U.S. private astronauts conclude mission to space station, return to Earth

STORY: U.S. private astronauts conclude mission to space station, return to Earth DATELINE: May 31, 2023 LENGTH: 00:02:10 LOCATION: Washington D.C. CATEGORY: SCIENCE SHOTLIST: 1. various of the astronauts aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft (courtesy of SpaceX) 2. various of the spacecraft splashing down off the coast of Florida (courtesy of SpaceX) 3. various of the support team retrieving the spacecraft onto a recovery ship (courtesy of SpaceX) STORYLINE: SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft carrying Axiom Space's four private astronauts safely splashed down off the coast of the U.S. state of Florida on Tuesday, concluding the second all-private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The Dragon spacecraft autonomously undocked from the ISS at 11:05 a.m. Eastern Time (1605 GMT) Tuesday. After about 12 hours' travel, the spacecraft re-entered Earth's atmosphere and made a splashdown off the coast of Florida at 11:04 p.m. Eastern Time (0404 GMT Wednesday). Aboard the spacecraft are astronau

JAL flies special Hina Matsuri flight

JAL flies special Hina Matsuri flight

TOKYO, Japan - Madoka Tachikawa, a co-pilot of Japan Airlines Corp., poses in front of a JAL Boeing 767 at Tokyo's Haneda airport on March 3 prior to Flight 1605's departure for Hiroshima. Other than the pilot, all of the 36 flight crew and mechanics assigned to the flight were women, demonstrating the range of careers open to the company's female employees. March 3 in Japan is Hina Matsuri, a doll festival for girls.

Kyoto's Kodaiji Temple lit up

Kyoto's Kodaiji Temple lit up

KYOTO, Japan - Kodaiji Temple, a famed Zen temple founded in Kyodo in 1605, is illuminated in a rehearsal held March 9 in preparation for the start of the spring sightseeing season.

Kyoto's Kodaiji Temple lit up

Kyoto's Kodaiji Temple lit up

KYOTO, Japan - Kodaiji Temple, a famed Zen temple founded in Kyodo in 1605, is illuminated in a rehearsal held March 9 in preparation for the start of the spring sightseeing season. (Kyodo)

JAL flies special Hina Matsuri flight

JAL flies special Hina Matsuri flight

TOKYO, Japan - Madoka Tachikawa, a co-pilot of Japan Airlines Corp., poses in front of a JAL Boeing 767 at Tokyo's Haneda airport on March 3 prior to Flight 1605's departure for Hiroshima. Other than the pilot, all of the 36 flight crew and mechanics assigned to the flight were women, demonstrating the range of careers open to the company's female employees. March 3 in Japan is Hina Matsuri, a doll festival for girls. (Kyodo)

Shiba Zojoji Temple

Shiba Zojoji Temple

The main hall of Zojoji, built in 1605 after the relocation of the temple to Shiba from its original location at Edo Kaizuka (present-day Kioi-machi, Kanda Ward) in 1598. The temple was under the protection of the shogunate because it was the main temple of the Jodo sect of Buddhism in the Kanto area. Thus, the roof beam is embellished with the five gold hollyhock crests of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The building was destroyed by arson in December 1873. Although rebuilt in 1890, it burnt down again as a result of a bonfire lit by a homeless man in 1909. Although reconstructed in 1922, it was destroyed for a third time by American air raids in 1945. The present main hall was built in 1974.==Date:unknown, Place:Tokyo, Photo:R. Stillfried, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number78‐27‐0]