plane trip lasting 35 years

Simple Flying

The mystery of santiago flight 513 that landed 35 years late.

This urban legend has quite a story behind it.

Photo:  Mark Lewis | Flickr

• The legend of Santiago Flight 513 captivates the imagination with its blend of supernatural elements and aviation mystery. It continues to intrigue and captivate millions across Latin America.
• The story claims that the missing aircraft, which disappeared in 1954, mysteriously landed in 1989 with 92 skeletons on board. The eerie details of the passengers and crew remaining in their seats add to the mystery.
• Urban legends in aviation, like the story of Santiago Flight 513 and the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, often spark conspiracy theories and fascination due to their unexplained nature. Despite being fictional, the legend of Santiago Flight 513 endures and ignites speculation on the internet.

The story of Santiago Flight 513 is one that pushes the limits of the human imagination. There are moments in the human experience in which one will allow belief in the supernatural to push beyond what can be reasonably expected from rational thought. What can only be explained by the supernatural will often remain present in one's mind far longer than that which the laws of Physics can explain.

The legend of Santiago Flight 513 was believed by millions across Latin America for years. In a continent that fell in love with magical realism, a genre in which the line between reality and the supernatural becomes blurred, what better place for the most famous (or rather infamous) urban legend of aviation to take place?

The story itself

According to this story, as is well-documented by Aerotime , Santiago Flight 513 was a transoceanic flight operated by a fictional operator named Santiago Airlines. This flight was operated by a Lockheed Super Constellation, one of the most widely used aircraft during the era in which the aircraft's disappearance supposedly took place.

On 4 September 1954, the aircraft took off from Aachen in Germany, bound to cross the Atlantic for Porto Alegre in Brazil. But in an era before advanced satellite tracking, the aircraft mysteriously disappeared over the Atlantic, supposedly lost forever.

But the story takes a turn into the realm of magical realism on 12 October 1989, when the aircraft supposedly landed at Porto Alegre, to the shock of air traffic controllers (who, if the story were real, would have wondered what a 1950s-era aircraft was doing during the jet age). The details of the story are even more eerie after landing.

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Supposedly, all 92 passengers and crew members were still in their seats, with only their skeletal remains left to show for it. All passengers were undisturbed, and the captain was supposedly still gripping the controls.

The nature of mysteries

The reason that urban legends in the field of aviation arise such intrigue comes from their unexplainable nature. Stories of horror and wonder leave those hearing them in disbelief and often come from an explainable event the details of which we are not aware of all details for.

A key legend in this space is the story of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 , a flight that mysteriously disappeared over the Indian Ocean. The flight's true reason for disappearing has never and likely will never be confirmed, pending some remarkable discovery being made in the coming years.

But the mysterious circumstances surrounding the aircraft's disappearance have aroused no shortage of conspiracy theories. Many today believe bizarre, unproven theories, many of which hinge upon supernatural or unexplainable elements.

A similar situation has arisen concerning the legend of Santiago Flight 513. The operator, a completely fictional carrier, operated a flight for which there is no record, log or images.

Nonetheless, the legend lives on in the minds of many, who continue to associate the image with a cabin full of skeletons. Those on the internet, too, will continue to theorize and add flame to the fire of this urban legend's conspiracy.

Did Santiago Flight 513 Disappear in 1954 Only to Land in 1989?

The discovery of wormholes probably won't be made by tabloid journalists., published dec. 17, 2019.

About this rating

The story of Santiago Flight 513 has been making its way around conspiracy-minded circles for decades. For the uninitiated, here's the general gist of the time-traveling tale, as recounted on the website Gaia :

On September 4, 1954, Santiago Airlines Flight 513 departed from Aachen, West Germany, destined for Porto Alegre, Brazil. The flight should have taken around 18 hours. Instead, it took 35 years. On October 12, 1989, without any contact with air traffic controllers, Santiago Flight 513 was spotted circling the Porto Alegre airport, where it eventually made a successful landing. [...] Upon opening the doors, authorities found something still more shocking: the skeletons of 92 people, buckled into their seats. The skeletal body of Captain Miguel Victor Cury was found in his pilot's seat, hands on the controls, with the engine still humming.

If this story sounds a bit familiar, it may be because it shares quite a few similarities with a 1961 episode of "The Twilight Zone" called " The Odyssey of Flight 33 ." Or, maybe it's because you used to read the tabloid Weekly World News. 

In 1985, the tabloid known for conjuring up farcical stories, published an article about another flight, Pan Am Flight 914, that reportedly had gone missing for 37 years before turning up again and landing without incident. You can read our article debunking that claim here .

While the story of Pan Am Flight 914 is undoubtedly a work of fiction, it must have proved popular with readers. In 1989, the tabloid returned to the genre of physics-defying airplanes. This time, the flight was referred to as Santiago Flight 513, and the crew and passengers on this fictional flight didn't fare nearly as well. In the Pan Am Flight 914 version, the passengers all survived. On Santiago Flight 513, the plane was full of skeletons when it landed. 

This is not a genuine news story. We were unable to find any news reports from credible outlets about a Santiago Flight 513 that disappeared in 1954. We were also unable to find any reports about this flight landing 35 years later in 1989 or a plane landing full of skeletons. The reason is simple: The story of Santiago Flight 513 is a work of fiction created by an infamous tabloid. 

Shayne, Tasha.   "Unsolved: The Mysterious Disappearance of Santiago Flight 513."     Gaia .   2 August 2019.

Pearl, Mike.   "An Interview with the Former 'Weekly World News' Editor Who Created Bat Boy."     Vice .   30 September 2014.

Weekly World News .   "1950s Airliner Lands With 92 Skeletons On Board."     14 November 1989.

By Dan Evon

Dan Evon is a former writer for Snopes.

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Pankaj Menon

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Claim Story of Santiago Flight 513, which disappeared in 1954 and reappeared after 35 years in 1989. Fact No such incident, story found to be a work of fiction by a US-based tabloid notorious for publishing fake stories.

A video has gone viral on Whatsapp recently, narrating the perplexing story of one Santiago Flight 513 that purportedly disappeared in 1954 and reappeared after 35 years in 1989. We received this video on our Whatsapp tipline (9999499044), requesting us to fact-check it.

Here’s the tale of Santiago Flight 513, as claimed in the viral video:

Santiago Flight 513, a commercial airliner operated by Santiago Airlines, departed from Aachen, Germany, on September 4, 1954, with 88 passengers and four crew members onboard. The aircraft was headed towards Porto Alegre, Brazil. The plane disappeared without a trace soon after take-off, causing despair and confusion among relatives of the passengers, crew and the aviation industry. Despite relentless search and rescue efforts, no wreckage or any sign of the aircraft was found.

On October 12, 1989, 35 years after its disappearance, the plane suddenly reappeared, landing perfectly at Porto Alegre’s airport, stunning air traffic controllers. When the security team checked the plane, they found the haunting sight of the skeletal remains of all 92 people in their seats with the pilot still clutching the controls.

The narrator states that the most widely held explanation behind Santiago Flight 513 is the wormhole theory, claiming that the flight most probably would have entered a “time hole”, which means the plane travelled through time.

The narrator further goes on to cite Albert Einstein’s work, stating that the physicist had, in 1916, studied equations about the fabric of the universe in his general theory of relativity, where he found that there are “gaps in space that have an insanely strong gravitational pull and can gulp down anything that passes by them. These gaps are known as black holes”.  In 2019, NASA had taken a picture of a black hole, confirming Einstein’s theory and the paranormal nature of the viral story, according to the narrator. The only question that remains is who piloted the plane during the landing, ends the narrator.

Also Read: Did Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell touch Sachin Tendulkar’s feet after playing a 201-run innings against Afghanistan?

Newschecker first ran a keyword search for “Santiago Flight 513”, which did not lead us to any credible news reports of such a supernatural incident, raising our doubts.

We then looked up “Santiago Airline” and found no official records of such an airline, while we saw that the city of Aachen had no international airport, with the nearest being a regional airport operating in Limburg, Netherlands, contradicting the viral story.

Newschecker learnt that the story was first published on November 14, 1989 by the Weekly World News (right), a US-based tabloid with a reputation for conjuring up farcical stories, according to Snopes , a fact-checking website known for researching urban legends.  A page grab of the tabloid’s report on Santiago Flight 513 can be seen in the viral video (left), too.

Snopes had also debunked a similar viral claim about another flight, Pan Am Flight 914, which reportedly had gone missing for 37 years before turning up again and landing without incident. “Weekly World News was an infamous tabloid known for publishing fantastically fictitious stories, such as about a time traveller getting busted for insider trading, a story about a man suing himself after hitting himself with a boomerang, and doctored images of ‘giant’ skeletons. In other words, Weekly World News isn’t exactly a reputable source of news,” read a Snopes fact-check on the mystery of Pan Am Flight 914, dated July 1, 2019.

We came across this USA Today news report, dated December 2, 2016, calling the Weekly World News a “beacon of shining fake news”. “For nearly 30 years (1979-2007), the sensational tabloid entertained, amused and baffled its loyal readers with otherworldly accounts of aliens (“Hillary Clinton Adopts Alien Baby”), Elvis (“Elvis Is Alive — And Running For President!”) and the ridiculous (“World’s Smartest Chimp Goes To College”),” stated the report, adding that “the fictional news publication — notorious for its black-and-white cover stories on the supernatural and silly —  faded away with the advent of the Internet. WWN resurfaced, appropriately, online in 2009.”  Similar news reports on WWN can be seen here and here.

When we looked up the website , we saw the tagline, “the world’s only reliable news”, along with its humorous “about us” section, further confirming that the tabloid publishes fictitious stories.

Also Read : 2020 Video Of Syrian Father’s ‘Laughing Game’ With Daughter Falsely Linked To Israel-Hamas Conflict

Viral story of the missing Santiago Flight 513, which landed 35 years later, was found to be an old hoax report by a US-based humour and satire publication. 

Result: False

Sources Snopes report, December 17, 2019 Weekly World News website USA Today report , December 2, 2016

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On September 4, 1954, Santiago Airlines Flight 513 departed from Aachen, West Germany, destined for Porto Alegre, Brazil. The flight should have taken around 18 hours.

Instead, it took 35 years. On October 12, 1989, without any contact with air traffic controllers, Santiago Flight 513 was spotted circling the Porto Alegre airport, where it eventually made a successful landing.

Another of Several Unsolved Aviation Mysteries

It’s not unheard of for planes to disappear, though there’s usually evidence of what probably happens during those events to indicate that the plane has crashed — debris, luggage, or, at a minimum, records of the pilot radioing for help… 

Then there are those aircraft that set off, traveling from point A to point B, and are never heard from again, with nothing left behind, no reports of distress — not even poor weather conditions to pin the blame on. These stories, though puzzling and eerie, have occurred often enough to have attracted the expertise of scientists and meteorologists (along with other theorists), looking for a pattern among the disappearances. Perhaps the most famous of these incidences are tales from the Bermuda Triangle , the legendary vortex where aircraft and ships just seem to vanish without a trace. 

It was thought that Santiago Flight 513 would go the way of the unexplained vanishing aircraft — after all, no one expects an airplane to finally land after 35 years missing. And it, too, disappeared without a trace, devoid of any communication with airport bases, and showing no signs of distress. 

What Happened to Santiago Flight 513?

There was nothing abnormal about the aircraft, the crew, or the passengers. Santiago Flight 513 had taken many similar intercontinental flights across the Atlantic Ocean as it did on the day it went missing. On this particular fateful trip in early September 1954, the flight took off with 88 passengers and four crew members .

When it went missing over the Atlantic Ocean, emergency search and rescue teams scoured the area, but to no avail, eventually giving up the aircraft, and everyone aboard, for lost.

It would be an understatement to say that when Flight 513 flew into Porto Alegre it was unexpected. At first, authorities demanded to know why its pilot had flown in without warning.

But when they approached the craft and took note of its age, they were baffled to discover that it belonged to Santiago Airlines, an airline that had shut its doors in 1956.

Upon opening the doors, authorities found something still more shocking: the skeletons of 92 people, buckled into their seats. The skeletal body of Captain Miguel Victor Cury was found in his pilot’s seat, hands on the controls, with the engine still humming.

Could It Be a Government Cover-Up?

While the Brazilian government did investigate this strange occurrence, it refused to offer any explanations or theories, much less draw any conclusions. All officials eventually admitted was that the plane had appeared suddenly in the skies and landed successfully — a write-off that has resulted in many people suspecting government involvement in the disappearance.

Such unresponsiveness — interpreted as secrecy — from the government has evoked ire from the public over the years . Roderigo de Manha, a former physics professor in Porto Alegre, came out saying, “The public has a right to know everything about this plane, and the government has a duty to tell them.” 

Spokespersons like Manha have been joined by others calling for full disclosure, including Dr. Celso Atello, a paranormal researcher, in speculating that the government is actually hiding concrete evidence that wormholes exist, and that the plane had been lost in one for more than three decades.

Dr. Atello said, “It was piloted by the skeleton of its captain and all the crew, and passengers were dead, too. Officials don’t want to discuss explanations. But they cannot deny that this airplane has defied the laws of space and time. And God only knows how a skeleton managed to land it.” 

What Is a “Wormhole”?

When it comes to cases of disappearing aircraft, one theoretical explanation commonly arises — that the craft are disappearing into wormholes. According to the Scientific American , “Wormholes are solutions to the Einstein field equations for gravity that act as ‘tunnels,’ connecting points in space-time in such a way that the trip between the points through the wormhole could take much less time than the trip through normal space…[and can] behave as ‘shortcuts’ in space-time.”

And because such notable scientists as Stephen Hawking entertain that wormholes might actually exist, those intrigued by unsolved aviation mysteries often contemplate how the theory would apply to various cases of missing aircraft over the years, including the many disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle. Over the Atlantic Ocean, the wormhole theory could possibly explain much of what has transpired for decades, if not centuries, in the Bermuda Triangle. 

Perhaps the wormhole theory describes the disappearance and reappearance of Santiago Flight 513 more accurately than other incidences, though, since the flight actually returned more than three decades later. Most disappearances are never resolved.

But it still doesn’t make sense why the plane was found with skeletons — and it’s a bizarre point no one seems able to explain. 

To anyone who wasn’t present in Porto Alegre to witness, first-hand, the arrival of a plane full of skeletons on the tarmac, the story of Santiago Flight 513 is easy to dismiss as a hoax. But how many times can accounts of disappearing aircraft (and watercraft) surface without any explanation before people stop calling them legends or hoaxes?

After all, it’s not as though these incidents are small and insignificant — thousands of lives have been lost to these strange occurrences. Whether the losses can be attributed to wormholes, government cover-ups, or something else, the minimum that should be said is that something strange has happened, and perhaps it’s time to broaden everyone’s sense of what constitutes reality.

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Neuroscience in Advertising; When Does it Become Mind Control?

By now you’re probably used to how predictive advertising has become, but it probably felt intrusive at first. Advertisers have always used subtle tactics to convince you to buy things, but now the privacy boundary is increasingly blurred. While it’s somewhat known that advertising finds its roots in propaganda, are developments in technology and neuroscience changing the fundamental nature of marketing into something that borders on mind control or manipulation?

The foundational elements of public relations and advertising were developed by a man named Edward L. Bernays, who happened to be the nephew of none other than Sigmund Freud. Freud gave a copy of his General Introductory Lectures, his seminal work on psychoanalysis, to Bernays as a gift in the nascent phase of his career.

Bernays was intrigued by Freud’s research, notably the idea that irrational forces drive human behavior. He took the idea and parlayed it into what he referred to as “engineering consent,” a concept that instead of bowing to consumer demands, cultivated them.

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The story of an American plane reappearing after 37 years is a myth

A post shared more than 75,000 times on facebook in kenya and india claims that a plane that went missing in 1955 appeared again 37 years later. the claim is false; this story was first published in an american tabloid known for its fictitious stories. furthermore, in the video accompanying the post, the narrator notes that the story is likely a myth..

The title of the Facebook post published on March 5, 2021, reads: “A Missing Plane From 1955 Landed After 37 Years. Here’s What Happened.” 

The text is accompanied by a video that claims Pan Am Flight 914 took off from New York in 1955, slipped from radar and then vanished, until its unexplained return 37 years later when it landed in Miami, Florida.

The story originated in an article published in May 1985 in the Weekly World News , an American print-based tabloid that was in circulation between 1979 and 2007. It relaunched online in 2009.

However, the story of Pan Am Flight 914, much like other tales published by The Weekly World News, is bogus.

Snopes previously debunked the story in 2019, the same year that a YouTube page called “Bright Side” breathed new life into the myth when it published a viral video  that has been viewed more than 19.2 million times.

Even the video itself casts doubt, with the narrator noting after seven minutes of rehashing the claim that “the story just seems to be an elaborate fabrication”.

Different photos claiming to show the same man

The Weekly World News published its story twice more ( here and here ) in the years that followed, using two different photographs of two different men named as “eyewitness” air traffic controller, Juan de la Corte.

Article used a stock photo

A reverse image search shows that the picture of the plane used by the Weekly World News is actually a stock photograph  on Alamy of a DC-4  sporting the livery of rival airline TWA in about 1935. 

And not only are there no credible news reports to support the claim, but there is also no mention of the flight in the US department of transport’s records of investigations into aircraft accidents from 1934 to 1965.

James OKONG'O

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‘Everybody screamed’: 35 years after Delta 1141 crash at DFW, photos seen for first time

Warning : Some readers may find images in this story disturbing.

It was just after 9 a.m. on Aug. 31, 1988, a sunny Wednesday morning.

Delta Flight 1141 began its takeoff roll down the runway at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, carrying 101 passengers on their way to Salt Lake City.

Everything seemed normal until the wheels of the speeding jet lifted off the cement.

Suddenly, the Boeing 727 began to wobble ferociously from side to side as it strained to gain altitude. Passengers thrashed around their seats as if they were on a roller coaster. The plane smacked the ground and bounced violently back into the air.

“The minute we took off the ground I knew were were going to crash,” Michelle Christensen, a 25-year-old marketing director for a Dallas real estate company, told the Star-Telegram that day. “I was thinking, ‘Oh my God. Oh my God.’”

Jim Hammack was seated in an emergency exit row. “When it turned sideways and bounced two or three times, I broke into a cold sweat. I looked over and saw my business associate flopping around in the seat while the plane was bouncing. I didn’t see flames until the third bounce.”

After 22 seconds of terror, the Delta jet smashed through antennas about 1,000 feet beyond the runway 18L and slid sideways into a field on the south end of the airport, disintegrating the right wing. Erupting flames lapped the rear of the plane. The force of the impact ripped open sections of the fuselage like tissue paper.

For a moment, the cabin was silent. Smoke billowed in.

“I thought, ‘I have to get off the plane,’” Christensen told a reporter. “I made a beeline for the door. My side of the plane was on fire. When I opened the door, the flames started to come in, and everybody screamed, ‘Shut the door!’ which I did immediately.”

She saw passengers open an emergency exit on the opposite side. “We all just jumped off the plane. The field behind us was on fire.”

She was among the 68 passengers who escaped with minor or no injuries that morning. Of the 108 souls on board, 12 passengers and two flight attendants were killed, including one passenger who had escaped but reentered the burning fuselage to help his wife and others.

The crash of Delta Flight 1141 was the last major commercial accident at Dallas-Fort Worth. To some degree, it remains obscured in collective memory by the larger disaster at DFW three years earlier — the 1985 crash of Delta Flight 191, downed by a microburst during approach; 137 people died, including a motorist on Texas 114.

The horrors of that 1985 crash were on the minds of Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporters and photographers who raced to the scene of Delta 1141. By today’s tight security standards, the journalists had extraordinary access to the accident site. Star-Telegram photographers captured rescues from the burning wreckage. Reporters interviewed survivors who escaped. Their reporting filled pages and pages of the newspaper that afternoon and the days that followed.

The National Transportation Safety Board would later determine that the Flight 1141 crew did not properly configure the wing flaps and slats before trying to take off, which prevented the plane from developing sufficient lift. Regulators found that the crew violated rules about non-relevant conversations in the cockpit before takeoff, which can distract from focusing on checklists.

The Star-Telegram shot scores of photos of the crash site. Some of these images published in the newspaper in 1988 but have not been seen since. Others were never published. The UT Arlington Library’s Special Collections, which stores thousands of Star-Telegram negatives, has digitized these photos for the first time.

MORE : Check out other historic photos from the Star-Telegram archives here , including:

100 years of Boy Scouts in Fort Worth/North Texas

Fort Worth’s Forest Park Zoo in the 1940s-50s

Long-lost restaurants of Fort Worth

Hollywood movie stars in Fort Worth

Paschal High School in the 1950s

Elvis Presley in Fort Worth

President Jimmy Carter’s visit to Fort Worth in 1978

Historic photos of Fort Worth Stock Show parade

1972 demolition of 18-story Worth Hotel

Leonards Department Store in 1940s-50s

Fort Worth housewives in 1952 prepare for Thanksgiving

Weatherford, Texas, from 1870s to 1950s

President Kennedy in Fort Worth, the day he died

Billy Bob’s Texas, 1981 grand opening

1939 opening of West Lancaster bridge in Fort Worth

Keller, Texas, during the 1920s-1950s

Greater Fort Worth International Airport, 1953 opening

Fort Worth Stock Show, 1930s to 1950s

Queen Elizabeth visits Texas in 1991

Fort Worth snowfalls, from 1880s to 1950s

Labor Day in Fort Worth over the decades

Sept. 11, 2001, in Fort Worth and DFW airport

Churches in the Fort Worth region, back to the 1800s

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35 Years Ago: Remembering Challenger and Her Crew

Johnson space center.

The year 1986 was shaping up to be the most ambitious one yet for NASA’s Space Shuttle Program. The agency’s plans called for up to 15 missions, including the first flight from the West Coast launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Other important missions included the launch of two planetary spacecraft with very tight launch windows, an astronomy mission to study Halley’s Comet, and the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope. The first mission of 1986, STS-61C, delayed from December 1985, flew between Jan. 12 and 18. The next flight, designated STS-51L, marked the 25th in the program and the 10th for space shuttle Challenger .  During the six-day mission, the seven-member crew was to deploy a large communications satellite, deploy and retrieve an astronomy payload to study Halley’s Comet, and the first teacher in space would conduct lessons for schoolchildren from orbit.

The primary objective of the STS-51L mission was to launch the second Tracking and Data Relay System (TDRS) satellite into orbit, part of a network of satellites in geostationary Earth orbit that, once completed, allowed near-continuous communications during shuttle missions. Designated TDRS-B, the large communications satellite relied on a two-stage solid-fuel Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) to reach its final orbital position after deployment from the space shuttle on the mission’s first day. Observation of Halley’s Comet, making its return to the inner solar system in its 76-year orbit around the Sun, was the objective of the Spartan-Halley astronomy satellite, developed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Spartan-Halley’s observations were to contribute to integrated studies conducted by several international spacecraft. The STS-51L crew would deploy Spartan-Halley on the third mission day and retrieve it two days later after it completed its observations. The Teacher in Space activities consisted of two live sessions planned for the mission’s sixth day. The first, entitled “The Ultimate Field Trip,” sought to compare daily life aboard the space shuttle and on Earth, and the second, “Where We’re Going, Where We’ve Been, Why?” sought to explain the importance of conducting research in space. Several other lessons to describe physical phenomena in weightlessness were to be filmed for later distribution.

On Jan. 29, 1985, NASA announced the five-person crew for the STS-51L mission, consisting of Commander Francis R. “Dick” Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith, and Mission Specialists Ellison S. Onizuka, Judith A. Resnik, and Ronald E. McNair. Smith was the only spaceflight rookie while the other four had each completed one previous mission. At the time of the announcement, the mission planned to deploy the third Tracking and Data Relay System (TDRS) Satellite and included an opportunity to refly one of the two satellites returned to Earth during the STS-51A mission in November 1984. NASA decided to remove the second TDRS from a flight in March 1985 due to design issues, and following repairs, it became the primary payload for STS-51L, which for other reasons first slipped to December and then to January 1986. The delay created the opportunity to launch the Spartan-203 retrievable satellite to observe Comet Halley nearing its closest approach to the Sun in early 1986, and managers renamed the payload Spartan-Halley. Resnik had primary responsibilities for operating the shuttle’s remote manipulator system to deploy and retrieve the satellites, and although no spacewalks were planned for the mission, McNair and Onizuka trained to carry out any contingency spacewalk tasks, such as manually closing the payload bay doors.

On Aug. 27, 1984, President Ronald W. Reagan announced that a teacher would be the first space flight participant on the space shuttle. NASA released the Teacher in Space Announcement of Opportunity on Nov. 8, 1984, for a flight opportunity in early 1986. From the more than 10,000 applicants, NASA selected 10 finalists to undergo interviews and medical screening at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, in July 1985.  With the delay of STS-51L’s launch to January 1986, NASA announced on June 13, 1985, that the teacher in space would fly on that mission. On July 19, Vice President George H.W. Bush announced the winner of the competition, New Hampshire middle school teacher S. Christa McAuliffe, with Idaho teacher Barbara R. Morgan serving as her backup. The addition of McAuliffe to the STS-51L crew marked only the second time that NASA had assigned two women to a single mission. On Sep. 9, McAuliffe and Morgan traveled to JSC to meet their fellow STS-51L crewmates and begin training for the mission.

In 1984, the Hughes Corporation selected employees Gregory B. Jarvis and L. William Butterworth as prime and backup payload specialist candidates, respectively, originally assigned to participate in the company’s satellite deployment on the STS-51D mission in March 1985. Due to the addition of Utah Senator Edwin J. “Jake” Garn to that flight, their flight assignment first changed to STS-51I and then to STS-61C. The late addition of Florida Congressman C. William “Bill” Nelson to that flight bumped Jarvis again, and NASA finally added him to STS-51L on Oct. 25, 1985, rounding out the seven-member crew.   

Workers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) began preparing Challenger for its STS-51L mission immediately after it returned from its previous mission, STS-61A.  After its arrival back at KSC on Nov. 11, 1985, they towed Challenger into the Orbiter Processing Facility to remove the Spacelab module from the payload bay and begin refurbishing the orbiter. Engineers installed the Spartan-Halley payload on Dec. 9 and one week later towed Challenger to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to attach it to its external tank and solid rocket boosters (SRBs). Rollout to Launch Pad 39B took place on Dec. 22, the first time the pad hosted a rocket since the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975.  With space shuttle Columbia occupying Launch Pad 39A, awaiting its delayed launch on the STS-61C mission, this marked the first time that shuttles occupied both pads. The TDRS-B/IUS combination arrived at the pad on Jan. 5, 1986, and workers installed it in Challenger ’s payload bay.

On Jan. 8 and 9, engineers at KSC conducted the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT), essentially a dress rehearsal for the countdown to the launch itself. The STS-51L astronauts participated in the final stages of the TCDT by climbing aboard Challenger as they would on launch day, with the countdown being halted just before main engine ignition. At the launch pad, they participated in escape drills, climbing into rescue baskets they would use in case of an emergency. They also met with the media near the launch pad and answered reporters’ questions, posing for photographs with the shuttle in the background. After the successful conclusion of the TCDT, managers targeted Jan. 23 as the launch date but had to slip the date to Jan. 26 due to continued delays with STS-61C. The astronauts traveled from Houston to KSC on Jan. 24.  With unfavorable weather projected for the 26th, managers slipped the launch by one day, to Jan. 27. The crew boarded Challenger for their first launch attempt, but managers scrubbed the launch, first due to a mechanical issue, and once it was resolved, winds at KSC violated launch constraints.

On Jan. 28, 1986, the astronauts once again boarded Challenger as managers had cleared the launch despite unexpectedly cold temperatures overnight at KSC. Managers considered significant ice covering parts of the launch tower as not enough of a concern to delay the launch. In behind-the-scenes discussions, concerns by engineers about the effects of the cold temperatures on the integrity of O-rings in SRB segment joints were overruled by managers who cleared Challenger to launch. Liftoff took place at 11:38 a.m. Eastern time.

As soon as Challenger cleared the launch tower, control of the vehicle shifted from KSC’s Launch Control Center to the Mission Control Center (MCC) at JSC, where ascent Flight Director Jay H. Greene and his team monitored the mission’s progress. For the first minute or so, the launch appeared to proceed normally, with the usual callouts between the crew and capsule communicator Richard O. Covey in MCC. At 73 seconds after liftoff, controllers lost all telemetry from Challenger and noticed a fireball on television screens. Stunned controllers slowly came to realize that the vehicle had suffered a major malfunction that the crew likely did not survive.

Challenger’s Legacy

In his address to the nation the evening after the accident, President Reagan eulogized the Challenger crew.  Quoting aviator and poet John Gillespie Magee, he said, “We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and ‘slipped the surly bonds of earth’ to ‘touch the face of God.’” Reagan established a presidential commission, chaired by former Secretary of State William P. Rogers, to investigate the causes of the accident. The commission’s report, referred to as the Rogers Commission Report , summarized their findings of the technical causes of the accident as well as systemic organizational and cultural elements that led to the decision to launch Challenger on that day. The report provided recommendations to NASA on how to correct those deficiencies. With the modifications to the hardware completed and tested, shuttle flights resumed in September 1988, after a 32-month hiatus. The first seven missions after return to flight launched from Launch Pad 39B as workers refurbished Pad 39A.

An enduring legacy of the Challenger accident is the Challenger Center for Space Science and Education , formed in 1986 by the families of the STS-51L astronauts. The Challenger Center and its worldwide network of Challenger Learning Centers, the first opened in Houston in 1988, use space-themed learning and role-playing to cultivate students’ skills for future success. These experiences enhance knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and math. To date, the Challenger Center has reached more than 5.5 million students globally.

Onizuka’s daughter Janelle, then a soccer player at Clear Lake High School near JSC, gave him a ball, signed by her teammates, to take with him to space. After the accident, searchers found Onizuka’s personal preference kit, including the ball, and returned it to his family who donated it to the school where it sat on display for 30 years. NASA astronaut R. Shane Kimbrough took the ball with him to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2016, where it stayed for 173 days. After his return to Earth, during a football game halftime ceremony , Kimbrough returned the soccer ball to the Onizuka family, who in turn donated it to Clear Lake High School, where it remains on display.

In the wake of the Challenger accident, in 1990 NASA cancelled the Teacher in Space program, by which time Morgan had returned to teach in Idaho but maintained contact with the space agency. In 1998, NASA selected her as a mission specialist, and she flew aboard STS-118, a flight to the ISS in August 2007. That same year, NASA introduced the Educator Astronaut program, in which the agency selected qualified teachers as full-time astronauts instead of payload specialists. In the 2004 astronaut selection, the agency chose Joseph M. Acaba, Richard R. Arnold, and Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger as the first three educator astronauts. All three completed space shuttle missions, and Acaba and Arnold also flew long-duration missions aboard the ISS. In December 2020, NASA named Acaba to the team of astronauts eligible for missions to the Moon in the Artemis program.

“ Forever Remembered ”, a collaborative exhibit between NASA and the families of the astronauts lost in the Challenger and Columbia accidents, opened at the KSC Visitor Complex in 2015. The memorial honors the crews, pays tribute to the spacecraft, and emphasizes the importance of learning from the past. Displays include personal belongings from each of the crew members and recovered pieces from both Challenger and Columbia . Also at the KSC Visitor Complex, the names of the seven astronauts lost in the Challenger accident are engraved on the Space Mirror Memorial.

To honor the astronauts lost in the Challenger accident, as well as those lost in the Apollo 1 fire and the Columbia accident, every year at the end of January, NASA holds a Day of Remembrance. The day allows NASA employees to reflect not only on the lives lost but also on the circumstances that led to the accidents and the resulting changes to NASA’s operations and safety culture. It is also a time to ensure that everyone does their utmost to prevent future tragedies from happening through a heightened culture of safety and excellence.

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AIR & SPACE MAGAZINE

What determines an airplane’s lifespan.

Some keep flying for decades, while others end up on the scrap heap

Rebecca Maksel

A reader asks: "Two articles in the Feb./Mar. 2007 issue of Air & Space raised a question. One was about the last flying examples of a number of classic planes ( "And Then There Was One" ). The other was about newer jetliners, too old to fly, being chopped up to make skateboards and soft drink cans ( "We Recycle" ). It struck me as odd that the old planes are still airworthy, while the jetliners are fit only for the scrap heap. Why can some planes seemingly keep flying forever, while other, newer ones are already used up?"

An aircraft's lifespan is measured not in years but in pressurization cycles. Each time an aircraft is pressurized during flight, its fuselage and wings are stressed. Both are made of large, plate-like parts connected with fasteners and rivets, and over time, cracks develop around the fastener holes due to metal fatigue.

"Aircraft lifespan is established by the manufacturer," explains the Federal Aviation Administration's John Petrakis, "and is usually based on takeoff and landing cycles. The fuselage is most susceptible to fatigue, but the wings are too, especially on short hauls where an aircraft goes through pressurization cycles every day." Aircraft used on longer flights experience fewer pressurization cycles, and can last more than 20 years. "There are 747s out there that are 25 or 30 years old," says Petrakis.

How do airlines determine if metal fatigue has developed in their passenger-liners? Bob Eastin, an FAA specialist on aircraft fatigue, says, "[Airlines] are really relying on the manufacturer's maintenance programs. The manufacturers design the aircraft to be trouble-free for a certain period of time. There are maintenance actions to preclude any catastrophic failures, but that's not to say that the aircraft might not [experience metal fatigue] before those times…. When you get to a certain point [in the aircraft's lifespan], you need to inspect or replace certain parts."

Nondestructive evaluation (NDE) inspections are used both during production (to ensure that components start out free of defects) and during an aircraft's service life to detect cracks as small as 0.04 inch. Inspectors might, for example, take a close look at fastener holes located at the wing and spar junction.

We contacted NDE experts Deborah Hopkins of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Guillaume Neau, of Bercli, LLC, who together answered in an e-mail: "The challenge in developing an easier and less expensive inspection strategy is to design a technique that can be used from the skin side (of the wing), that does not require removal of the fastener, and that provides the same or better resolution than the conventional method of removing the fastener." Not having to remove the fastener is a big money-saver.

One commonly used method of NDE is ultrasonic phased-array testing , which analyzes the echoes from ultrasonic waves to reveal imperfections inside a material. By using several ultrasonic beams instead of just one, then varying the time delays between the beams, inspectors can look inside a material at different locations and depths, thereby determining the size and shape of any defects.

At present, million-dollar robotic inspection systems equipped with phased arrays are being used to inspect wings and composite fuselages for large commercial aircraft and jetfighters before they fly. "Most aircraft manufacturers and service providers—Dassault Aviation, Airbus, and Boeing, for instance—ensure the quality of their production with large-scale non-destructive testing systems," Neau wrote in an e-mail. And while a million dollars may sound like a lot, "when put in perspective, the number is not so large," he says. "If manufacturers discover a problem after assembly, the cost of dismantling and redoing the part or the scrappage waste is much higher than the inspection cost."

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Rebecca Maksel is a senior associate editor at Air & Space .

• URBAN EXPEDITIONS

These 9 Airplanes Transformed Flight Over the Last Century

On the anniversary of the Wright brothers’ flight, see how flying has evolved since—and the otherworldly models that may be in our future.

This article is part of our Urban Expeditions series, an initiative made possible by a grant from United Technologies to the National Geographic Society.

For more on the future of flight, see how aviation is greening its operations , which cities are among the world's most popular flights , and 10 airports you'll actually love.

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• Travel Updates

Flight that crashed in 1985 spotted 35 years later on plane tracker

It was 35 years ago when flight JL123 crashed into mountains near Tokyo. Now eagle-eyed aviation fans have spotted a spooky detail in an online plane tracker.

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Eagle-eyed aviation fans have spotted a flight on an online tracker – even though it crashed 35 years ago, killing 520 on board.

Stunned web users splashed screengrabs of the find across social media last week after finding flight number JL123 showing up on the flight tracker near Tokyo, just a few days before the anniversary of the deadly incident.

Japan Airlines 123 (JL123) crashed into mountains in Gunma Prefecture in 1985 after taking off from Haneda Airport in Tokyo on a flight bound for Osaka.

Following the tragedy, Japan Airlines retired the flight number 123. Yet it appeared on the tracking website Flight Radar 24 on August 5.

Shocked onlookers took to Twitter to report the find, which Japan Airlines says was the result of an IT error.

“Um, they’re using Japan Airlines 123 (JL123) … Why??” one shocked user wrote, as reported by Japanese news site SoraNews24.

Screengrabs posted alongside the tweet showed a plane marked JL123 approaching Narita Airport. Others showed the mysterious aircraft parked at the airport near Tokyo.

The glitch sparked interest online in-part due to its proximity to the crash’s August 12 anniversary, as well as Japan’s Obon festival from August 13-16. Also known as the “holiday of souls”, the event is traditionally considered the time when the souls of the dead return to the realm of the living.

Following the social media hysterics, a Japan Airlines spokesperson confirmed that JL123 did appear on the radar.

Speaking to J-Cast News, they said the number was randomly chosen by an IT technician during routine maintenance, SoraNews24 reports.

The aircraft in question was actually flight JL712, returning to Narita from Singapore.

IT staff arbitrarily relabelled the plane JL123 between 11.56pm and 12.22am, the spokesperson said.

Japan Airlines apologised for the confusion and promised to train staff to avoid certain flight numbers during IT checks in future.

Incredibly, while the 1985 crash killed 520, four people survived. The passengers all seated in the rear left row were in the only section of the aircraft which stayed intact. They were a 12-year-old girl, an off-duty flight attendant, and a mother and daughter.

The crash is the deadliest single-aircraft accident in aviation history. The Boeing 747SR aircraft was hit by a sudden decompression that crippled the plane’s tail 12 minutes into the flight.

Japan’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission officially concluded that the decompression was caused by a faulty repair by Boeing technicians in 1978 that went unnoticed for seven years.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and has been republished with permission

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The lessons learned from the fatal Challenger shuttle disaster echo at NASA 35 years on

It was 35 years ago today (Jan. 28) that the most defining accident of NASA happened, when the space shuttle Challenger exploded after launch.

In the immediate aftermath, seven astronauts died — including the first teacher in space (Christa McAuliffe), the second African-American in space (Ronald McNair), the second female NASA astronaut in space (Judith Resnik), the first Asian-American astronaut (Ellison Onizuka), Hughes Aircraft payload specialist Gregory Jarvis, pilot Michael Smith and commander Dick Scobee.

The shockwaves through NASA and its aerospace and defense partners were immense, and it took more than two years to resume flights after an external investigation, redesigns and other measures. The accident also caused a few program cancellations, such as an astronaut jetpack that flew spacewalkers on satellite rescue missions and a plan to launch space shuttles from California in addition to Florida.

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Discover the story of how and why NASA was created, its greatest triumphs, darkest days, and of the times it exceeded all possible hopes. A tale of adventure, heroism and resourcefulness, learn of the space agency's greatest achievements and how — over six decades — the organization has consistently and tirelessly devoted itself to its founding principle: that "activities in space should be devoted to peaceful purposes for the benefit of all humankind".  

A lengthy investigation of the accident conducted by the independent Rogers Commission revealed a plethora of safety issues. Among the commission's findings were a flawed decision-making process for launch , and managers not fully appreciating the dangers of launching a space shuttle in cold weather. The ultimate technical cause was "destruction of the [solid rocket booster] seals that are intended to prevent hot gases from leaking through the joint, during the propellant burn of the rocket motor," the commission wrote .

Numerous design changes to the rocket boosters (including a different joint design) allowed the space shuttle to continue safely flying the solid rocket boosters following Challenger, recalled Charlie Precourt, a former NASA astronaut and veteran of four space shuttle missions who today is vice president of Northrop Grumman Propulsion Systems.

Precourt leads the team manufacturing the rocket boosters for NASA's forthcoming Space Launch System , or SLS megarocket, using a design derived from the space shuttle's boosters that has been rigorously tested and flown in the decades since Challenger, Precourt said in an exclusive statement to Space.com.

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"This was proven through rigorous development, validation testing and analysis, and has been demonstrated with the successful operation of over 200 boosters, including 86 successful space shuttle launches and over 40 successful static tests. Following each launch and test, boosters were thoroughly inspected and joint performance verified," he said.

Challenger's demise prompted many books, documentaries and discussions, including a 2020 Netflix docuseries . Another fatal incident in 2003, the Columbia disaster that killed seven astronauts, renewed calls for NASA to focus on safety. The shuttle, after another investigation and more redesigns, returned to flight and astronauts were able to finish constructing the International Space Station (ISS). But Columbia eventually spurred the end of the space shuttle program , which ran 135 missions with 2 fatal flights over 30 years before retiring in 2011.

Safety concerns do still occur during human missions, which demand a high degree of care because they are so technically complex and carry huge risks. Conversations continue about safety to this day in all sectors of the space community. For example, NASA did a large shakeup in leadership in human exploration in 2019 , citing cost and schedule concerns with the Artemis moon program, which aims to put astronauts on the moon in 2024 — a timeline that some members of the space community found to be overly ambitious. At the time, NASA repeatedly emphasized it was proceeding swiftly, but safely, in doing key tests to eventually bring astronauts to the moon. 

In the coming decade, it is anticipated that private companies like Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin will be among those carrying people into space on their own spacecraft, and facing their own questions about safety requirements for their astronauts (largely space tourists or private individuals). Earlier this week, Axiom Space announced the first private crewed mission to the ISS , which will launch four people to orbit aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon in 2022.

Historically, other professional space agencies besides NASA have had their own spaceflyer deaths or incidents. A fairly recent example, which turned out safely, was the two crewmembers (American and Russian) who experienced a 2018 abort aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft . (Russia, working with NASA, swiftly addressed the cause and resumed launching within weeks.) 

In a thus increasingly crowded field for human exploration, NASA still remembers the lessons from Challenger — a vital part of the "DNA" of the organization, as one senior agency official told Space.com.

"All organizations have a culture, and it's almost like the DNA associated with an organization. It has a history and a memory. Even though people come and go, that DNA is always there," said Phil McAlister, NASA's director of commercial spaceflight development. 

McAlister's division oversees the next generation of astronaut vehicles to the ISS that only just started flying people last year, in the case of SpaceX's Crew Dragon . The Boeing Starliner spacecraft is still working to meet key milestones to allow people on board. The company hopes to fly a second uncrewed test mission in March to address software issues that glitched a similar 2019 flight and caused NASA to issue 80 "corrective actions" to Boeing's work on Starliner. 

A 2018 report from Space News said Boeing and SpaceX initially struggled to meet NASA's stringent safety requirements for commercial crew. Three years later, however, McAlister said the companies' focuses and NASA's focus are aligned to make the program "safe, reliable and cost effective." 

Commercial crew combines the companies' cultures and NASA cultures, McAlister added, to be effective for the program's needs. (Public companies like SpaceX and Boeing have a responsibility to shareholders to ensure profitability, while NASA's government mission is — in part — to push forward advances in fields such as space and science to benefit different populations and sectors on Earth.)

Additionally, NASA does carefully review all requirements to ensure the commercial spacecraft meet mission specifications, including safety, McAlister said. Boeing and SpaceX do listen, he added — and have at times, asked for data all the way back to the Apollo program of the 1960s and 1970s to learn from NASA's experience. 

NASA personnel are trained "strongly," McAlister added, not to dictate the spacecraft design from commercial partners, but rather to say whether the design meets NASA's needs — and to suggest remedies, as the situation dictates.

"We have been able to communicate and translate that experience [of Challenger] to our partners, and the importance that we learn from attention to detail, and staying 'hungry' — meaning, always looking at the hardware and what it's trying to tell us," McAlister said.

Here, McAlister was referring to what author and sociologist Diane Vaughan called "normalization of deviance" in her book " The Challenger Launch Decision " (University of Chicago, 1996). To simply explain this complex topic: Seal problems had occurred in testing and on past shuttle flights before Challenger. But because engineers and managers saw seal issues occur with no major incident resulting, the "deviance" from the shuttle's design — the fact that these problems were not supposed to happen — was "normalized," meaning the flaws became more accepted. 

That said, the flaws were never fully accepted. The launch decision was therefore contentious, and research about Challenger, such as Vaughan's, points to some participants in the process who felt their concerns were minimized or deprioritized, particularly from solid rocket booster contractor Morton Thiokol (today part of Northrop Grumman ). 

McAlister said the agency today has a process to allow those who dissent a voice, all the way up to the administrator's office, if need be. Those who dissent "rely on the data" from testing or flights to show their concern and try, as much as possible, to remove emotion from the process so that it is qualitative as possible, McAlister added.

If there is a dispute in commercial crew, for example, the process begins with "a lot of discussion, a lot of meetings," McAlister said. To respect the need to eventually move forward, a decision will be taken by NASA's Commercial Crew Program's control board, with the deciding vote cast by program manager Steve Stich. 

If somebody still disagrees, another process begins at a higher NASA organizational level called the directorate program management council. Ultimate authority in that case falls to Kathy Lueders, who chairs the council and is also NASA's associate administrator of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate . (Lueders' previous managerial position was in the Commercial Crew Program, coincidentally.) Dissenters at that level can still bring up their concerns again until it reaches the NASA administrator — currently Steve Jurczyk, appointed to an acting position earlier this month — who has the final say.

Retired space shuttle astronaut Steve Smith said that he saw a large emphasis on safety within NASA after he first joined in 1989 as a payload officer; his responsibilities back then were integrating "payloads" or items to fly on space shuttles, which included meeting safety requirements. Smith was then selected as an astronaut in 1992 and flew four times in space, most recently on STS-110 in 2010.

"As a wannabe astronaut in 1986, it was absolutely devastating to hear the news [of Challenger]," he told Space.com, recalling reading letters to the editor in popular magazine Aviation Week and Space Technology debating whether returning to flight was the right thing to do. 

In the 1980s, some in the community drew analogies with a fatal fire that killed the three-person Apollo 1 crew about 20 years before, in 1967, Smith said. "We had to relearn lessons that were painfully learned previously … this is a really dangerous business and we can get rolled into thinking it's not as difficult as it is." 

Smith said there were a few things he took from Challenger. The first was the danger of human spaceflight , which had to be considered in everything NASA did. "When I joined in 1989, at every single meeting, safety was the number one topic," he said. 

The approach rubbed off on international partners newer to human spaceflight, such as the European Space Agency (ESA), he said; around the same time, ESA was developing an automated transfer vehicle to dock cargo at the ISS. The ATV program (which retired in 2015) eventually saw all of its vehicles fly successfully to the space station , dock with vital experiments and equipment, and fly away safely. 

The second thing Smith remembers NASA emphasizing is the importance of communication, especially if an astronaut or anyone else didn't understand something. "We were encouraged to say, 'Can you resay what you just said,' or 'I didn't quite follow that'," Smith said, not just in one-to-one discussions but also in larger meetings. 

Chairs of NASA meetings would also ask if there was a dissenting opinion, Smith said. One time, in response to that question, he brought up a flight concern during a very large meeting at the NASA Johnson Space Center — the home for astronaut training in Houston. Smith added he was so impressed by this "dissenting opinion" approach that he uses it to this day in his own private business ventures, to great success.

Smith warned that with the passage of time, "diligence of some of these [safety] areas erodes a bit" and there must be renewed calls to pay attention, as the Columbia incident showed NASA and the community a generation after Challenger. 

Columbia's demise also prompted an external Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) report that found numerous causes related to safety and technical matters. Some CAIB concerns echoed the Rogers Commission's findings on Challenger, such as a discussion on schedule pressure. 

Columbia's demise came from a different part of the shuttle, however; insulating foam from an external tank ramp hit Columbia's wing during launch, causing a "breach" that eventually led to the shuttle's breakup as it hit superheated air in the atmosphere during landing two weeks later, CAIB said. 

Columbia's fatal mission, however, was not the first to experience foam loss, as Smith recalled.

"The safety culture [at NASA] was incredibly strong — incredibly strong — even in the year 2003," Smith said, referring to the year Columbia broke up during landing. "But this is a really tough business. It's almost impossible to be perfect, but in hindsight, the hardware was talking to us in the few years before Columbia, but not in the obvious way that it was for Challenger."

Every year, NASA recalls Columbia, Challenger, Apollo 1 and all the other astronauts and cosmonauts who gave their lives for space exploration in its annual Day of Remembrance; as all three of the major NASA incidents fall in the same calendar week, the day usually falls in late January. This year's edition will be today (Jan. 28) — the same day as Challenger's demise.

Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.  

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, " Why Am I Taller ?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace

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After a year in space, NASA astronaut reflects on the unexpectedly long trip

Kai McNamee

Justine Kenin

Ari Shapiro

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, who holds the U.S. record for longest space flight, about his unexpectedly long stay aboard the International Space Station.

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio holds the record for the longest U.S. space flight, but he wasn't trying to earn that title. In September 2022, Rubio was deployed to the International Space Station along with two Russian cosmonauts. It was supposed to be a six-month mission, but their original ride sprung a coolant leak while docked to the station. That 180-day mission turned into a 371-day stay.

Rubio returned to Earth in September 2023, and he's on the line with us now. Welcome back to Earth. Is it too late for me to say that?

FRANK RUBIO: Hey, Ari. Thanks so much. It's great to be with you. And, no, it's always - feels great to be welcomed back.

SHAPIRO: You know, when you go to space, there is a whole team making sure everything goes right, checks and re-checks and backup plans. But still, things happen. So how did you feel when you found out that you would be in space six months longer than you had expected?

RUBIO: You know, it was initially kind of challenging. But again, we were very, very assured of the fact that the team was going to take care of us. And ultimately, they came to the conclusion that the safest path forward was to send a new spacecraft up. You know, it was challenging because you knew you'd be away from your family longer than anticipated, but you also knew that they were making the right decision as for our safety. And so that obviously made it a little bit more palatable. And bottom line is we're all mission focused. And we knew that's what needed to happen to make the mission happen. And so once you got over the initial shock and surprise, you just kind of focused on making the best of it and making sure that the mission was accomplished.

SHAPIRO: For most of us, a mechanical challenge means we have to - I don't know - stay home from work for the plumber for a day or something like that. This feels like a really big deal. In that moment when you found out what was happening, were you scared? Like, can you take us into how it felt on that day?

RUBIO: Yeah. You know, well, so first of all, there was no imminent sense of danger because you do take that spacecraft up to the space station. But once you dock, essentially the space station itself becomes your safety vehicle. But you do always have to have a way to get home in case something goes wrong. And so your spacecraft, whether it be a Soyuz or a Dragon, essentially is parked on station so that if anything were to happen, you can quickly get in and get yourself safely back home.

And so for the month or two that the damaged Soyuz was up there, we knew that we were essentially without a completely safe vehicle. But at the same time, you know, the station has been operating for 23 years, and a safety vehicle's never been necessary in the past. And so even though you had that in the back of your mind, there was no imminent sense of danger. And ultimately, the fact that the team was able to say, hey, we're going to launch an entire new spacecraft to come get you was a pretty big deal because that's not an inexpensive endeavor.

SHAPIRO: Right.

RUBIO: And so we felt grateful for the fact that they were willing to do that. And, yeah, ultimately, it worked out well.

SHAPIRO: What did you miss most about life on Earth?

RUBIO: Well, my family for sure. And then, you know, I love the outdoors. And so that was actually really challenging because the space station is great, but it is very small. And it's a very enclosed space. You know, we say it's about the size of a two- to three-bedroom house, but really it's a two- to three-bedroom house composed entirely of hallways, right?

SHAPIRO: (Laughter) Right.

RUBIO: And so there's no large room that you can go and just enjoy a little bit of space. And, you know, our crew quarters, which is really the only privacy you have, is about the size of a small phone booth. And so, yeah, you do have to just be disciplined about the fact that - not to focus on the fact that it's so enclosed. And then the rest, you know, again, it's really such a incredibly unique experience that you don't really focus on the fact that you're in outer space, that you're traveling at 17,000 miles per hour, you know, the fact that the walls are less than a half-centimeter thick, all those things. Although if you think about them, they could seem really dangerous. I think we all just accept that that's the place where we're operating and that it's, you know, worked well for 23 years.

SHAPIRO: What was it like coming home?

RUBIO: It was fantastic. Yeah. And it was honestly - one of my favorite experiences was just the whole process of de-orbiting and appreciating the engineering and the science that goes into making sure that that happens safely every single time a crew comes home is pretty special, right? It all has to work perfectly right every single time and it has to this point. And so essentially becoming a meteorite yourself as you're reentering the Earth is pretty incredible.

SHAPIRO: And, I mean, there were so many, like, first time in months that you have fill in the blank. Is there one that especially stands out?

RUBIO: Yeah. You know, again, we stay really clean up there. You basically do a towel bath every day that you're up there. But taking an actual shower with running water for the first time felt incredibly good.

SHAPIRO: I bet.

RUBIO: And that's something that I had been looking forward to.

SHAPIRO: OK. So I have to ask about the tomato...

RUBIO: Of course.

SHAPIRO: ...Because while you were on the ISS, you harvested the first tomato grown in space. That tomato went missing. The story got a lot of attention online and in the media. You were at one point accused of eating the tomato. And after you landed back on Earth, the tomato was found, and you were exonerated. But there is still so much we don't know about this story. Can you please set the record straight for us? What happened?

RUBIO: Yeah. You know, it's kind of funny because everyone talks about being exonerated. I'm always like, wait, that means you didn't believe me in the first place.

RUBIO: And I guess just to clarify, you know, my two friends that did find the tomatoes, they are really good friends of mine. And so they were taking every opportunity to make fun of me, not to get me out of trouble that I was in. But, yeah, you know, stuff happens in microgravity. Things just float away. And the Ziploc that I thought was secure to the wall wasn't, and it just floated away. And, I mean, we lose things all the time, but 99% of the time, you end up finding it, whether it's a couple hours later, a few days later. I lost some AirPods for about three weeks, and then one day they just - there they were floating near the Cupola.

SHAPIRO: I'm shocked there are places a thing could disappear into in the International Space Station. It seems so well organized, like every square inch is accounted for.

RUBIO: Yeah. You know, it's - again, it's a small space, but we fill it with every imaginable thing. And so it is very cramped, lots of nooks and crannies. And you'd be amazed with the airflow how things just tend to crawl into, like, the most unexpected places. I'm glad my buddies found it. The unfortunate part is that, you know, it is - it was a science experiment. And so I did feel bad that we lost that little bit of science. And I don't know that they're going to be able to use the ones that they found for much of anything.

SHAPIRO: Pomodoro, maybe.

RUBIO: (Laughter) Yeah. They're pretty far along. They're not going to be used for much.

SHAPIRO: NASA has been studying the effects of long-term spaceflight on humans for a while now, and you now hold the record for the longest spaceflight for any American astronaut. So how do you feel physically and mentally? I mean, you've been back on land for a few months. Are there lingering effects?

RUBIO: Fortunately, again, I'm kind of glad that this happened when it did, which means 23 years into the program, because we've kind of figured out how to keep humans healthy up there. One of the biggest things being resistance exercise because we found that the biggest effects were really on our musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems. And so doing strength training and doing cardiovascular training really keeps us in pretty good health. I actually lost less bone density than a lot of the six-month missions used to lose in the past. And that's just because every day you're putting in the work and you're kind of consistently doing that throughout the year.

So I actually felt really, really good when I got home. The only things that kind of hurt were my lower back, and that's a little bit expected just because, you know, even though you're strengthening it, it's really not used to keeping your posture every single moment of the day. And then the bottoms of my feet actually hurt quite a bit. And that's, you know, you really can't train that. And the pressure and the sensitivity that comes with standing and walking was a little bit unexpected. But that's all resolved. And yeah, I feel - I'd say I'm about 90 to 95% back to perfectly normal.

SHAPIRO: That is NASA astronaut Frank Rubio. Thank you so much.

RUBIO: Great talking to you. Thanks so much. I appreciate it.

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Are Older Planes More Dangerous?

By Kristen Leigh Painter

Let's be honest: We’ve all probably judged the safety of an airplane by how new and modern it looks. It’s hard not to. But is it superficial to be taken in by new seats and better lighting, or are older airplanes actually less safe?

"It depends," Bruce Landsberg, the former president of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s Air Safety Institute , tells Condé Nast Traveler . “There are no clear-cut answers.”

There are some general rules of thumb, though. “It’s ultimately about maintenance. Sometimes it's a matter of luck, a matter of design, or a matter of how the plane is used or abused,” Landsberg says, noting that consistent maintenance is the key to a long airplane life. He says that maintenance requirements for planes have become much more stringent, adding that “the FAA and airlines have become a whole lot more sensitive toward aging aircraft.” (For instance, all aircraft used for commercial flights must pass a safety inspection every 100 hours of flying time.)

It’s common to see 20-, 25- and even 30-year-old planes in use, because Boeing and Airbus build passenger aircraft to last much longer than an automobile.

“The core of a plane is very expensive, and they are overbuilt. They are extremely durable. They have to be,” Landsberg says.

They are “overbuilt”—or constructed tougher than actually needed—because airplanes operate in high-stress environments, running anywhere from 65 to 85 percent of their maximum power compared to an automobile , which is typically running at 25 percent of its power. Meanwhile, the aircraft frame is constantly managing the pressurization and depressurization of the interior and enduring the strain of extreme conditions.

“Your car engine is basically loafing,” Landsberg says, “while an airplane engine has to keep you aloft.”

Airplanes are such a costly investment that airlines are much more likely to replace aging parts on their existing machines than to buy an all-new plane, which can retail for anywhere from $80 million to $400 million, depending on the make and model. Passengers may actually be flying on an old aircraft and not even know it. After all, engines and mechanics can be replaced. So can avionics—the electronic systems controlled from the cockpit . In the cabin, airlines often replace carpet, seats , lighting, and other cosmetic features.

So how does an airline decide when to retire a plane?

“It all comes down to the economics,” Landsberg says. “At some point, there will be something so expensive to fix, the airline will say it isn’t worth it and turn the thing into scrap aluminum.”

Fuel burn—or as it's called in the auto world, gas mileage—is one of the major factors airlines consider for retirement. Older airplanes are far less efficient than newer models, and, at some point, replacing parts no longer makes financial sense. Airlines will often take their old gas guzzlers out of circulation when fuel prices are high, says Landsberg. And newer airplanes are often quieter than older models, which many customers prefer.

The age of a typical aircraft varies by airline, according to airfleets.net , a website that monitors the world’s major airline fleets. Every airline has a different succession plan for when—and how—it will replace older aircraft . Delta Air Lines has the oldest average fleet age among the world’s largest global carriers, at 17 years old. Air Canada and United Airlines follow with an average aircraft age of 14.2 and 14.1 years, respectively.

Aircraft like the Boeing 737 or Airbus 320, which often fly many domestic routes per day, tend to have a shorter lifespan, Landsberg says. “Something going up and down more frequently will wear out more quickly than something that’s used to fly over the Atlantic,” he says.

In the end, Landsberg says, age of the aircraft does not affect safety nearly as much as the maintenance of it.

“One of the standard jokes in the aviation business is a customer asking if the airplane is safe, and the pilot saying, ‘How do you think it got this old?’"

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The afterlife of retired aircraft: what are old planes turned into?

Around 16,000 commercial passenger and cargo aircraft have been retired worldwide in the past 35 years. Meanwhile, up to 700 jets each year are getting closer to the end of their lifespan. But where do these planes go after retirement? AeroTime investigates the afterlife of a retired aircraft.

When does an aircraft become too old to fly?

Unlike cars, the lifespan of an aircraft is not determined by the distance flown during the years of active operations. And, even though age seems like a compelling way to define whether an aircraft remains suitable for flying, it is not the most accurate index. Many major aerospace manufacturers, including Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer and Gulfstream, usually measure the life expectancy of a plane based on various indicators, including performed takeoff and landing cycles, flight hours, flight frequency and maintenance hours.

For instance, regardless of the actual age of the plane, an Airbus A320 narrow-body aircraft can endure up to 60,000 cycles, while a Boeing 747 wide-body plane performes around 35,000 cycles, or up to 165,000 of flight hours, before its retirement. However, it takes up to 30 years for the plane to reach that particular amount of takeoff and landing cycles. 

When it comes to lifespan, cycles are related to aircraft pressuziration in-flight as differences in pressure levels have an impact on the efficiency of a number of aircraft components, such as fuselage, wings, doors, windows, surface fasteners and rivets. Although a plane is designed to withstand differential pressure, it leads to aircraft skin defects as a consequence of deterioration over time.

How many planes have been retired worldwide?

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that around 16,000 commercial passenger and cargo planes have been retired worldwide in the past 35 years. Meanwhile, every year up to 700 jets are getting closer to the end of their lifespan.

According to the IATA, the global pandemic has prompted airlines worldwide to bring forward early retirement programs of older and less efficient planes, especially wide-body passenger aircraft. But the aircraft decomissioning process has to be properly managed in order to prevent environmental and flight safety-related risks, according to the IATA.

A similar estimation has been made by the UK-based aerospace strategy consultancy NAVEO, which projects that with an average yearly fleet retirement rate varying between 1.7% and 3.4%, at least 11,000 passenger and cargo planes will be officially retired from service over the next ten years.

In its recent research, NAVEO found that in 2021 the average rate of aircraft retirements worldwide stood at 1.5%. Between January 2022 and March 2022, approximately 65 planes had been sent for scrapping. The consultancy says that if the current prices of aviation fuel remain high, the rate of retirements may grow above typical levels.

The company calculated that the average age of the 738 planes which were retired in 2020 was around 23.12 years, while the age of the 429 planes retired in 2021 reached around 23.09 years.

According to NAVEO’s data, the top four aircraft models most often sent for scrapping between 2020 and 2021 in the wide-body category were the Boeing 777-300ERs (with an average age of 13.8 years) and Airbus A380s (around 11 years). In the short-body category, it was the McDonnell Douglas MD-80s (30.8 years) and the Boeing 737 Classics (28.9 years).

Other types of planes frequently sent for scrapping aircraft included the Boeing 737NGs, the 737-600/700s as well as the larger version – the 737-800s – and the Airbus A320/A321 family planes.

“We forecast aircraft retirements will increase in the coming years (many older aircraft are due for retirement), but the numbers depend upon the pace of the recovery, fuel price, new aircraft production issues being addressed.” NAVEO said.

So, where do planes go once they are removed from service?

Once an airline decides to retire a jet, it doesn’t mean that the aircraft is permanently grounded. In some cases, air carriers put planes in long-term storage and reactivate them later when market conditions improve. Typically, when the costs of running an older plane are high but it is still valuable as an aircraft, an airline chooses either to reactivate a jet or sell it to a smaller air carrier.

However, when the value of aircraft parts and components are higher than the plane itself, airlines retire the plane for good. And when a jet is retired indefinitely, it is usually sent to an aircraft boneyard (or graveyard). Boneyards are often located in deserts as dry weather conditions help to limit corrosion. In these facilities, the valuable parts of an aircraft are removed for reuse or resale before the rest of it is scrapped.

Planes have a number of used serviceable materials (USMs) that are derived from scrapped or disassembled jets. Airlines operating fleets that are near to retirement usually use USMs to change components of the same aircraft model in the rest of the fleet to reduce costs. It is usually cheaper to do this than purchase new rotable parts.

For example, used aircraft engines are in high demand in the secondhand parts market as their turbines contain rotating blades and other components such as disks – elements that the aircraft operator must regularly exchange in order to comply with the manufaturer’s aircraft safety regulations. The value of a used plane turbofan engine can reach around $2 million. But it is up to 50% cheaper for an airline to purchase this kind of engine compared to the cost of a brand new component.

90% of plane parts can be recycled or resued

USMs are not only the parts of an old aircraft granted a second life after retirement.

The longer a jet is stored, the more time is required to perform all the necessary reactivation work to prepare it for commercial service. It takes roughly 40 worker hours for a narrow-body and around 100 worker hours for a wide-body aircraft to bring it back from long-term storage and into operation. In some cases, it may take 1,000 hours of maintenance work.

But when it comes to the final farewell, depending on the size and model it can take between 30 and 60 days until a plane is dismanted into 1,500 or 2,000 parts. It includes engines, auxiliary power units, landing gear and other components which may be reused or sold.

However, there are yet more valuable parts. According to the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA), around 90% of plane parts can be recycled or resued by other industries, making a positive impact on the environment in terms of sustainability.

Once dismantled from an old aircraft, seats can be sold collectively for between $450 and $5,000, while landing gear could be revived for a second life for millions of dollars. Other parts and components, such as plane cables, batteries and electronics, are sent for conventional recycling, where they are sorted, cleaned, shredded, melted down and pelletized to be reused. Unfortunately, plastic aircraft interior components are not usually recycled as they are made out of different kinds of plastics and contain flame-retardant chemicals.

Meanwhile, as the plane’s body mostly consists of aluminum, it is commonly scrapped into smaller pieces so that the scrap metal can melted down for further use. For instance, a scrap of a Boeing 747 fuselage is worth up to $55,000.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, plane recycling supports a more sustainable economy. The agency estimates that using recycled aluminium from an aircraft fuselage saves energy by 95%, saves 90% in raw materials used, and reduces air and water pollution by around 81%.

So, what are old planes turned into?

There are plenty of everyday uses for aluminium salavaged from scrapped aircraft, including beverage cans, aerosols, bottle tops, window frames, plates and coins.

In addition, some manufacturers produce aircraft cabin mock-up units that airlines use for cabin crew training purposes. This means that aircraft parts, such as engine compartrments, can be reused. And furniture from planes can be turned into aviation-themed tables, conference desks and chairs.

Old planes can be also converted into aviation-themed businesses. For example, some enterpreneurs turn retired parked aircraft into hotel suites. One example is the Stockholm-based hotel ‘Jumbo Stay’, which is located near to Arlanda Airport (ARN). The hotel was launched in 2009 when its founder decided to turn a 46-year-old Boeing 747-212B Jumbo jet, also known as Queen of the Skies, into a spacious hotel on the ground. Before its transition, the aircraft was operated by the now-defunct Swedish airline Transjet, which ceased operations in 2002. Originally built to fly Singapore Airlines ( SIA1 ) ( SINGY ) long-haul routes, and later serving Pan Am flights, the wide-body aircraft is now equipped with 33 rooms and is capable of hosting 76 guests at a time.

But this is not the only way to transform an aircraft.

Two Irish builders have proved that it is possible to convert a passenger plane into a comfortable home office. Having started with a single glamping pod, which was made from the fuselage of an Indian low-cost carrier Indigo retired Airbus A320 jet, the duo customized part of a cabin into a spacious 10-window pod with a working space, a bedroom and a kitchen. After this successful project, the enterpreneurs launched an aircraft conversion compan, which currently provides customized pods made from cabins of various jets.

But is it easy to aquire an aircraft from a boneyard for conversion?

Not surprsingly, giving a retired plane a second life is not a simple process. As well as the investment needed for the transformation, stringent requirements restrict individuals wishing to purchase a plane from a boneyard. While sales of used parts and components are common, when it comes to the aquisition of an entire retired jet, it gets more complicated as purchases can only be made by a company or individual who has the correct license.

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17 ways the 2010s changed flying for better and worse

• Air travel today is cheaper, safer, and faster than it has ever been.
• However, more people than ever are flying , and planes are being filled to capacity, with smaller seats and less legroom.
• A decade ago, e-tickets and self-service check-in kiosks existed, but weren't nearly as prevalent as they are today.
• Premium economy, a whole new seating class, has cropped up. Some travel experts predict that it could replace first and business class in the future.
• Today, in-flight entertainment programs are the best they've ever been, and Wi-Fi is becoming more widely available and less expensive.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories .

Between the stringent security, long lines, packed-to-capacity planes, bland meals , and extra fees , flying can be stressful. 

However, flying today is cheaper, safer, and faster than it has ever been.

While we are far from the golden age of aviation , where martinis were shaken and ham was carved by your seat, air travel has gone through immense changes not only since then, but in the last 10 years as well.

Keep scrolling to see how flying has changed in the last decade — for better and for worse.

Travel agents aren't really a thing anymore.

From Kayak to Cheapflights, TripAdvisor to Expedia, and even airlines themselves, there's no shortage of websites you can use to book your flight tickets yourself. Even though most of these websites have been around since the late '90s , they've really hit their stride in the last decade.

According to the US Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the travel-agent industry has a projected 9% loss of jobs from 2016 to 2026 .

With self-service check-in kiosks at airports, you don't really have to talk to any humans.

While self-service check-in kiosks as we know them today started sprouting up at airports in 2000 , they've only really become prevalent recently, though travelers are more reluctant to use them than you might think. In fact, 46% of travelers still prefer checking in with a human , according to the 2017 SITA Passengers IT Trends Survey. 

Almost everything is paperless now.

From online booking and check-in to electronic tickets, almost everything is online now.

While e-ticketing was introduced in 1994 , it was slow to take. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), by 2004, only 19% of global tickets were electronic. However, the airline industry moved to electronic ticketing entirely in 2008  to cut costs.

Today, technology has improved to the point where most people get their boarding passes texted directly to their smartphones.

More people than ever are flying — and it's going to get worse.

According to the IATA , 2016 saw a whopping 3.8 billion air travelers, but predicts that around 7.2 billion passengers will take to the skies by 2035. Just imagine twice as many people flying as there are now.

On many flights, free food is no longer a given.

Back in the day, a "free" meal (read, included in the airfare) was a given. And way back in the day, it could even be some sort of ham — hand-carved by your seat — with a nicely shaken martini.

Today, you might get a free hot meal on long-haul or international flights, but on many domestic flights you'll probably get a bag of pretzels or chips included in your airfare.

Plane food is better, though.

Since passengers, depending on the carrier they are flying with, may have to pay for their meals, many airlines are putting more time and money into developing their in-flight menus, making them healthier and more expansive than ever.

Many airlines have turned to celebrity chefs to add some star power to their meals, while other are getting creative with their in-flight offerings. Malaysia-based airline AirAsia, for example, recently opened a restaurant that serves its in-flight meals on the ground in Kuala Lumpur.

Air travel is actually cheaper than ever.

It may not feel like it, but air travel has actually gotten cheaper. According to The Atlantic, the cost of airfare has dropped by about 50% since 1978. Average ticket prices have been steadily decreasing since 1980, and tickets are close to their lowest prices ever .

Business Insider reported that the average domestic flight costs $359 today, while in 2010, the average price was $336, or $392 in today's dollars. A flight between New York and London on Pan Am in 1960 would have cost $300 — or about $2,600, adjusted for inflation. Today, the same flight would cost you about a tenth of the price.

We have deregulation to thank for this . Fares and routes in the US used to be controlled by the federal government, meaning that routes had fixed prices. However, when then-President Jimmy Carter signed the Airline Deregulation Act in 1978, it effectively allowed airlines to set their own prices. Since their goal was to sell as many tickets as possible, tickets got cheaper, which also explains the proliferation of budget airlines.

Flights are consistently packed.

According to Scott Mayerowitz, the executive editorial director at The Points Guy, "load factor" is one of the key metrics for airlines , which is essentially occupancy. These days, planes are flying at full or nearly full capacity more often, which is why airlines can afford to keep fares low, though it also means some passengers are fighting over overhead bins, legroom, and armrests. 

The Telegraph reports that in 2018 the average passenger load factor was 80.4%, increasing steadily from around 2000 when 70% was normal.

Seats are smaller than they used to be, and legroom has shrunk.

Economy class seats have lost around eight inches of legroom in the last 30 years as airlines are trying to squeeze more passengers onto planes, according to the Telegraph.

And, as a 2014 USA Today report that was updated in 2018 found , economy seats are getting smaller in width too. 

"The roomiest economy seats you can book on the nation's four largest airlines are narrower than the tightest economy seats offered in the 1990s," USA Today columnist Bill McGee wrote. "The worst seats today measure either 17 or 17.2 inches, when about 19 was as tight as it got through the 1990s. In fact, even the widest seats for sale in economy today — from 17 to 18.5 inches — would not have been offered several years ago."

Many amenities that were traditionally included in the cost of a ticket are now considered extra charges.

Seat assignments, carry-on bags, hot meals: all these things were once included in the price of your plane ticket, but now cost extra in many cases as airlines struggle to keep their prices competitive while maximizing profit.

While what passengers need to pay extra for depends on both the airline and the flight route, you should double-check what's included in your ticket before buying it. Having to pay for a seat assignment is the latest additional fee cropping up .

Getting space in the overhead bin seems to be getting harder and harder.

The combination of more people than ever flying, planes being filled to capacity, and checked luggage costing extra has made it nearly impossible to get space in the overhead bins, adding a layer of stress and anxiety to every trip.

Air rage is a thing now.

More stringent security, fuller flights, and smaller seats have led to something called "Air Rage" as stressed-out passengers fight over armrests, reclining, and even window shades .

There are more direct flights than there used to be.

Flying used to mean a plethora of layovers, but improvements in technology and the fact that people prefer direct flights means that many multi-stop trips have been cut in favor of nonstop flights . In turn, these are getting longer than ever before: Qantas just tested the world's longest flight , which went from New York City to Sydney, Australia, in 20 hours.

You no longer have to turn off all of your personal electronic devices.

Remember when you had to do that? As in, you couldn't watch movies or play games on your phone or tablet? Well, in 2013 the Federal Aviation Administration finally gave airlines the green light to allow passengers to use their gadgets during the entire flight , meaning they no longer had to shut down their phones. Nowadays, you can just about put everything on airplane mode and be fine.

Wi-Fi is getting both more common and faster.

A few minutes of Wi-Fi once cost an arm and a leg. Today, it's still not cheap but it's gotten both less expensive and faster, and airlines are working hard to make Wi-Fi — once seen as a luxury and now a necessity — more consistent in terms of price and quality.

In 2017, a report by the London School of Economics and Political Science and UK-based telecommunications firm Inmarsat noted that 53 out of an estimated 5,000 airlines worldwide offer Wi-Fi, but by 2035 connectivity on planes is expected to be ubiquitous. Some airlines are already experimenting with offering free internet.

Entertainment on flights is the best it's ever been.

There are dozens of films you can watch on most long-haul or international flights, and on your own personal screen.

Now that laptops and tablets have become mainstream, airlines have also invested in apps and other ways of incorporating passengers' personal electronic devices into their entertainment programs, allowing them to watch movies and play games offered by the airline on their own gadgets on many flights.

A whole new seating class came to be.

Premium economy is being offered by more and more airlines, and is a class that is neither business nor economy, but something in-between that offers more legroom and better food, but for a fraction of the price of a business or first-class ticket.

Some even predict that it will replace first and business entirely , as many airlines are expanding their Premium Economy cabins as business travelers are steering clear of first and business due to budgetary restrictions.

• Flight attendants reveal the first things they notice when travelers board a plane
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Why April's total solar eclipse will be a historic event in the US

The next total solar eclipse in the contiguous U.S. won't be until August 2044.

"Eclipse Across America," will air live Monday, April 8, beginning at 2 p.m. ET on ABC, ABC News Live, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Disney+ and Hulu as well as network social media platforms.

When the moon traverses in front of the sun on April 8, parts of North America will be plunged into darkness, marking a rare celestial phenomenon that will not return for decades.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth and, for a short time, completely blocks the face of the sun, according to NASA .

"When the sun's disc is completely covered by the moon, daylight suddenly changes from bright sunlight to a very eerie twilight in a matter of seconds," Fred Espenak, a former astrophysicist from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and author of "Road Atlas for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2024," told ABC News.

"It becomes dark enough to pick out bright stars and planets, so it's very dramatic, very startling," Espenak said. "Most people get a very visceral reaction to seeing a total eclipse."

The last total solar eclipse in America was in August 2017, but the seven-year difference between eclipses is "deceptive," according to Espenak.

"If you look previous to 2017, the last one was in 1979," Espenak said. "So it's a little bit deceptive that these two eclipses were in seven years of each other."

The next total solar eclipse to occur in the contiguous U.S. won't be until August 2044 in Montana and North Dakota, and the next to span coast-to-coast is slated for 2045, according to NASA .

MORE: Delta offering special flight to view total solar eclipse along the path of totality in April

Comparatively, 2024's total solar eclipse is "better" than 2017's, because the path of totality is almost 60% wider and the duration of the eclipse is about 60% longer, according to Espenak, who explained some locations within the path will experience up to four and a half minutes of the eclipse.

The track of the moon's shadow across Earth's surface is called the path of totality, and to witness the April 8 total solar eclipse, viewers must be within the 115-mile-wide path.

In the U.S., the path of totality begins in Texas and will travel through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Small parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse, according to NASA .

MORE: Solar eclipse on Mars shows the planet partially covered in darkness in new NASA images

Due to the fact April's total solar eclipse will be the last of its kind to occur in North America for 20 years, it is projected to be the U.S.'s largest mass travel event in 2024, Michael Zeiler, expert solar eclipse cartographer, told ABC News.

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Zeiler compared eclipse day travel to "50 simultaneous Super Bowls across the nation," saying four million people are estimated to travel to view it.

"When you look at the number of people expected to come to the path of totality for the solar eclipse, we estimate those numbers are roughly the equivalent of 50 simultaneous Super Bowls across the nation, from Texas to Maine," he said.

In anticipation of the historic eclipse, a small county in Texas is bracing for a state of emergency due to the sheer volume of expected tourists

In February, Bell County Judge David Blackburn issued a local disaster declaration, saying the county's population of 400,000 residents is expected to double in tourists.

Zeiler said Texas is a prime place for eclipse chasers to travel because it is located in the path of totality and has the best chances for clear skies on eclipse day.

"You want to be in the center of the path for the longest duration," Zeiler explained. "If you have a friend or relative in the path in Texas, and there are 12 million Texans inside the path, that's the spot to go because that's where the best weather prospects are."

MORE: The surprising reason why a Texas county issued a disaster declaration ahead of April total solar eclipse

From the eclipse's decades-long rarity to its staggering duration and path, April 8 brings an exciting opportunity that Espenak says skywatchers shouldn't miss.

"I think seeing a total eclipse should be on everybody's bucket list, and this April is just a golden opportunity," Espenak said. "It's an incredible event that people will remember for their entire lives. They'll be telling their grandchildren about the total eclipse they saw in April of 2024 if they managed to get into the path of totality and have some good weather."

"So I wish everybody fair skies next April," Espenak added.

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7.4 magnitude quake hits Taiwan, strongest in 25 years

By Nectar Gan , Wayne Chang , Jerome Taylor, Antoinette Radford, Deva Lee and Maureen Chowdhury , CNN

Our live coverage of the Taiwan earthquake has moved here.

Search and rescue efforts continue after 7.4 magnitude earthquake rocks Taiwan. Here's the latest

From CNN staff

Rescuers are working to free dozens trapped after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the east coast of Taiwan — causing landslides and collapsed structures.

At least nine people have died , more than 900 others are injured and over 100 buildings have been damaged.

The quake is the strongest to hit Taiwan in 25 years .

Here's what else we know:

• The quake:  The earthquake  hit  at 7:58 a.m. local time, 18 kilometers (11 miles) south of the city of Hualien at a depth of 34.8 kilometers, according to the US Geological Survey.
• Aftershocks : The quake was followed by 29 aftershocks greater than a magnitude of 4.0 near the epicenter of the earthquake in east Taiwan so far, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Tremors have been felt across the island, including in Taipei. Tremors as high as magnitude 7 are  expected  in the following days.
• Hualien County:  The region where the quake struck, Hualien County, has a population of about 300,000, around 100,000 of whom live in the main city of Hualien. But many in the region live in remote coastal or mountain communities that  can be hard to reach , so it might take time to understand the extent of Wednesday's quake.
• Trapped miners: Taiwan's national fire agency said that 71 people are trapped in two mines in Hualien.
• Power cuts : More than 91,000 households were without electricity, according to Taiwan's Central Emergency Command Center.
• Medical facilities: Hospitals across Taiwan’s capital , Taipei City, are operating normally despite being damaged by Wednesday’s earthquake, according to the Municipal Government.
• US monitoring: The Biden administration is monitoring the earthquake in Taiwan overnight and is prepared to offer assistance, a National Security Council spokesperson said Wednesday. 

71 miners trapped in 2 mines in Taiwan after earthquake, national fire agency says

From CNN's Shawn Deng

Taiwan's national fire agency said that 71 people are trapped in two mines in Hualien after a powerful earthquake struck the island. 

In the Heping mine, there are 64 people trapped, and seven more are trapped in the Zhonghe mine, the fire agency said in a news conference on Wednesday. 

Video shows man swimming in a rooftop pool when massive earthquake hit 

When a magnitude of 7.4 earthquake rocked Taiwan on Wednesday, it struck during the morning commute.

Video shows highway roads shaking and even a man being heavily swayed and rocked on a rooftop pool.

Watch the moment here:

Taiwanese semiconductor facilities will resume production overnight following earthquake

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC), the chipmaking giant, said on Wednesday that its facilities which were impacted by the 7.4 magnitude earthquake are expected to resume production overnight. 

TSMC reported that their overall tool recovery is at more than 70% within 10 hours of the earthquake striking the island. Safety systems are also operating normally, TSMC added.

The company noted that a small number of tools were damaged but that there was no damage to its extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) tools. Work at construction sites will resume after further inspections are complete, TSMC said.

Earlier, a TSMC spokesperson told CNN they had evacuated some manufacturing plants. All personnel are now safe, TSMC said in an update.

Biden administration monitoring Taiwan earthquake, White House says

From CNN's Sam Fossum

The Biden administration is monitoring the earthquake in Taiwan overnight and is prepared to offer assistance, a National Security Council spokesperson said Wednesday. 

"We are monitoring reports of the earthquake impacting Taiwan and continue to monitor its potential impact on Japan. The United States stands ready to provide any necessary assistance. All those affected are in our prayers," a statement from National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said.

7 major earthquakes have hit Taiwan over the last 50 years

The 7.4 magnitude earthquake that killed at least nine people and injured hundreds Wednesday, is the strongest to hit Taiwan in 25 years .

Over the last 50 years, the island has experienced a total of seven major earthquakes, the last being a 7.1 magnitude quake in 2006 in Pingtung County in southern Taiwan.

The island sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire , which makes it prone to earthquakes.

See a full list of the earthquakes that have hit Taiwan:

29 aftershocks above 4.0 magnitude have occurred near epicenter since earthquake, US Geological Survey says

From CNN's Sara Tonks 

There have been 29 aftershocks greater than a magnitude of 4.0 near the epicenter of the earthquake in east Taiwan so far, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Of these aftershocks:

• One was above 6.0
• 13 have been at or above 5.0
• 14 have been above 4.0.

Forecast during recovery efforts: Tonight's forecast in Hualien City, near the epicenter, calls for increasing cloud coverage. Thursday is looking at mostly cloudy skies with afternoon showers and rain Thursday night and Friday during the day.

Rainfall totals should be relatively light for Taiwan, with models calling for under 25 mm (less than 1 inch) by Friday evening local time.

Watch landslide engulf road after 7.4 magnitude earthquake hits Taiwan

A dashcam camera has caught the moment a large landslide came down a mountain in Taiwan, triggered by a 7.4 magnitude earthquake on Wednesday morning.

The quake is the strongest to have rattled the island in 25 years, killing at least nine people and leaving more than 150 trapped.

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Rare 4.8 magnitude quake rattles Northeast

By Elise Hammond , Leinz Vales and Matt Meyer , CNN

4.0 magnitude aftershock recorded in New Jersey, USGS says

From CNN's Brandon Miller

An aftershock of a preliminary magnitude 4.0 has struck just southwest of Gladstone, New Jersey, according to the United States Geological Survey .

It happened at about 5:59 p.m. ET, USGS said.

The aftershock comes nearly 8 hours after the main shock of 4.8 magnitude this morning. There have been at least 10 aftershocks, though most were in the 1.8 to 2.2 magnitude range.

No injuries or major damage in Northeast after morning quake in New Jersey. What to know to get caught up

From CNN staff

A 4.8 magnitude earthquake rattled buildings across parts of the US Northeast on Friday morning, according to the US Geological Survey, with tremors felt from Washington, DC to New York City and to Maine.

It was the third-largest earthquake recorded in the area in the last five decades and the strongest in New Jersey i n more than 240 years , the USGS said. But with authorities reporting little or no damage, and minimal travel disruptions, people soon resumed their everyday lives.

Here's what to know:

• New Jersey: Gov. Phil Murphy said there are limited reports of damage and "little to no injuries" in the state. The USGS recorded at least six aftershocks in the immediate area of the initial earthquake. In an area more than 30 miles from the epicenter, three neighboring homes in Newark were evacuated after residents reported structural damage, according to Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé.
• New York: Gov. Kathy Hochul said there were no "life-threatening situations" after the earthquake and no reports of damaged buildings . There was one report of a gas line leak, but so far there's no “major” infrastructure impact, state officials said . New York City Mayor Eric Adams also said there have not been any reports of injuries and told people to " go about their normal day ." Additionally, all aspects of the New York City transit system were operating safely, said Metropolitan Transport Authority CEO Janno Lieber.
• Philadelphia: The Philadelphia Police Department received "over 200 calls" from 911 "in a very short period of 20 minutes," following the earthquake, according to Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel. But, there were no injuries reported in the city, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said.
• Connecticut: State officials did not report any significant damage. Emergency management officials said their operations center was partially activated as agencies inspected key infrastructure points.
• Travel: Runways at the three main airports servicing the New York City area were inspected and cleared, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Port Authority also said there were no operational or physical impacts to the bridges and tunnels. Amtrak said its trains were r unning at normal speeds after restrictions were put in place for track inspections.
• Widespread impact: The shaking was felt by millions of people across hundreds of miles of the Northeast — a phenomenon made more likely by a few factors, including the geology of the region itself, according to the USGS. Rocks in the eastern US are much older, denser and harder, making them more efficient conduits of the seismic energy released by an earthquake, allowing it to travel in a more potent form over longer distances, the USGS says.

Amtrak trains resume running at normal speeds

From CNN's Pete Muntean

Amtrak trains are back to operating at normal speeds after an earthquake in New Jersey on Friday, the company said.

It said it started inspecting its tracks shortly after 11 a.m. ET, and put speed restrictions in place throughout the region. Amtrak said it has now completed those inspections.

“As of 3:30 PM ET, All inspections have been completed and service has been restored to normal speed. Residual delays should be expected,” Amtrak  posted  on X.

At least 6 aftershocks recorded following New Jersey earthquake, USGS reports

From CNN’s Samantha Beech, Brandon Miller and Taylor Ward

There have been at least six aftershocks in the hours following the New Jersey earthquake Friday morning, according to United States Geological Survey data. 

The initial earthquake was felt in northern New Jersey just before 10:30 a.m. ET, and the aftershocks were all recorded in the immediate area of the earthquake, USGS said.

According to USGS, the largest of the six aftershocks was 2.2 magnitude, recorded just after 1:30 p.m. ET.

Here's a timeline (all times are ET):

• 10:23 a.m.: The initial 4.8 magnitude earthquake occurred
• 11:20 a.m.: 2.0 magnitude aftershock
• 11:37 a.m.: 1.8 magnitude aftershock
• 11:49 a.m.: 2.0 magnitude aftershock
• 12:31 p.m.: 1.8 magnitude aftershock
• 1:14 p.m.: 2.0 magnitude aftershock
• 1:32 p.m.: 2.2 magnitude aftershock

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a social media post that "aftershocks of these size are normal and are not expected to cause further damage."

The governor said there have been no reports of injuries or damage.

See how people in the Northeast reacted when the earthquake hit

From CNN's Jeremy Moorhead and Sean Clark

When an earthquake rattled buildings across the Northeast Friday morning, stunned residents described initially thinking a passing tractor-trailer or freight train was passing them before they realized it was something more.

There were reports of the 4.8 magnitude quake being felt from Philadelphia to New York City, according to the US Geological Survey.

See how some people reacted:

3 neighboring homes in New Jersey evacuated after reporting structural damage, offical says 

From CNN’s Nic F. Anderson and David Goldman

Three neighboring homes in Newark, New Jersey, have been evacuated after residents reported structural damage following this morning’s earthquake, according to the local public safety director. 

Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé told CNN no injuries have been reported after firefighters responded to reports of damage at the homes in an area more than 30 miles from the earthquake’s epicenter. 

He said 10 families were relocated from the buildings, including 25 adults and three children.

Fragé added that all Newark city buildings, including City Hall and recreation centers, are closed. He said the city is inspecting buildings for any potential damage and power outages. 

Also in New Jersey’s Essex County, in Montclair, officials believe the earthquake caused a water main break, according to an update from the Office of Emergency Management for the Township of Montclair. The OEM said the water bureau is working to repair the line. 

The Montclair OEM said authorities have conducted a damage assessment of the township and there are no signs of damage to the infrastructure and all schools and municipal properties report no damage.

Today's earthquake was the strongest in New Jersey in more than 240 years

From CNN's Elliana Hebert, Sara Tonks and Eric Zerkel

The rare 4.8 earthquake that struck northern New Jersey Friday was the third-strongest to strike the state, according to CNN analysis of US Geological Survey data.

The Friday morning earthquake also marked the strongest since 1783, more than 240 years ago. Two 5.1 magnitude temblors are the only stronger quakes in the state — one in 1755 and another in 1783. Both happened before New Jersey became a state in December 1787, but happened in the geographic area that now comprises the state's boundaries.

The quake is the third-strongest to hit the Northeast in 50 years and the 10th-strongest of all time in the region, USGS data shows.

Earthquakes in New Jersey and the region are rare. There have only been 24 earthquakes of 2.5 magnitude or greater in New Jersey since 1700.

All aspects of New York City transit system operating safely after earthquake, MTA chief says

From CNN's Samantha Beech

All aspects of the New York City transit system are operating safely following this morning’s earthquake, the Metropolitan Transport Authority, which runs the city's subway and other forms of public transit, said.

MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said every part of the transit system operated safely during the earthquake, as well.

He said initial facility inspections have been completed, including inspections of the seven bridges the MTA operate.

“I want to emphasize those were designed to withstand much stronger seismic impact than we experienced today,” he added.

According to the  MTA website , MTA Bridges and Tunnels (B&T) serves more than 900,000 vehicles on an average day. In 2019, it carried more traffic than any bridge and tunnel authority in the nation — more than 329 million vehicles, the MTA says. 

Lieber said MTA frontline staff have been directed to report any abnormalities in the system, but he said nothing had been flagged so far. 

There's a low likelihood of aftershocks following today's quake, New York City's emergency chief says

There is a low likelihood of aftershocks following Friday's 4.8 magnitude earthquake that rattled several Northeast cities, New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zachary Iscol said. 

Iscol, however, urged New Yorkers to remain vigilant.

“If you are outside during an aftershock, please move to an open area, away from buildings, trees and power lines. If you are driving, pull over to a safe location," he said at a news conference Friday alongside New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Iscol said there were no major impacts or safety events related to the earthquake, and added that New Yorkers can call 311 to report any damage. 

The quake, he said, triggered the activation of the city's emergency response teams and prompted officials to issue guidance to the public. 

“We activated our protocols for this earthquake, we immediately began coordinating with all city, state, federal and our utility partners. Public notifications were sent out both by Notify NYC and our wireless emergency alert system,” he said.

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Boeing's CEO got compensation worth nearly $33M last year but lost $3M bonus

by Associated Press

Boeing CEO David Calhoun received compensation valued at $33 million last year, nearly all of it in stock awards, but his stock payout for this year will be cut by nearly one-fourth because of the drop in Boeing’s share price since the January blowout of a panel on one of its planes in mid-flight .

The company said Friday that after the accident on the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max, Calhoun declined a bonus for 2023 that was targeted at nearly $3 million.

Calhoun announced this month that he will step down at the end of the year as Boeing deals with multiple investigations into the quality and safety of its manufacturing.

The company said in a regulatory filing that Calhoun got a salary of $1.4 million last year and stock awards valued at $30.2 million. Including other items, his compensation totaled $32.8 million, up from $22.6 million in 2022.

Since Jan. 5, when a door-plug panel blew off an Alaska Airlines Max jetliner flying 16,000 feet above Oregon, Boeing has been thrust into its deepest crisis since a pair of deadly crashes involving Max jets in 2018 in Indonesia and 2019 in Ethiopia.

The Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board and Justice Department have launched separate investigations into the company. The FAA is limiting Boeing's production of 737s until the company meets the agency's safety concerns.

Boeing said Calhoun and other top executives will see their stock awards for this year reduced by about 22%, which the company said matched the drop in the share price from the accident until the stock-grant date.

Boeing shares have fallen 26% since the panel blowout, through the end of regular trading Friday.

The months and years ahead are critically important for The Boeing Company to take the necessary steps to regain the trust lost in recent times, to get back on track and perform like the company we all know Boeing can and must be, every day,” the company’s new chairman, Steve Mollenkopf, said in a letter to shareholders. “The world needs a healthy, safe, and successful Boeing. And that is what it is going to get.”

Calhoun has been CEO since January 2020, when Max jets were still grounded worldwide after the two crashes.

While the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 accident shows that Boeing has much work yet to do, the Board believes that Mr. Calhoun has responded to this event in the right way by taking responsibility for the accident” and “taking important steps to strengthen Boeing’s quality assurance,” the company said in Friday’s filing.

Calhoun previously lost a $7 million bonus for 2022 after Boeing failed to get a new 777X jetliner in service. The board said the plane fell behind schedule for many reasons including some of Calhoun's decisions.

Boeing, which is based in Arlington, Virginia, will hold its annual meeting online on May 17.

NASA’s Webb Probes an Extreme Starburst Galaxy

Amid a site teeming with new and young stars lies an intricate substructure.

A team of astronomers has used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to survey the starburst galaxy Messier 82 (M82). Located 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major, this galaxy is relatively compact in size but hosts a frenzy of star formation activity. For comparison, M82 is sprouting new stars 10 times faster than the Milky Way galaxy.

Led by Alberto Bolatto at the University of Maryland, College Park, the team directed Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument toward the starburst galaxy’s center, attaining a closer look at the physical conditions that foster the formation of new stars.

“M82 has garnered a variety of observations over the years because it can be considered as the prototypical starburst galaxy,” said Bolatto, lead author of the study. “Both NASA’s Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes have observed this target. With Webb’s size and resolution, we can look at this star-forming galaxy and see all of this beautiful, new detail.”

Image: M82 observed by the Hubble and Webb Telescopes

A vibrant community of stars.

Star formation continues to maintain a sense of mystery because it is shrouded by curtains of dust and gas, creating an obstacle in observing this process. Fortunately, Webb’s ability to peer in the infrared is an asset in navigating these murky conditions. Additionally, these NIRCam images of the very center of the starburst were obtained using an instrument mode that prevented the very bright source from overwhelming the detector.

While dark brown tendrils of heavy dust are threaded throughout M82’s glowing white core even in this infrared view, Webb’s NIRCam has revealed a level of detail that has historically been obscured. Looking closer toward the center, small specks depicted in green denote concentrated areas of iron, most of which are supernova remnants. Small patches that appear red signify regions where molecular hydrogen is being lit up by a nearby young star’s radiation.

“This image shows the power of Webb,” said Rebecca Levy, second author of the study at the University of Arizona, Tucson. “Every single white dot in this image is either a star or a star cluster . We can start to distinguish all of these tiny point sources, which enables us to acquire an accurate count of all the star clusters in this galaxy.”

Finding Structure in Lively Conditions

Looking at M82 in slightly longer infrared wavelengths, clumpy tendrils represented in red can be seen extending above and below the galaxy’s plane. These gaseous streamers are a galactic wind rushing out from the core of the starburst.

One area of focus for this research team was understanding how this galactic wind, which is caused by the rapid rate of star formation and subsequent supernovae, is being launched and influencing its surrounding environment. By resolving a central section of M82, scientists could examine where the wind originates, and gain insight on how hot and cold components interact within the wind.

Webb’s NIRCam instrument was well-suited to trace the structure of the galactic wind via emission from sooty chemical molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs can be considered as very small dust grains that survive in cooler temperatures but are destroyed in hot conditions.

Much to the team’s surprise, Webb’s view of the PAH emission highlights the galactic wind’s fine structure – an aspect previously unknown. Depicted as red filaments, the emission extends away from the central region where the heart of star formation is located. Another unanticipated find was the similar structure between the PAH emission and that of hot, ionized gas.

“It was unexpected to see the PAH emission resemble ionized gas,” said Bolatto. “PAHs are not supposed to live very long when exposed to such a strong radiation field, so perhaps they are being replenished all the time. It challenges our theories and shows us that further investigation is required.”

Video: Tour of the M82 Image

Lighting a Path Forward

Webb’s observations of M82 in near-infrared light spur further questions about star formation, some of which the team hopes to answer with additional data gathered with Webb, including that of another starburst galaxy. Two other papers from this team characterizing the stellar clusters and correlations among wind components of M82 are almost finalized.

In the near future, the team will have spectroscopic observations of M82 from Webb ready for their analysis, as well as complementary large-scale images of the galaxy and wind. Spectral data will help astronomers determine accurate ages for the star clusters and provide a sense of timing for how long each phase of star formation lasts in a starburst galaxy environment. On a broader scale, inspecting the activity in galaxies like M82 can deepen astronomers’ understanding of the early universe.

“Webb’s observation of M82, a target closer to us, is a reminder that the telescope excels at studying galaxies at all distances,” said Bolatto. “In addition to looking at young, high-redshift galaxies, we can look at targets closer to home to gather insight into the processes that are happening here – events that also occurred in the early universe.”

These findings have been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal . The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.

Right click the images in this article to open a larger version in a new tab/window. Download full resolution images for this article from the Space Telescope Science Institute. These findings have been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal .

Media Contacts

Laura Betz - [email protected] , Rob Gutro - [email protected] NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center , Greenbelt, Md.

Christine Pulliam - [email protected] Space Telescope Science Institute , Baltimore, Md.

Related Information

More about starburst galaxy M82

Galaxies Overview

Star Formation

More Webb News - https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/latestnews/

More Webb Images - https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/multimedia/images/

Webb Mission Page - https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/

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Boeing CEO took home nearly $33 million last year, but Portland flight blowout will cost him

• Updated: Apr. 05, 2024, 5:23 p.m. |
• Published: Apr. 05, 2024, 5:09 p.m.

Boeing CEO David Calhoun speaks briefly with reporters after a meeting in the office of Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 24, 2024. Calhoun received compensation valued at $33 million last year, nearly all of it in stock awards, but his stock payout for this year will be cut by nearly one-fourth because of the drop in Boeing’s share price since the January blowout of a panel on one of its planes in midflight. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File

• The Associated Press

Boeing CEO David Calhoun received compensation valued at $33 million last year, nearly all of it in stock awards, but his stock payout for this year will be cut by nearly one-fourth because of the drop in Boeing’s share price since the January blowout of a panel on one of its planes in midflight.

The company said Friday that after the accident on the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max, Calhoun declined a bonus for 2023 that was targeted at nearly $3 million.

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