PBS NewsHour - Science

NASA's Orion spacecraft splashed down Sunday afternoon just off California's Baja Peninsula in the Pacific Ocean. The 26-day Artemis 1 test mission marked a significant step toward returning astronauts to the moon. Miles O'Brien joins Geoff Bennett to discuss the mission and what's next. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

In our news wrap Saturday, Russian drone strikes knocked out energy infrastructure across southern Ukraine, a major storm system moving inland from the Pacific Coast threatens severe weather across the U.S., and Republican Kari Lake has asked a court to throw out Arizona's election results after she lost the race for governor in November. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Over the past few months, activists have targeted priceless works of art to call attention to the climate crisis. These viral moments are grabbing attention, but is the message getting through? We look at how these protests could be both helping and hurting in the fight against climate change. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The nearly month-long Artemis 1 mission to the Moon is slated to end on Sunday with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. On that very day 50 years ago, Dec. 11, 1972, the last Apollo astronauts set foot on the moon. Space historian Andy Chaikin, author of the definitive account of the Apollo missions "A Man on the Moon," joins Miles O'Brien to discuss the parallels. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

For 27 years, the United Nations has held annual gatherings of world leaders to discuss how to combat climate change. Yet progress towards the goal of stopping global warming has been elusive, and this year's summit is happening against the backdrop of host country Egypt's record of human rights abuses. Sarah Kaplan, climate reporter for the Washington Post, joins Ali Rogin to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The fate of the rapidly disappearing Amazon rainforest is in new hands after Brazil's latest election. President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made fighting the climate crisis and protecting the Amazon a cornerstone of his campaign. Michael Mann, director of the Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media at the University of Pennsylvania, joins Geoff Bennett to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

President Biden arrived in Egypt for the COP27 U.N. climate talks. The president pledged new money for renewable energy projects around the world, and a greater push to cut emissions of methane. But he also is hearing a plea from the developing nations that are suffering the worst damage from climate change. William Brangham reports. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

In our news wrap Sunday, Biden, Obama and Trump campaigned in Pennsylvania with just two days until the midterms, delegates gathered in Egypt today for the opening of the United Nations COP27 climate summit, the Houston Astros clinched their second World Series title after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Powerball jackpot has grown to $1.9 billion with no winner yet. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

This weekend, nearly all of us will set our clocks back one hour. It's part of the twice-a-year ritual of alternating between daylight saving time and standard time. William Brangham looks at the history of changing the clock and a movement to do away with this process, once and for all. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

A painting thought to be by Johannes Vermeer isn't a Vermeer after all. The 17th-century Dutch master left behind few works, so take even one away and it's a big deal. New technology is allowing experts to see art in a different way and help make these judgments. Jeffrey Brown visited the National Gallery of Art in Washington for our arts and culture series, "CANVAS." PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

After having life-changing strokes, Kate Kennedy and Allen Oliver found themselves diagnosed with aphasia, a disorder marked by a patient's inability to communicate clearly. They had to relearn how to write, read and speak, all alongside other aphasia patients at Boston University's Aphasia Resource Center. They share their Brief But Spectacular take on how language is your life. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

For people with disabilities, innovating ways to navigate spaces and use products that weren't designed for them can be part of everyday life. For some, that has meant making their own tools, modifying existing ones or entirely reimagining environments. Special correspondent Cat Wise spent a day with inventors in Berkeley, California. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The climate crisis is now a reality worldwide, but it's nowhere more apparent than the parched landscapes of northern Africa. Thousands are on the move looking for water to grow crops and graze livestock. Special correspondent Willem Marx looks at just how dire this crisis has become. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The Great Salt Lake in Utah is the largest body of water in the western hemisphere without an outlet to the sea. Its levels fluctuate naturally, but scientists say the record-low water levels the lake has seen in recent years are worrying. A megadrought means less precipitation, and a growing population is taking more water before the lake can refill. Stephanie Sy reports. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

NASA's recent Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission, known as DART, successfully altered the orbit of a planetary object for the first time ever. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, and author of the new book "Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization," joins Geoff Bennett for our Weekend Spotlight to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders