Editor’s Letter: Houston, we have a problem
For 25 years, humanity has had a continuous presence in space. Astronauts have inhabited the International Space Station since November 2000. That will not continue much longer.
Late yesterday afternoon, Nasa ordered the space station’s astronauts to take shelter while they attempted to repair new air leaks. Not what you want to hear while 250 miles from Earth.
Cracks in the station have widened. Even before yesterday’s SOS, Nasa planned to “deorbit” the ISS in 2030 – a euphemism for ploughing it into a remote patch of the Pacific Ocean. Any replacement will need to come from the private sector.
Instead, Nasa’s next major project is a crewed mission to Mars, in the late 203os or early 2040s.
One thing is clear. The demise of the space station means an extraordinary chapter in the history of human exploration is drawing to a close.
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But their emails…
If you regret the sending of emails – for example, about the King and his views on the US President – then it is probably unwise to send a further email, stating that a senior government official is “clear about the need to delete all traffic on this”. Whoops.
The Foreign Office’s most senior civil servant, Sir Olly Robbins, led the effort to erase digital records after Charles III expressed concerns about Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK.
It is not illegal for civil servants to delete emails, even if the Civil Service Code says they must keep official records and handle information “as openly as possible”.
The story shows how fraught relations were between Britain and the US – and how the King plays a key role working alongside the White House on trade and the war in Ukraine.
