Reuters Science News Summary

SpaceX capsule carrying NASA astronauts slated for August 2 return The NASA astronauts who traveled to the International Space Station in SpaceX's first crewed flight in May are expected to return to Earth on Aug. 2 after spending two months in orbit, a NASA spokesman said on Friday.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs. SpaceX capsule carrying NASA astronauts slated for August 2 return

The NASA astronauts who traveled to the International Space Station in SpaceX's first crewed flight in May are expected to return to Earth on Aug. 2 after spending two months in orbit, a NASA spokesman said on Friday. U.S. astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will gear up for the final benchmark test of SpaceX's so-called Demo-2 mission: a coordinated splashdown somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean that will cap NASA's first crewed mission from U.S. soil in nearly a decade. UAE aims to launch Mars mission on July 20: Dubai Media Office

The United Arab Emirates said on Friday it would launch its mission to Mars on July 20, depending on weather conditions at the launch site in Japan, Dubai's media office said on Twitter. The launch of the UAE’s Hope Probe from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center has been delayed twice due to unsettled weather. The probe is set to make a seven-month journey to the red planet before orbiting it and sending back data about the atmosphere. Steroid's COVID-19 benefits confirmed; spotlight on immune cells

The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Full dexamethasone trial results released