Nasa confident of fix Nut picker up, up and away Dolphin calf dies

Nasa is replacing leaky seals in its moon rocket at the pad in hopes of launching it on its first test flight by the end of this month. Managers yesterday said they will conduct another test after the repairs to ensure all hydrogen fuel leaks are plugged. If that test goes well Nasa could take another stab at launching the 98-metre rocket in late September. A series of hydrogen fuel leaks and other problems halted launch attempts last week.

Chinese state media say a man has been found safe after he spent two days aloft in a hydrogen balloon, travelling about 320km after it became untethered and flew away. The man, identified only by his surname, Hu, and a partner were collecting pine nuts in a forest park in Heilong jiang province in northeastern China when they lost control and the balloon sailed off. The other person jumped to the ground, and a search was launched for the escaped balloon and Hu. State broadcaster CCTV said rescuers were able to contact the man by cellphone the following morning and instructed him to slowly deflate the balloon to land safely. Hu was in good health, apart from a pain in his lower back, possibly from standing the entire time.

Monkeypox vaccinations rising

The White House is optimistic about a decline in monkeypox cases and an uptick in vaccinations against the infectious virus, despite worsening racial disparities in reported cases. Promising to ramp up vaccination offerings at LGBTQ Pride festivals in the coming weeks, Dr Demetre Daskalakis, the deputy coordinator of the White House national monkeypox response, said more than 460,000 doses have been given. An end to the virus’ spread, however, is not in sight.

An Irrawaddy dolphin calf rescued and nursed day and night for weeks by veterinarians and volunteers after his rescue from a tidal pool on Thailand’s shore has died despite all their efforts. The baby was nicknamed Paradon, roughly translated as “brotherly burden,” when he was found by fishermen on July 22, and dozens of veterinarians and volunteers helped care for him at Thailand’s Marine and Coastal Resources Research and Development Center in Rayong in the Gulf of Thailand.