By MARCIA DUNN
The American astronaut and Russian cosmonaut about to embark on a one-year flight are similar in many ways: born in the 1960s, fathers of daughters, military backgrounds.
But there are differences, too. Scott Kelley, a divorced dad of two, still has a school-age daughter. Mikhail Kornienko is married to an OB-GYN, his daughter is grown, and he's a new grandfather.
Kelly and Kornienko leave the world behind this week for a year at the International Space Station. They've lived there before, although for only half that long and at separate times.
More on the crewmates:
Scott Kelly
This will be the fourth spaceflight for Kelly, 51, a former NASA shuttle commander and Navy test pilot whose identical twin brother, Mark, also was chosen as an astronaut in 1996. The two will conduct many of the same medical experiments over the coming year so scientists can compare the results.
Scott Kelly's first two flights were aboard shuttles. He spent more than five months on the space station in 2010-2011. It was during that mission that his sister-in-law, then Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, nearly died after being shot in the head in Tucson, Arizona.
Once he's back home in Houston, Kelly imagines it will be "hard to walk away" from spaceflight. He'd love to pilot one of the new U.S. spacecraft in development. But he figures if he cuts in front of other astronauts awaiting assignments, "someone will run me over with their car."
What will Kelly miss the most, besides his loved ones? The weather.
BY ANICK JESDANUN, AP
All eyes were focused on the watch, but Apple CEO Tim Cook also unveiled a new MacBook and announced other deals at a company event Monday in San Francisco.
Here are five things you need to know.
THE WATCH
- Apple calls it "the most personal Apple device ever." And potentially the most expensive.
- Starts at $349 with Apple Watch Sport, aimed at fitness enthusiasts, in anodized aluminum in silver or space gray, with colorful band choices. Apple Watch stainless steel starts at $549, in traditional and space black. And for those who eat cake: Apple Watch Edition, an 18-karat yellow or rose gold version with a starting price of $10,000.
- Includes: swipe-able "glances" that show you the information you use most; customizable faces for the dial of your choice, and lots of features for both fitness buffs and others who need a reminder to get out of their chairs.
- "Taptic feedback" (a subtle tap) notifies wearers of new emails and other messages. By tapping a finger on the watchface, wearers can control music, send Instagram photos, sketch and send a dynamic drawing to a friend, and see who's calling. Return calls with voice or a voice-to-text messaging functionality.
- Substitutes for: A hotel room key, boarding pass, even your wallet - Apple Pay promises to enable grocery-store checkouts with a single tap of your wrist.
- "All-day" battery promises about 18 hours of life. Charge it by snapping a magnetic charger to the back of the watch.
- Advance orders begin April 10. In-store sales start April 24 in the U.S., Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and Britain.
SPANISH FORK, Utah (AP) —
Police say a baby who spent some 14 hours upside down in a car seat in freezing temperatures after her mother crashed their car into a Utah river is improving and expected to live.
Spanish Fork police Lt. Matt Johnson said Monday that the family has told him 18-month-old Lily Groesbeck is doing better. She was discovered midday Saturday by a fisherman in Spanish Fork after police believe her mother struck a cement barrier on a bridge and careened into the river.
Her mother, 25-year-old Lynn Groesbeck of Springville, was found dead in the car.
Johnson said police don't know what caused the accident late Friday night. He says there were no skid marks or signs of mechanical failures in the car. No one saw the wreck.