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  Published Date: 2020-08-02 

 Billed as an "autonomous kitchen assistant," the robot pilot aims to help the restaurant chain fulfill different cooking tasks while reducing the need for human contact. Image: Miso Robotics A White Castle location will debut a new employee in October that may be the first ever to flip hamburgers with robotic arms. The 365-unit hamburger chain has entered into a pilot with Miso Robotics its new "Robot-on-a-Rail" iteration of Flippy, an autonomous burger-flipping kitchen robot. This latest version of Flippy comes with "zero-footprint, cost-efficient robotic kitchen assistant solutions for evolving commercial kitchens that turns Flippy upside down and mounts … on a rail to maximize kitchen plan floor space wherever it is deployed," according to Miso's CEO and co-founder, Buck Jordan. Flippy, which debuted in California in 2018, is equipped with OSHA-compliant laser sensors for safe collaboration with humans, 3D and thermal scanners for eyes, and a cloud-connected AI brain, the company said. This latest iteration hinges the robotic arms on an upside-down rail to take up less space in the kitchen. "White Castle started talking to us about a year ago," Jordan said. "They were experiencing challenges prevalent in the industry, such as labor turnover and mounting operational costs to stay competitive and meet the needs of the on-demand delivery culture." The pandemic just accelerated conversations, he added. "Now, more than ever, we need automation to give the industry a boost and new opportunities in a new normal." SEE: Automation, it's what's for dinner: "Robot-run" restaurant opens in China (TechRepublic) After the Oct. 1 deployment at a location Jordan declined to name, he said, "we'll look at a larger deployment across multiple White Castle locations" with more details to come later this year. Flippy was originally designed with grilling capabilities but the design has evolved to include frying capabilities, he said. "While adding these enhancements, we've still managed to cut the upfront cost of Flippy for operators in half–the standard model will cost $30,000." Miso plans to continue to drop the price over the next year to $20,000 or less "to allow operators to essentially get Flippy for free and charge a monthly fee, robot-as-a-service," Jordan said. Additionally, Miso Robotics recently announced a partnership with PathSpot Technologies, a real-time hand hygiene management system designed to protect food service operators against the threat of illnesses and outbreaks. The PathSpot device scans employee hands to identify the presence of harmful contaminants in less than two seconds, according to Jordan. "This partnership advances sterile and healthy cooking environments, improving safety standards in kitchens to address the needs of the restaurant industry as it looks toward recovery," he said. It also will allow Miso to offer PathSpot's hand scanning device for optional integration into Flippy's design. Miso has also partnered with cloud platform provider PopID to enable merchants to offer consumers the option of authenticating their identity for contactless ordering and payments using facial recognition, Jordan said. Flippy can learn from its surroundings and acquire new skills over time, with grilling and frying capabilities, Jordan said. It is specifically designed to operate in an existing commercial kitchen layout and to serve alongside kitchen staff to fulfill a variety of cooking tasks safely and efficiently, he said. "Miso Robotics understood where we could improve and stay true to White Castle's brand of taste, innovation and best-in-class dining, said Lisa Ingram, CEO, in a statement. "A great customer and employee experience is in our DNA, and we are thrilled to bring the future into our kitchen with solutions that will transform the industry and make the White Castle experience all that it can be for generations to come." In addition to White Castle, Jordan said the company has had "great success" at the fast-casual CaliBurger restaurant's Pasadena, CA, and Fort Myers, FL, locations, and with a deployment at the Chick N' Tots stand at Dodger Stadium. "At CaliBurger we have served more than 15,000 burgers and at Dodger Stadium we have brought fans more than 31,000 pounds of chicken tenders and tots," he said. Jordan said that Flippy is meant to work alongside staff and business needs, "creating opportunities to develop new skill sets and operate in a more appealing field" such as food tech chef operators, while addressing the difficulty filling jobs plaguing the industry prior to the pandemic. Miso is helping restaurant operators build for their long-term growth. Incorporating automation into commercial food preparation empowers restaurant operators to safely reopen, attract customers, and bring staff back to work, he added. It reduces the need for human contact in the cooking process, enables social distancing, and decreases human error, Jordan said. "New skill sets can be acquired working alongside Flippy, with new opportunities for expansion when White Castle optimizes production, serves customers better, and creates an environment where employees can thrive in fulfilling roles." he said. "It's a path to a better future all around." 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  Published Date: 2020-08-02 

 Image copyright PA Media Image caption Mr Jenrick said parents would know that home-schooling is no substitute for the classroom Reopening schools in September is an "absolute priority" for the government and it will be safe, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has said. It comes after teaching unions called for clarity amid a rise in the number of coronavirus cases and the decision to pause lockdown easing in England. "We have to get children back to school in September," said Mr Jenrick. Schools are due to open in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to all pupils at the start of next term. They closed in March, except to the children of key workers, but some reopened to certain year groups before the summer holiday. However, unions have raised questions over the plans to reopen schools, after England's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty warned the country is "near the limit" for opening up society. And earlier this weekend, two scientists advising the government said there may need to be trade-offs around lockdown easing - for example some restrictions may need to come back into force so that it is safe to allow pupils back into the classroom. Asked about the issue by the BBC, Mr Jenrick said: "We have to get children back to school in September. "It's so important for the future for our children and for our whole country that they have face to face contact with their teachers in the classroom "We're working very closely with headteachers and the teaching unions to make sure that all the steps necessary are put in place over the summer so that the children can go back in September and it is an absolute priority for the government." Image copyright Reuters Image caption Schools in England began reopening to some year groups in June He said he believes that schools "will be safe in September". "We published very detailed guidelines and of course we're going to keep working with headteachers over the course of August as they finalise their own plans as to how their schools can operate safely in accordance with the guidelines. "This is a really important issue for the country. Everyone who is a parent knows that however much work has been put into remote learning over the course of recent months it isn't a substitute for getting children back into the classroom." 'Be transparent' On Sunday, Patrick Roach, the general secretary of the NASUWT teachers' union, told the Observer ministers will have to convince staff and parents that it is still safe to reopen schools next month. "The warning from the chief medical officer that a fine balance has to be struck in ensuring public health at this stage of the pandemic, and that the country may have reached the limits to the easing of lockdown, will no doubt prompt questions for many parents as well as for those working in schools," he said. Mr Roach warned that, if schools are to reopen safely, the government needed to give teachers clarification around the latest scientific advice "as well as sufficient time to review and, if necessary, adjust their reopening plans". The National Education Union also issued a statement, saying the government needs "to monitor the situation nationally and in each region" and "be transparent about what the picture means for schools". "It is clear, however, that [the] government needs a plan B in the event that restrictions have to be increased in or before September," said the union's deputy general secretary Avis Gilmore. Boris Johnson has previously pledged that both primary and secondary schools in England will return in September "with full attendance". Prof Graham Medley, a scientist advising the government, told the BBC on Saturday that pubs or "other activities" in England may need to close to allow schools to reopen next month. He said he believed most people "think that opening schools is a priority for the health and wellbeing of children and that when we do that we are going to reconnect lots of households". "And so actually, closing some of the other networks, some of the other activities may well be required to enable us to open schools," he added. "It might come down to a question of which do you trade-off against each other, and then that's a matter of prioritising. Do we think pubs are more important than schools?" A Department for Education spokesman said: "We have set out the controls schools should use, including cleaning and hygiene measures, to substantially reduce the risk of transmission of the virus when they open to all children from September." Mr Jenrick also dismissed newspaper reports that there were plans to introduce shielding for people above a certain age as "speculation". "You would expect the government to be considering all of the range of options that might be available," he told Times Radio. "That's not something that is being actively considered." On Friday, the PM said further easing of the lockdown would be delayed. Measures due to come in this weekend, including the reopening of casinos, bowling alleys, skating rinks and some close-contact services, as well as the return of indoor performances and pilots of large gatherings in sports venues and conference centres, have been postponed for at least a fortnight. Mr Johnson said on Friday he needed to "squeeze the brake pedal" on easing restrictions following a rise in coronavirus cases. Latest figures showed a further 74 deaths were reported in the UK on Saturday, taking the total number of people who have died after testing positive for the virus to 46,193. The latest government statistics also showed 771 new cases had been confirmed. 

  Published Date: 2020-08-02 

 The company says its speech technology can help students and educators avoid video conferencing fatigue. Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged universities to fundamentally reexamine how their students learn, with remote learning creating a new frontier for their educators. Since in-person learning isn't viable for every student, collaboration has become more important than ever. But the video meetings that have now taken over how people work and socialize are causing the phenomenon known as "Zoom fatigue," although it applies to every video conferencing platform. That may foster a new trend on college campuses this fall: Turning spoken lectures into highly accurate lecture notes. Otter.ai's Otter for Education AI speech technology aims to give both lecturers and students the ability to avoid Zoom call information overload, and more accurate notes to students if they miss a class, the company said. SEE: Microsoft Teams and Skype users can now chat together Otter for Education is being used by over 100,000 students for remote learning and academic accessibility purposes, and can be used in a virtual, onsite or hybrid setting, according to the company. The offering is available over Zoom and other online video lecturing platforms. The goal of Otter's technology is to boost remote classroom collaboration between teachers and students. The technology includes functionality for: Live comments: During lessons, students are able to view a live interactive transcript and can raise questions by adding comments during a lesson to seek clarification or more information from their teacher. This is an especially important feature when a lecture is conducted over video conferencing technology and educators' interactions with a full class of remote students could be minimized. Keyword search: Accurate, transcribed lecture notes can be searched by keywords. In addition, Otter auto-generates a collection of keywords at the top of each lecture transcript. Students can find what they think is the most valuable educational information and can follow up post-lecture with further questions and clarifications from their teacher. Embedded educational material: Additional educational material such as slides, and images can also be embedded into transcripts to aid students' learning experience. Otter generates smart notes that sync audio, text, and images. Users can search, play, edit, organize, and share meeting notes from any device via the Otter Voice Meeting Notes app. California State University (CSU), Chico is deploying Otter for Education to its entire teaching faculty for the fall semester. Faculty members using Otter for Education will capture and share lecture notes in real time with their students, the school said. "Learning at CSU is evolving quickly due to the current environment. With this full rollout of Otter's technology, our faculty can now capture and share lecture notes in real time with their students," said Jeremy Olguin, accessible technology manager at CSU, in a statement. CSU aims to empower its faculty to help all students receive a better learning experience and the flexibility for them to access the changing learning environment in a way that's most efficient and effective for them, Olguin said. "This is the challenge facing the vast majority of learning institutions right now, especially with lectures likely to be taking place in a hybrid mix of on-site and virtual classrooms for the foreseeable future." Warwick Business School in the UK is using Otter for Education for its online MBA program, as well as its joint global master's program in central banking, run in collaboration with the Bank of England. Teachers are relying on video content to deliver online lessons and Otter provides accurate transcripts to accompany each video, said Dot Powell, director of teaching and learning enhancement at Warwick, in a statement. "This is proving to be crucial to the learning experience for our online students as it is helping us to create more useful educational resources for them and receives universally good feedback from students." Peer note taking in education has long been plagued with challenges, as students were dependent on others for the quality, consistency, interpretation, and timeliness of their notes. Otter is being used by several academic institutions for students who require academic accommodations, including UCLA as well as other universities, community colleges, and Ivy League colleges in the US and abroad, the company said. "UCLA recognized we needed to offer our students with learning disabilities more control over their academic accommodations. We looked beyond peer note takers for a highly accurate, reliable, and easy-to-use app," said Dr. Nickey Woods, an assistant dean and former director of the Center for Accessibility at UCLA, in a statement. "Otter Voice Meeting Notes empowers our students with automated live transcription, removes their dependency on others, and enables them to access the learning environment in a way that's most efficient for them." This enables students to actively engage in lectures and study groups instead of focusing on note taking, he said. Otter for Education is also being used by students requiring academic assistance, especially the hard of hearing and deaf communities at Southern Utah University, according to Carmen R. Alldredge, director of disability services. "The COVID-19 pandemic and new mask requirements pose additional challenges for students who also relied on reading lips, as both teachers and fellow students now wear face coverings,'' said Alldredge, in a statement. "Otter has become even more invaluable during this uncertain time to ensure an enhanced education environment for our students." 

  Published Date: 2020-08-02 

 Image copyright PA Media A Conservative MP has been released on bail after being arrested on suspicion of rape. The Sunday Times reported the allegations against the former minister had been made by an ex-parliamentary employee. The Metropolitan Police said the allegations related to four separate incidents claimed to have taken place between July 2019 and January 2020. The Conservative Party called the allegations "serious". But it said the MP would not have the party whip withdrawn while the police investigation continued, meaning he can continue to sit in the House of Commons as a Conservative. Labour said this decision was "shocking" and sent a "terrible message from Westminster". The Sunday Times, which first reported the story, said the complainant alleges that the MP had assaulted her, forced her to have sex and left her so traumatised that she had to go to hospital. The Metropolitan Police said it had launched an investigation into the allegations. "On Friday, 31 July, the Metropolitan Police Service received allegations relating to four separate incidents involving allegations of sexual offences and assault," the force said in a statement. "These offences are alleged to have occurred at addresses in Westminster, Lambeth and Hackney between July 2019 and January 2020. "A man in his 50s was arrested on Saturday 1 August on suspicion of rape. He has been released on bail to return on a date in mid-August." A spokesman for the Conservative Party whips' office said: "These are serious allegations and it is right that they are investigated fully. "The whip has not been suspended. This decision will be reviewed once the police investigation has been concluded." For Labour, shadow minister for domestic violence and safeguarding Jess Phillips told Times Radio the MP accused of rape should have the party whip withdrawn while investigations continued. She said that not doing so was "sending a terrible message from Westminster". Ms Phillips also said: "I find it shocking… that the Conservative Party has decided not to withdraw the whip in this case." There are also reports that the Conservative Party's chief whip, Mark Spencer, had been aware of allegations - and previously spoke with the alleged victim. According to sources, Mr Spencer had not known the "magnitude" of the allegations. A spokesman for the chief whip said that he took all allegations of harassment and abuse extremely seriously and had strongly encouraged anybody who has approached him to contact the appropriate authorities. 

  Published Date: 2020-08-02 

 Image copyright Justin Dew Image caption Justin and Kay say they are still waiting for a couple more refunds from cancelling their reception Couples due to get married had hoped that from 1 August, receptions of up to 30 people would be allowed in England. That's what the government had planned for the next stage of lockdown easing. But last week, they put back the date, and receptions can still only be attended by a group of six people outside, or two households inside. It means many brides and grooms have rehashed their plans once, and now have to cancel or change them again. 'Heartbreaking to see her face' For Justin Dew and his fiancee, Kay, their day on 14 August will be a far cry from the 90-guest wedding they had originally planned. The couple had cut the guest list to 30 but, following the latest announcement, have cancelled their reception completely. However, they are going ahead with the ceremony. "We thought about it and we've decided that the most important thing is to get married," says Justin, 43, from Essex. "We we want something positive to come out of this so come hell or high water we'll be husband and wife on 14 August." The couple plan to broadcast the ceremony - which will be attended by 10 people, the maximum that can fit safely in the small register office - via Facebook. "I've got family abroad so we've decided to stream the wedding as a Facebook Live so that if they can't come to us they can be with us in another way," says Justin. "Our honeymoon is booked to Spain, would you believe. We'll probably cancel that as we can't isolate." Justin says he is gutted. "It's been in planning for over a year and although we'll get married we won't share it with everyone. "It's heartbreaking, my missus has put so much effort into everything. It's heartbreaking to see her face." But he adds: "I'm just happy that through technology we can still share the day with friends and family. It's not what we could have had but luckily we can still share the day. "August was meant to be the most exciting month for us but at least we can still get married, that's the main objective." What are the rules for weddings? Image copyright Getty Images Wedding ceremonies or civil partnerships (but not receptions) with up to 30 guests have been allowed since 4 July in England and the government has published guidelines on how to have a "Covid-secure" wedding. The guidelines list a series of restrictions, including that no food or drinks should be consumed as part of the ceremony and hands should be washed before and after the exchanging of rings. Northern Ireland has allowed outdoors weddings with 10 people present since early June. Wales and Scotland also now allow wedding ceremonies to take place, but social distancing must be observed, and big gatherings are not allowed. At present, receptions can only be attended by six people outside or two households inside. A planned relaxation in restrictions to allow a total of 30 people to attend wedding receptions from 1 August has been put back until 15 August at the earliest. 'Three separate receptions' Jane Watson and Dom Horsley, from York, are due to get married next weekend. Before the virus, the couple's plan was for a small ceremony with immediate family in Leeds and then a "big party" a couple of days later - but that prospect was axed when lockdown started. They then hoped to have a reception of 30 people in Jane's parents' garden. But after the government rowed back on allowing receptions, they're now looking at other ways they can celebrate. Image copyright Jane Watson Image caption "I guess everybody's got to pull their socks up and get on with it," says Dom "Luckily the wedding is still going ahead in some form or another," says Dom. "We want to get married. We love each other. And we're really hopeful we can do it in some way. "And whether that means that we end up having to have sort of three separate receptions afterwards where we put groups of six people and go around and see them for a few hours… We just want to do it whatever form we can." "It's been pretty stressful," Jane adds. "I realise there are more important things going on but for us it's quite stressful, we're just trying to make plans that include people that also stick by the guidelines." She says one of the worst things is that Dom's elderly grandparents will not be able to come. "We're trying to include them in some way by maybe going to their home so they can at least see us through the window in our wedding stuff." 'Frustrated, disappointed and confused' Alex Barclay and Katharina Lederle have already postponed their wedding once. The couple were due to celebrate with 90 friends and family in May over two floors of a West End club in London. They then postponed to 6 August and arranged a picnic for 30 people. But now they say they will probably only have four guests - including a photographer. "We're frustrated, disappointed and confused about the government announcement." Alex says. "There's a lack of logic, a lack of consistency to allow people in pubs, but not a socially-distanced wedding." Image copyright Katharina Lederle Image caption Alex Barclay and Katharina Lederle had originally planned to get married in May They have had to cancel their suppliers, which, Alex says, is having a "massive financial and emotional impact". "We knew quite soon we wanted to get married this year," Katharina says. "When we heard you could have 30 people outdoors, we thought, 'great'." Now the advice has changed they still hope to get married at Chelsea Town Hall and will possibly have a "little picnic" with their witnesses. 'Our plans are up in the air' Kirsty Drake is supposed to be getting married on 15 August in two weeks' time - when the decision on easing restrictions again is due to be reviewed. She had finalised plans this week for a small wedding reception but now the restrictions mean she is unable to go ahead with the gathering at her venue after her ceremony. "I'm a little bit emotional about it today," she says, speaking the day after the announcement. "Everything is all up in the air again." "What I don't understand is that if I wanted to now I could book six tables in a restaurant outside and sit and have a meal with those same group of people I've just got married with. We'd have to [socially distance] at the venue anyway. "In our situation it would be safer to have a meal at the venue where we are due to get married." 

  Published Date: 2020-08-02 

 Image copyright Reuters One of India's best known film stars, Amitabh Bachchan, has been discharged from hospital after being treated for Covid-19. Last month the 77-year-old actor told his millions of Twitter followers that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. On Sunday, he said he had left hospital after testing negative. He thanked his fans for their prayers, as well as staff at Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai for their "excellent care". Skip Twitter post by @SrBachchan T 3613 - I have tested CoVid- have been discharged. I am back home in solitary quarantine. Grace of the Almighty, blessings of Ma Babuji, prayers & duas of near & dear & friends fans EF .. and the excellent care and nursing at Nanavati made it possible for me to see this day . pic.twitter.com/76jWbN5hvM — Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) August 2, 2020 Report Bachchan was admitted to hospital last month along with his son, Abhishek, who also tested positive. The actor's daughter-in-law and granddaughter also had positive tests. India is currently seeing a surge in coronavirus infections. On Saturday, the country reported more than 57,000 new cases in 24 hours - the highest daily total to date. It was the third day in a row that India recorded more than 50,000 new cases. Maharashtra, home to the financial capital, Mumbai, is the worst affected state. But there are rapid rises in many other parts of the country including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Assam. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Amitabh Bachchan: India fans prayed for Bollywood star to beat Covid-19 Amitabh Bachchan is one of the world's most prolific film stars having been involved in 200 films in five decades as a star. With roles in hit movies such as Zanjeer and Sholay he has a huge fan following in India, South Asia and among the Indian diaspora in countries including the UK. Since rising to fame in the 1970s, he has won numerous accolades including four National Film Awards and 15 Filmfare Awards. France has also bestowed its highest civilian award on him - the Legion of Honour - for his contribution to cinema. Outside acting, Bachchan had a brief stint in politics and was elected as a member of India's parliament in 1984 at the behest of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. But he resigned three years later, disillusioned by a corruption scandal under Mr Gandhi's government. 

  Published Date: 2020-08-02 

 Video Six year-old Ayaan and Mikaeel, along with their community, have raised more than £37,000 for the Yemen crisis. With the ongoing conflict in Yemen tens of thousands of lives have been lost. An estimated 24m people, equivalent to 80% of the country's population, are now in need of humanitarian aid to survive. The scale of this crisis is the largest in the world, according to Unicef. When best friends Ayaan and Mikaeel from Redbridge, east London, learnt about this they set up a lemonade stand to raise funds because they wanted to help. Video by Gem O'Reilly 

  Published Date: 2020-08-02 

 Image copyright EPA Florida is preparing for Tropical Storm Isaias which is expected to hit the US state later on Sunday. Isaias, the ninth named storm of 2020, was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm after battering the Turks & Caicos Islands and the Bahamas. "Don't be fooled by the downgrade," Governor Ron DeSantis warned residents. State authorities have opened shelters and closed beaches and parks. Florida is one of the US states worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic. It has recorded more than 480,000 coronavirus cases, the second highest number of all US states after California, which has double the population. Coronavirus testing centres are being temporarily shut and there are fears the hurricane could hit nursing homes already badly affected by the Covid-19 virus. How has Florida been affected so far? Early bands of heavy rain lashed the state's Atlantic coast early on Sunday morning. The storm is now continuing along the coast with winds gusting up to 110km/hour (68mph). A voluntary evacuation order is in place for people living in mobile or manufactured homes. Officials are grappling with opening shelters that comply with social distancing regulations and prevent the spread of the virus. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Matt Taylor reports on storm Isaias Mr De Santis told residents to anticipate power shortages and to have a week's supply of food, water and medicine. Isaias has already uprooted trees, destroyed crops and homes and caused flooding and landslides in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. At least two people have died. 

  Published Date: 2020-08-02 

 Image caption The bar said customers who had visited on 26 July had tested positive for coronavirus A cluster of 13 cases of Covid-19 linked to a pub in Aberdeen is being investigated by public health officials. NHS Grampian said the cases were associated with The Hawthorn Bar in Holburn Street in the city centre. The pub said the outbreak was linked to customers who visited on 26 July. All those who tested positive are showing only mild symptoms, though the health board said there may be further cases linked to the cluster. They said physical distancing measures were in place at the bar and contact tracing was being carried out in line with the Scottish government's Test and Protect scheme. Continue trading Dr Emmanuel Okpo, consultant in public health medicine, said: "Our health protection team are speaking to the confirmed cases, establishing who they have been in contact with and providing further advice on isolation and testing as required. "We are also carrying out wider contact tracing work, as part of the Test and Protect scheme. "We cannot rule out the possibility of detecting further cases linked to this cluster." Image copyright Google In a statement published on their Facebook page, management at The Adams & The Hawthorn said they had been given permission to continue trading and that appropriate safety measures were in place. They added: "It has been brought to our attention that there have been customers who visited our venue on Sunday 26 July that have tested positive for Covid-19. "We wish to inform all customers that we have been visited by environmental health since being notified. "We were given approval from the local authority to continue trading with our measures in place and have co-operated fully. " The statement said the venue had undergone deep cleaning as well as "decontamination by fogging". "We assure all customers we have been and continue to do our utmost to protect their safety and we continue with strict rules and measures in place," it said. "We do ask all customers to be extra vigilant and adhere to our policies at all times." 

  Published Date: 2020-08-02 

 Image copyright NASA Image caption Dragon Endeavour departed as the station flew over Johannesburg, South Africa US astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken have undocked their Dragon Endeavour capsule from the space station to begin their return to Earth. The pair are expected to splash down off the coast of Florida just after 14:45 EDT (19:45 BST) on Sunday. A successful landing would mean America once again has a fully serviceable, fully certified means of getting its own people into orbit and back. This capability was lost when the country retired its shuttles in 2011. The US space agency Nasa and its commercial partner, SpaceX, have chosen a splashdown location well away from Hurricane Isaias, which looks as though it will track up the eastern coast of Florida. Waiting recovery vessels are therefore being directed to the Gulf of Mexico, to waters off Pensacola in western Florida. Mission controllers are following strict guidelines on permissible wind and wave conditions, and will study the latest forecasts before giving a final "go" for re-entry. Image copyright NASA Image caption Bob Behnken (L) and Doug Hurley (R) launched to the space station at the end of May When that happens, Hurley's and Behnken's capsule will light its thrusters to begin the drop out of orbit. It's a high-speed descent, initially at several kilometres per second, and will see Endeavour experience heating of up 2,000C on its shielded underside as it pushes down through the atmosphere. Two sets of parachutes are programmed to deploy - a drogue system at about 5,500m (18,000ft) in altitude when the capsule is still moving at approximately 560km/h; and then four main chutes, at 1,800m in height, which should gently deposit the vehicle on the ocean surface. As is always the case with a re-entry, there will be a few minutes of radio silence as hot gases (plasma) temporarily envelop the craft. Image copyright NASA Image caption Nasa and SpaceX practised the splashdown procedures in an uncrewed mission last year It's 45 years since the last US crewed capsule made an ocean splashdown. That was an Apollo vehicle which returned to the Pacific after meeting up with a Soviet Soyuz craft above the Earth. Doug Hurley said he'd read the reports from the time and discovered that astronauts could experience some nausea when bobbing about on the water waiting for recovery. "There are bags if you need them, and we'll have those handy," he told reporters on Friday. "We'll probably have some towels handy as well. If that needs to happen, it certainly wouldn't be the first time. Folks that fly in space know that sometimes going uphill can have an effect on your system and sometimes coming downhill is the same way." The astronauts launched to the space station at the end of May. Their ascent on a Falcon-9 rocket, again provided by SpaceX, ushered in a new era in American spaceflight. Nasa has decided it will no longer own and operate crew transportation hardware in low-Earth orbit, preferring instead to buy this service off commercial partners. California's SpaceX company is the first provider. Much of its hardware, including parts of the Falcon rocket, is reusable. This approach had reduced costs, said Nasa Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "We established basically the high-level criteria, the requirements, in terms of payload and safety, but we didn't get involved in designing everything downstream. We let private companies go and innovate. That ultimately drove us to a point where we're now reusing these rockets, reusing the capsules, and of course, we want to apply that to what we do with the Moon and eventually Mars," the agency official explained. The Boeing company is also developing a "taxi service" to the space station, but has had to delay its introduction after encountering software problems on its Starliner capsule. Assuming this demonstration mission is completed successfully with a copybook splashdown, Nasa will move forward with routine, "operational" SpaceX flights, perhaps as early as the end of September. Endeavour will go for refurbishment with the expectation it be put back on a rocket next year. The crew for this flight, by chance, will include astronaut Megan McArthur, the wife of Bob Behnken. The husband said he would have some tips on where best to pack personal items in the capsule. "Just like on any trip, if you pack things appropriately, it can be fun," he joked. "But if you pack everything at the bottom of the big van that you take on vacation, and you've got to get it all out one item at a time at various times, it can be tiring and eat into your enjoyment." Hurley and Behnken are bringing back a commemorative US flag that was left on the space station by the crew of the last shuttle mission (which happened to include Doug Hurley). The Stars and Stripes also flew on the very first shuttle mission in 1981. It's expected to go back into space again when America returns astronauts to the Moon later this decade. Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos