On 2 November 2000, a US astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts became the first full-time crew of the International Space Station (ISS). Expedition 1’s Bill Shepherd, Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko

How will automatons transform our world? We take a look at the latest smart silicon mechanoids, from quirky companions to tireless workers and frontline fighters

Speak your mind

Who hasn’t watched a show like Gladiators or Total Wipeout and thought: “Yeah, I could do that”? Or even: “I bet I could do better”? In my case, that thought also extended to – wait for it – astronaut

Once Upon a Time in Space Monday 9.00pm BBC Two

Today, down jackets built for K2 are worn on the school run and premium waterproofs pop up in pubs. In their photo book, Max Leonard and Henry Iddon track down hard-as-nails but unheralded mountaineers and the fabric innovators who put them safely – and sometimes even stylishly – on summits to ask how we got here