Courtney Cox

NWA-16788, The Largest Mars Meteorite Found On Earth, Weighs 24.67 Kg—70% More Than 2021’s Taoudenni 002 (14.51 Kg, Mali). Discovered In Niger’s Sahara In Nov 2023 & Confirmed By The Shanghai Astronomy Museum, It Shows Little Weathering & Contains Maskelynite, Pyroxene, And Olivine. Sotheby’s Will Auction It On 7/16/25, With Bids Up To $4M.

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Shubhanshu Shukla Became The 1st Indian To Board The ISS Via Axiom-4, Which Launched On 6/26/25 With Astronauts From India, Poland & Hungary. Led By NASA Veteran Peggy Whitson, The 2-Wk Mission Includes 60 Experiments (7 By ISRO). Shukla Is India’s 2nd Man In Space, After Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 Soviet Mission. ISRO Paid $59M For His Seat & Training.

ESA’s Solar Orbiter, Launched In 2/20, Studies The Sun’s Atmosphere, Cycle, Wind, & Poles. In 3/25, It Took The World’s First Clear Image Of The Sun’s South Pole Using Venus Gravity Assists. By 2029, It’ll Reach 33° Tilt For Better Polar Views, Potentially Unlocking Solar Cycle & Space Weather Secrets. North Pole Images Are Expected In Oct 2025.

Denmark Will Have Europe’s Highest Retirement Age, 70 By 2040, For Those Born After 12/31/70. The Current Age Is 67, Rising Every 5 Yrs, Since 2006, Based On Life Expectancy. Critics, Citing A Strong Economy & Manual Labor Impact, Call It Unfair. Protests, Backed By Trade Unions, Have Erupted. PM Frederiksen Suggests Rethinking Auto-Hikes.

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China & Russia Signed An Accord To Build A Nuclear Power Plant On The Moon’s S Pole By 2036 As Part Of Their Joint Intl. Lunar Res. Station (ILRS), Using Automated Tech. ILRS Will Advance Lunar Research & Support Human Presence. China’s 2028 Chang’e-8 Mission Will Lay The Groundwork & Mark Its 1st Astronaut Landing. 17 Nations Have Joined.

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The Shuangjiangkou Hydropower Station (SHS) In Sichuan, China, Will Become The World’s Tallest Dam (315m) By Late 2025, Surpassing Jinping-I (305m) And Nurek (300m, Tajikistan). Generating 2,000 MW Yearly, SHS Will Power 3M+ Homes, Cutting 3M Tons Of Coal & 7M Tons Of CO₂ Emissions. China Will Then Hold 6 Of The 7 Tallest Dams Globally.

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Cardinal Robert Prevost, Now Pope Leo XIV, Is The First U.S.-Born Pope. The 69-Year-Old Chicago Native Holds Dual Citizenship With The U.S. And Peru, Where He Once Served As A Bishop. His Election Signals Continuity With Pope Francis‘ Reforms. He Previously Led The Vatican Office That Appoints Bishops. Global Leaders Welcomed His Appointment.

On 4/28/25, Spain & Portugal Faced Their Worst Blackout, Lasting 10hrs, With No Clear Cause. Cyber Attack Was Ruled Out; Possible Reasons Include Grid Failures With France, Renewable Energy Fluctuations, & Power Mismatches. Essentials Like Cash, Radios, Food, Candles, & Powerbanks Helped. The Event Stressed Preparedness And Tech-Free Living.

Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas, A Brazilian Nun And The World’s Oldest Person, Has Died At 116 In Porto Alegre On 5/1/25. Born In 1908, She Credited Her Long Life To Faith And Was Blessed By Pope Francis In 2018. A Football Fan, She Marked Birthdays With Her Team’s Stadium-Shaped Cakes. Ethel Caterham, 115, From England, Now Holds The Title.

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Don Pettit, NASA‘s Oldest Active Astronaut, Returned To Earth On His 70th Birthday After 220 Days Aboard The ISS, Bringing His Total Time In Space To 590 Days Over 4 Missions. John Glenn, Who Died In 2016, Remains The Oldest To Orbit Space At 77 In 1998. Pettit’s Soyuz MS-26 Capsule Landed In Kazakhstan With Russians Alexey Ovchinin & Ivan Vagner.