally taken part in the Way of the Cross, which has been organised at the Colosseum since 1964.

In recent years, his predecessor Francis, who died on Easter Monday last year aged 88, had to give up attending for health reasons.

Wearing his red mozzetta and stole, Leo appeared deep in prayer during the ceremony, listening with eyes closed.

The 70-year-old pope himself carried a large wooden cross through all 14 stations retracing Jesus Christ's path to the tomb, marking a return to a tradition observed by John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

Augustin Ancel, from Paris, said the pope carrying the cross was "a powerful message".

"It's also a form of humility, because we naturally tend to see the pope as distant, as someone in a very important role," he said.

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