are now about to egress or exit from dragon crew endeavour. —— are favourite space dads. this is been about a 19 hourjourney home all starting yesterday as they departed the international space station. this hatch will be manually opened. you're watching bbc news and these are live pictures from nasa of mesa astronauts are live pictures from nasa of nasa astronauts doug hurley and bob behnken having returned to earth, imminently being removed from their space capsule. there we have the door opening of the spacex dragon capsule which not long ago splashed down just off the coast of florida. the minutes spent two months in the international space station, and these astronauts are stepping out of these astronauts are stepping out of the capsule after a 21 hourjourney from space down to earth.

our science correspondent jonathan amos joins me from cambridge. and also libby jackson, and also libbyjackson, who is from the uk space agency. jonathan, it's taken quite a while to get these quys taken quite a while to get these guys out. now we see them coming out one by one. they've had some concerns about some chemicals that we re concerns about some chemicals that were venting from the thrusters of the spacecraft, thrusters used to manoeuvre dragon in orbit, bring it back down. but once they purged all the gases, then they were happy to bring the drag until macro astronauts out. so we are about to see doug hurley and bob bank and emerge from their dragon capital, and they'll be met by medical staff from nasa —— one. i'm sure they're fine, they are veterans of space flight, fine, they are veterans of space flight, they know what it's all about. they will see there fine, then they will be away on their way

to florida to be with their families. libby, how will they be feeling physically after spending so long in space? two months is certainly enough time that you've adapted to life in a weightless environment. so we know that when astronauts come back, they won't suddenly feel —— they will feel the pull of gravity again. some respond better than others, so there will be getting used to the gravity again, feeling their balance systems getting used to it. that can be quite disorientating. perhaps a little queasy, but they'll be quite happy to be smelling the fresh air again back at sea without those toxic fumes, which is always good. always happy to be back and smiling. and they'lljust be getting used to feeling the pull of gravity on themselves again. and they getting taken away to get medical tested.

how long before they can be reunited with theirfamilies, how long before they can be reunited with their families, for example? their families will be waiting for them back home, they mentioned they will be flown back to houston where their families will be flown back to houston where theirfamilies are. will be flown back to houston where their families are. you can see they've got some stretchers there, they'll be taking their chances of making sure they feel up to it. the checkups don't usually take very long, there reallyjust making sure that they are fit and healthy. but the monitoring of their health will go on for many months because it can ta ke go on for many months because it can take it, after two months, it will ta ke take it, after two months, it will take 4—6 months for their bodies to be adept. they'll have missed tell macro lost muscle and bone mass. so they will be checked out for quite some time in the future. jonathan, it's been many years since a space capsule like this landed in american

waters? yes, you have to go back to 1975, the last us splashdown in water. that was the famous apollo soyuz meet up high across the earth where they did that famous handshake, the apollo ten commander flew on this particular mission where he shook hands with the great soviet cosmonaut alexi lee and off, the man who did the very first space walk. they shook hands, and that was kind of the moment where international space endeavour began because now the united states and russia are partners on the international space station. but it is that moment that we look back too, when the apollo craft came back from that handshake moment, it splashed down in the pacific and we haven't seen a us capsule splashdown in water since then, 45 years ago.

let's have a quick listen to the nasa feed, because it's quite fascinating, the conversation between mission control in the guys down there with the capsule. capsule loud and clear. just a quick calm checked therebetween dragon and mission control here. which is one to think you guys for bringing them home safe before we disembark, i'm sure they will have some good words for you guys as well. but thanks for doing the most difficult parts and the most important parts of space flight the most important parts of space flight and bring us home safely. thank you again for the endeavour. thank you again for the endeavour. thank you again for the endeavour. thank you bob for the awesome words, it's been and always your tell macro honour and a pleasure to work with you, from the spacex team. jonathan, isn't it interesting that bob

benhken talking to mission control, saying thank you so much for putting taking us through the most difficult parts of this endeavour, putting us into orbit and bring us home — and they really are the most difficult, most risky parts of any space travel, aren't they? yes, i mean this is a hazardous business, whichever phase of flight you are in. but the assent is difficult, and the descent as well. we all know how difficult that can be, having seen one of the shuttles burn up on reentry back in 2003. so yes, it is important that everyone stays focused. and you will have seen the michelin control in hawthorne, california, where spacex is based. they've been running this mission because it is their spacecraft that they're selling to nasa, and they

will be mightily relieved as well to see it all go to plan, and to see bob and doug get out of the spacecraft and very good shape, which i'm sure — it's often been described to me that sometimes the brain doesn't quite connect with your muscles after you've been in space, so your muscles after you've been in space, so it is not, for example, that you don't have the muscles to lift up a cop, her cup of coffee, but your brain doesn't understand how your muscles should do it. and you do need help, and this is why, in this early phase of coming out of the capsule, they will be helping them. because they would be unsteady on theirfeet, if them. because they would be unsteady on their feet, if they were to suddenly ask them to stand, they would probably fall over and bang their head. and that's not what you wa nt after you their head. and that's not what you want after you come back from space. no, ithink want after you come back from space. no, i think that is probably the safest way to go. libby jackson, i think that is doug hurley coming out. he, together with his colleague, are very experienced astronauts, aren't they? doug hurley

was 011 astronauts, aren't they? doug hurley was on the very last space shuttle flight was on the very last space shuttle flight back in 2011. they've both been veterans of a number of mentions tell macro missions. bob benhken took part in four spacewalks, just in this mission alone when they were up in space for two months, helping to replace some old batteries that a space station needed. fresh patties tell macro batteries to lasted well into the future. so they were very well trained and experienced, just what you wanted, which was a test flight, the first time this test flight has taken humans to and from space. they we re very taken humans to and from space. they were very well—trained, knew what to expect and were prepared for anything that might have gone wrong. it looks like it's been a very successful mission from beginning to end. libby, just remind viewers who may have joined us, end. libby, just remind viewers who may havejoined us, why end. libby, just remind viewers who may have joined us, why is this so significant? there really two key reasons, but the first is that this is america sending humans to and

from space on their own rocket from their own soil, which is the first time they've been able to do that since the space shuttle retired in 2011. it allows us now to have a different way to send astronauts to and from the international space station. we've been using the russian soyuz spacecraft for the la st russian soyuz spacecraft for the last 11 years —— nine years exclusively. and we've always had ways of doing things, because if there's a problem with one system, there's a problem with one system, there's no tell macro another way of going. but there's a new chapter defining this, a paradigm shift and that this opens the door and is the beginning of commercialisation. in the past, the soyuz spacecraft that i mention has been owned and operated by space agencies like the government. in this time, rather than nasa asking industry to build them a space craft and they run it,

they essentially bought two tickets to space from spacex. just like you ori to space from spacex. just like you or i would buy aeroplane tickets, nasa have done this with spacex. and this opens up space up to anybody who wants to come along with deep enough pockets to fly into space. this will change the way that space is financed, it will bring down the cost, and it will allow space agencies like nasa in the european space agency, which the uk as a part of through the uk space agency, and to focus our efforts on returning humans to the moon and to mars, and all the challenges, knowledge and excitement that they will bring us. libby, will it mean that civilians can travel into space in the near future? yes, i think we've already got tom cruise in discussions with nasa to fly in the future. so you

have to have very deep pockets, but the prices will come down. we are also seeing opportunities in suborbital tourism. so a spacecraft will be going through space, but other people are allowing people to buy to get there. you will also see other countries around the world, who perhaps today haven't been able to bea who perhaps today haven't been able to be a part of these missions buying tickets, so they can have their own national head into space. and as we've seen with the tmp commission back in 2015 here in the uk -- tim commission back in 2015 here in the uk —— tim pique, sending people into space can be hugely influential. and all that is key to exciting and engaging our younger generations. we live in a technological tell macro technology— based world, and we need

people to get excited by these. in space has a huge benefit on shining the benefits of technology around. we saw the mission control group applauding as the second astronaut, i think it was doug hurley, was successfully removed from the capsule and a stretcher. jonathan, one question to you, what happens next? i know spacex will have to proceed with similar missions to the international space station, won't they? what happens next in this whole plan? well, nasa has engaged them under a service contract to ta ke them under a service contract to take its astronauts up to and back from the international space station. it has also engaged the boeing corporation to do exactly the same. we will see those flights become routine, the whole point of this mission was that it was an end—to—end demonstration of that service, and nasa was buying it. so

this is the new normal, if you like. but this whole process of contracting out from nasa, it has saved billions of dollars, and it wa nts to ta ke saved billions of dollars, and it wants to take astronauts back to the moon. it's got a programme which it calls artemis, and aims to put the next man and the first woman on the surface of the moon in 202a. we will see if they absolutely manage that, but certainly this decade, they want to see people on the surface of the moon again. so nasa is shifting his attention away from the running tell macro a run—of—the—mill orbit to pushing humans further out into space pushing humans further out into space were pushing humans further out into space were pushing them back out into space, because of course we've been celebrating the 50th anniversary of apollo. but this is where we are now, we are in a twin track where the commercialisation avenue has been really opened up in low earth orbit, and we expect the commercialisation to spread out much

further into space. so as nasa goes to the moon this decade, it will be taking commercial partners with it. for example, when they need to land cargo on the surface of the moon to support its astronauts, that cargo will probably be delivered by commercial companies that it has engaged. it won't be nasa doing it itself. so you are watching the start of a new era in space flight. it kind of feels like we've been stuck in low earth orbit from tell macro for 45 years. hopefully we will pick up the promise of a apollo all those years ago. when apollo happened, we thought mars was next. but it hasn't happened yet. soon maybe it will happen. jonathan and libby, it's been an absolute pleasure to have you both on the programme. thank you both so much for your input and insight.

moving on the other news, one of the top doctors on the white house covid—19 task force has warned that the us has entered a new phase in its fight against the virus. deborah birx said the disease was now a greater threat than when the outbreak began and cautioned people living in rural areas that they were not immune. lets's speak to our correspondent peter bowes, who's in los angeles. a stark warning from dr birx? yes, she said the virus is now extraordinarily widespread. and she referred to this new phase, saying that the virus essentially is as prevalent in america's rural districts as it is in urban america. your member the beginning of the outbreak as it was spreading across the united states, in march and april, it was those major cities like new york city that were worst affected. new york was the epicentre for some consider full—time, affected. new york was the epicentre for some considerfull—time, but thatis for some considerfull—time, but that is not the case now. it is those urban areas, the sunbelt of

america, those southern states, florida, texas, arizona, and here in california that are the worst affected. and focused in on — she talked about multi—generational families, people who live in the same home, parents, children and grandparents, saying those people should seriously consider wearing a mask at all times, even while they are at home. she also talked about americans returning from holiday, presumably holiday around americans returning from holiday, presumably holi again, und americans returning from holiday, presumably holi again, she said neighbourhood. again, she said that those people should consider that they are infected, maybe they haven't had a test, but they should assume they are infected and self—isolate when they get home to stop the potential spread of the virus within their community. how likely is it, given the attitude in america towards coronavirus, that people will adhere to those bits of advice? i think that's the big

problem at the moment. here in california around the los angeles area, one of the worst affected parts of the country right now, where you are supposed to wear a face mask if you venture outside of your home, and clearly a lot of people are still not doing that. i was at one of the beaches in los angeles county just a was at one of the beaches in los angeles countyjust a few days ago, and it was a reasonably dizzy beach— my estimate was about 5% of people on the beach were actually wearing masks, despite signs posted that it was compulsory to wear a mask. people seem to follow the rules if they're going to the doctor's office or of the supermarket. but it's in places where there is a perception that they are not in danger that people seem to let their guard down. peter, thank you very much. here in the uk, the government has insisted that further coronavirus restrictions will be targeted at local levels — with no plans for a national blanket approach. it comes after reports that new measures are being considered to avoid a nationwide lockdown. the housing secretary,

robertjenrick, also said that ministers will press ahead with plans to reopen schools in england to all pupils in september — despite concerns that it could drive up cases. here's our health correspondent lauren moss. it's the third day of tougher restrictions in parts of northern england to try and stop the recent rise of coronavirus infections. since friday, families and friends from different households have been advised not to mix. there's speculation even stricter steps could be taken. here in halifax, people are adjusting to the new rules. it's not good for me because yesterday would have been the first day i could've gone into where she lives. but obviously, with the new restrictions, i can't go in. looking around at the kids, they've been off school for nearly six months now. will they go back in september? which is more important, schools going back or pubs staying open? two of my family have had it and, fortunately, both recovered but it is a horrible,

horrible thing and we have got to try and protect each other from it. those over the age of 50 could be asked to shield if there is a second wave had been dismissed by the government. there is a lot of speculation about what might happen in the future but we are targeted rather than a blanket approach. if the rate of infection rises to a concerning level, we will take decisive action and you can see that we have done that in leicester and we're doing it now in the north west. some experts believe it could mean more specific measures for particular, at—risk groups. by being able to estimate your personal risk of either being in hospital and of suffering from severe disease if you do go into hospital, people might then be able to find tune their own behaviour. in orderto in order to reduce the risk based on

their true risk estimation. but containing the virus is notjust about monitoring our behaviour. according to the scientific advisory group for emergencies, up to one in three people may still not be aware about coronavirus symptoms are. anyone with a high temperature of 37.8 degrees or higher, a new or continuous cough, or a recent change or loss of their taste or smell should isolate for ten days and get a free covid test within the first five days of symptoms appearing. with schools in england are expected to reopen in a month, teaching unions have called for clarity and a plan b if more restrictions are necessary. the july target to routinely test care home staff and residents has been pushed back to september due to a limited number of kits. some care home managers in england say that may impact families being able to visit. coronavirus cases have risen by a quarter in the last fortnight.