Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Friday, state TV footage showed, after a delay caused by their spacecraft being struck by debris in orbit. The Tiangong Space Station, the crown jewel of China's space programme, is crewed by teams of three astronauts exchanged every six months
US Air Force Plane Flies Into Eye Of Storm Melissa, Captures Breathtaking Footage Of Nature's Fury
US Air Force Plane Flies Into Eye Of Storm Melissa, Captures Breathtaking Footage Of Nature's Fury
The US Air Force's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, famously known as the Hurricane Hunters flew into the eye of Hurricane Melissa on Monday to collect vital data for the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The footage and observations were shared by “Tropical Cowboy of Danger" in a thread on X. The user is also an US Air Force Hurricane Hunter with two decades of flying experience, including ten years on weather reconnaissance missions. A self-described “unprofessional" photographer, he has captured extensive high-resolution images and video of Hurricane Melissa.
In the video, he says that the first pass approached Hurricane Melissa from the southeast shortly after sunrise, with the crew observing the bright arc of the far northwest eyewall as sunlight crested over the storm, revealing the eye.
On the second pass, the aircraft entered from the southwest, moving through the eyewall where NOAA personnel were conducting outbound operations. Despite the hurricane's strength, conditions were calmer than during the intense mesoscale activity encountered 36 hours earlier.
The third pass was captured with ultra-high-resolution cameras, including an 8K GoPro mounted on the side window. A fourth pass provided additional side-view footage as the crew experimented with camera angles to document the hurricane's structure.
Second pass through Hurricane Melissa entering from the southwest side. Passed NOAA in the eye wall as they headed outbound for home.Obviously a very powerful storm but a relatively straightforward one on this flight. Much less nasty meso activity than 36 hours ago. pic.twitter.com/uNICbQ4j9r
— Tropical Cowboy of Danger (@FlynonymousWX) October 27, 2025
The fifth and final pass, shortly after noon, entered from the northwest and exited through the southeast quadrant. Data from all passes will feed forecasting models and improve understanding of Melissa's evolving intensity and structure.
Storm chaser Tanner Charles, featured by CNN, BBC, Discovery and The Weather Channel, shared striking photos of Melissa as well.
Hurricane Melissa packed sustained winds of up to 175 mph (282 kph) on Monday afternoon as the slow-moving Category 5 storm headed toward Jamaica, potentially making it the largest hurricane on record for the Caribbean island.
Melissa was classified as a “catastrophic" storm — the strongest possible on the Saffir-Simpson scale, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC). The agency expects Melissa to pass over Jamaica late Monday or in the early hours of Tuesday, cross eastern Cuba the following night, and move over the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos by Wednesday.
Yeah, this is wild. Screen grabs from the Hurricane Hunters videos of Melissa. #hurricanemelissa pic.twitter.com/YF7oAtLXqJ
— Tanner Charles 🌪 (@TannerCharlesMN) October 27, 2025
The storm's slow progress over unusually warm Caribbean waters contributed to its growing size and strength, forecasters said, threatening Jamaica with days of unprecedented winds and up to three feet of rain. Melissa's wind span is already wider than the length of Jamaica, an island roughly the size of Connecticut, where main airports sit close to sea level.
Hours after ordering mandatory evacuations for parts of southern Jamaica, including the historic town of Port Royal, Prime Minister Andrew Holness called for international support and warned of potential damage to homes, farmlands, and infrastructure such as bridges, roads, ports, and airports.
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Despite warnings, some residents told news agency Reuters they were reluctant to leave over fears of looting. Authorities said buses were waiting to transport roughly 28,000 people under the evacuation orders.
“There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5," Holness said.
Source: News18
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Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Friday, state TV footage showed, after a delay caused by their spacecraft being struck by debris in orbit. The Tiangong Space Station, the crown jewel of China's space programme, is crewed by teams of three astronauts exchanged every six months
3 months ago
