uncomfortable, so what we're trying to do is learn every day, continue to evaluate the travel experience every day so that we can continue provide an environment that people feel comfortable and safe when they fly. >> reporter: before boarding, a team of cleaners go row by row wiping down seats, trays, tables, knobs, anything people might touch. then the plane is disinfected using an electro static fogger. also used in hospitals, it sprays a mist that kills bacteria. they can fog a plane even this 787 in ten minutes. by june, united plans to do this fogging between every flight on every plane. how does fresh air get into the plane? >> through tinlets.or >> yes. >> reporter: maintenance managing director says it runs through a hepa filter like this that strips out bacteria and viruses. for for passengers inside

they're getting new air how often? >> 2 to 3 minutes. >> reporter: linda bowen and her family are waiting to board a flight after her mother passed away. she admits she's a little nervous. >> just the people situation, you know, being in a crowd, if there was going to be too many people around, not practicing the social distancing, not wearing masks. but i found that most are. >> how are you? >> reporter: she is kboerding by group number, now they are boarding back to front. as passengers get on they're handed sanitizing wipes. bowen's flight had less than 40 on board. before taking off, they taxied past dozens parke plas of the us facing airlines and employees like flight attend apt nick ingan. >> everybody is wearing masks when they get on the airplane. they take their seat, they social distance. people are ready to get out and battle again. >> reporter: the debate over how many people should be on the

plane, two members of congress say it should be capped to fliers rights. emergency petition with the faa to limit it to half. but airlines say they need planes to be 70% full in order to be profitable. right now airlines say they're averaging 31 passengers per domestic flight, but their numbers are trending up in the last couple of weeks. >> the count down has begun to next week's historic launch of the space x. crew dragon. elon musk's rocket will be carrying two astronauts to the space station. it marks the dawn of a new era in commercial space travel. mark strassmann introduces us to the astronauts who will be piloting the craft. >> doug hurley. >> reporter: their introduction deserved to be splashy. >> bob benkin. >> reporter: bob and doug are space x's inaugural crew. they'll launch in the company's reusable rocket, the falcon 9,

annd the of a n tthe s station. both men flew on space shuttles. both have traveled twice before to the space station. hurley piloted atlantis there in 2011. >> roger, atlanta. >> reporter: final flight of the shuttle program. and you didn't know whether you'd floy again or for whom. >> i wasn't sure i wanted to fly again to be honest with you. >> reporter: you're a nasa astronaut about to step into a space x. capsule. >> it's completely different than what you'd imagine yourself doing. >> reporter: hurley 53 grew up in upstate new york. he was an athletic kid who went to tulane. hurley is a retired marine and flight test pilot. bekin is 49 born near st. louis. he has a ph.d. in mechanical engineering. both joined nasa in 2000. they have been friends for two

decades. >> i have to believe it's a help. >> we're way past the polite stage in our relationship. >> i'm not looking for romance from doug. i'm not looking for surprises in our relationship. he's predictable in a way that over 20 years i've built a model for him and i can tell you what he's going to say as we go forward. and he can tell you what i'm going to do based on just hearing the tone of my voice or seeing the look on my face sort of thing. >> one characteristic i think we have in space is we don't quit. we don't give up. and we like a big challenge. and, by gosh, we certainly got one. >> reporter: they both met their wives in the nasa astronaut class of 2000. he married megan macarthur. hurley married karen nighberg. >> they're great guys. >> obviously we think so. >> reporter: in 2009 robills he

of the hubble telescope. they have a 6-year-old son, theodore. >> try to talk to him as normal as possible. this is mommy and daddy's job. launch a rocket and go to the space station. it's normal for him to observe. >> reporter: she has spent 180 days in space iips to the sfas . >> did you and your wife leave notes for each other? >> we should have. >> we should have. >> apparently her hair is still up there. i get reports all the time. she has long blonde hair. they're still finding it in the filters up there. >> reporter: what is it like to be married to other astronauts and launch into this new era of space exploration? >> thing is we know how they're going to feel on launch day. it is way harder on them to watch somebody that you care forget on a rocket and go fly than it is for the two guys on the rocket. it's a tbethe one >> reporter: on launch day, hurley's son jack will be watching. he drew this picture of his father's space ship.

>> he hasn't talked about being scared or nervous. he talked about how proud he is of his dad. i don't want to talk about being scared or nervous and have him pick up on that. >> reporter: they'd all rather focus on potential rewards for america and astronaut dads. >> the thing i'm looking forward to is being able to experience this with my son. it will be new for him. to talk to him from space and talk to him about the mission after i come back, i'm excited for him to see it with ms. own eyes and experience it. >> that was mark strassmann reporting from the kennedy space center. the "cbs overnight news" will be right back. to be honest a little dust it never bothered me.

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if the pandemic has put your summer vacation on hold, you may want to consider a virtual tour of some far away land. conner knighton shows ugs how that's done. >> reporter: a few years ago i took a trip to ferrell islands located halfway between iceland and norway. the collection of small 18 islands is officially part of the kingdom of denmark and is easily one of the most beautiful places i've ever been. i was hoping to go back for a vacation this year, but obviously those plans have changed. >> we haven't had any tourists here for the past seven or eight weeks, and it looks like it's going to be a very tough summer

as well. >> reporter: buddy hanson works for the ferrell east tourism bureau. when we met in 2017, he mentioned it can sometimes be challenging to attract visitors w i mote place, and we sometimes have this feeling of being like david against goliath. >> reporter: but ferrell island's tourism hasn't steadily been on the rise. 2020 was set to be a record-breaking year. >> this was definitely going to be our busiest year. we have two new hotels opening up. doesn't sound a lot. but in the ferrell islands -- >> reporter: i remember. we couldn't find a hotel. those hotel reservations are all canceled now. but once covid-19 completely shutdown tourism, hanson and his team decided that they would serve aye and ears of those who were forced to put their trips on hold.

at remote-tourism.com, you can now guide the ferrowese guides. there are live streaming everye a new pson g e chance to direct their movements from home. >> when you press forward, we move forward. when you press left, we turn left. and when you press jump, well, we jump. >> reporter: even if you don't get a chance to snag a minute at the controls, it's fun to watch no matter who is in charge. the guides that hopped onto boats. >> as a virtual tourist, you can ride. >> reporter: horses and helicopters. >> it's a bit surreal knowing you're being controlled in a completely different country many, many miles away. >> as you can see, the houses are quite close together. >> reporter: if there's something you want to get a closer look at, a press of the button transmits a live instruction to the guide's ear piece. >> okay. >> reporter: what's the percentage of helpful version us messing with you?

have people been making you jump and run left and right? how's that balance? >> we considered that a lot before we did this. most people have been very helpful. but there have been a few cheeky people who asked us to run and jump a lot. it's part of the fun. >> i'm not satisfied until i find sheep. >> reporter: i was one of those cheeky people. when i got my turn at the controls of the tourist, i couldn't help going at the levy spaces. >> you can see them at the top. >> reporter: i think it's time to run at those sheep. >> you're going to make me run again? >> reporter: sorry, buddy. >> i'll obey your orders. >> reporter: while the guides will often make suggestions about where they'd like you to steer them -- >> ask me to turn to the left here. i'll show you a beautiful view. >> reporter: you're given the halftime say. the hope, of course, is some of these online visitors will turn into in-person visitors one day. then really, what better way to show off a destination than to

show that in the rrow is

a british world war ii veteran who inspired the world with an epicty walkettiim os elite honor.

queen elizabeth is awarding captain too many moore of knight hood. charlie d'agata had that story from london. >> reporter: captain tom has just entered the realm, a knight of the realm, to be exact. captain sir thomas moore. and when that letter arrived, he says he was overawed. >> i thought this can't be true. i've always said this won't happen, and now it appears it actually had, but i certainly would never anticipating that that letter wrote arrive for me. >> reporter: the world war ii veteran captured the heart of the nation and the world by walking laps of his garden to raise roughly $1200 for british health care workers. >> anxious to go, and there he is. >> reporter: he ended up raising 40 million. he was given an honorary promotion toe colonel on his 100th birthday last month. i asked then whether he entertained the notion of knight hood. there's a lot of talk about giving you knight hood.

i know how i feel about t. what do you think of sir tom? >> the idea is rather nice to be called sir thomas moore, but it isn't going to happen. >> reporter: it's got a nice ring to it. i don't know. for the moment, the ceremony of kneeling before the queen is obviously on hold. >> i'm looking forward to that. i hope she's not very heavy handed with the sword. [ laughter ] it might be rather poor old weak soul. >> reporter: but a soul with the strength to lift the nation. charlie d'agata, london. [ applause ] >> bravo, sir thomas. and that is the overnight news for this thursday. for some of you, the news continues. for otheheck back later for "cbs this mo"anyou ca on any tcbsnews.com. reporting from the nation's capitol, i'm jeff pegues.

♪ ♪ captioning sponsored by cbs >> o'donnell: breaking news tonight-- state of emergency. record-breaking flooding in michigan after water reaches two dams, forcing thousands to evacuate. >> evacuate the area! >> o'donnell: houses submerged, is building torn building torn off, the national guard moving in, and all of it in the middle of a pandemic as workers screen evacuees for coronavirus before they can take shelter. we're on the ground tonight. all 50 states ease restrictions. after almost two months, america begins to move to reopen. ford temporarily closes two plants after workers test positive for covid. how the major automaker says it is keeping its employees safe. racing to a cure: what happened in monkeys after they were exposed to the virus?