As the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is preparing for its first crewed mission in more than half a century, Artemis II crew member Reid Wiseman had one of the most difficult conversations with her daughters.

The 50-year-old discussed his own death plan with his teenage daughters.

He is a single father and raised Ellie and Katherine after the death of his wife, who lost her life to cancer in 2020.

Before heading to NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre, he took his daughters for a walk and mentally prepared them that he might not return from the 10-day lunar flyby mission.

Wiseman said: “Here’s where the will is, here’s where the trust documents are, and if anything happens to me, here’s what’s going to happen to you.”

“I actually wish more people in everyday life talked to their families in that way because you never know what the next day is going to bring,” he added.

The mission is scheduled to launch from Florida on Wednesday, April 1. The crew includes three more members named Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

The crew will make the journey around the moon in the Orion spacecraft, the first human mission to the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

Wiseman said that while his daughters initially had “zero interest” in his launching again after spending five months on the International Space Station in 2014, they eventually came around after discussing the importance of the mission with him, even baking him moon-themed cupcakes the following morning.

He acknowledged that the toughest part is “the stress” he is putting on his daughters. 

The Swiss government is considering dropping the agreed purchase of the Patriot air-defence system from the United States amid severe delivery delays, Defence Minister Martin Pfister said Wednesday.

“Cancellation is always an option in the event of a delay,” he told the ATS-Keystone news agency.

Earlier Wednesday, the defence ministry announced it would continue suspending payments for the system “until the United States has firmly announced new delivery dates and payment deadlines”.

Switzerland, which is not in Nato, had ordered five Patriot systems in 2022, with delivery scheduled to begin this year and to be completed in 2028.

But last July, the government said it had been informed by the US defence department that the deliveries to Switzerland would be delayed as Washington strived to provide more support for Ukraine.

Switzerland first suspended its payments for the system last autumn.

“We are still operating on the assumption that we will receive the delivery, but we don’t know when,” Pfister said, adding that the government was mulling various options.

“A possible cancellation is one of them, but we don’t know the conditions,” he said.

Unauthorised payment

Last week, the Swiss government said the United States had circumvented the freeze on its payments for the Patriot system by dipping into Swiss payments into the same fund but intended for its purchase of a fleet of F-35A fighter jets.

This manoeuvre was authorised, head of the Swiss armaments department, Urs Loher told Swiss media.

However, “if the fund’s liquidity falls below a critical threshold, projects may be suspended or even abandoned in the event of a further decline”, the Swiss defence ministry said in Wednesday’s statement.

“This could affect not only the acquisition of the Patriot system but also the entire Swiss portfolio within the framework of the (Foreign Military Sales) programme with the United States,” it warned.

The ministry noted that Washington had said it would inform Switzerland in the coming weeks about the next steps in the operation, delivery schedules and the costs and consequences of a potential interruption.

According to its statement, a recommendation on this matter will be submitted to the government “by the end of June, 2026”.

In early March, Bern announced its intention to examine the acquisition of an additional long-range surface-to-air missile system, preferably manufactured in Europe, to complement the Patriot system.

Last month, the government also said that it now wanted to buy only 30 F-35A fighter jets, instead of the 36 ordered, after Washington last year hiked the price tag, citing high inflation and surging raw material and energy prices.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding planning has been going on in full swing – and is almost done ahead of their June 13 ceremony.

The 36-year-old pop superstar and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, also 36, have both been actively involved in the preparations, and now they are about to make it all official.

While earlier reports suggested that the grand event would be taking place at the Eras Tour performer’s Rhode Island estate, insiders have now updated that the ceremony will be split between Swift’s mansion and a luxury resort nearby, Ocean House.

“The guest list grew, so the ceremony and private gatherings associated with the wedding [will be split between the venues]. Taylor always has a plan B and C for every scenario. They feel confident hosting it there. The entire area will be very private and guarded,” insiders told Us Weekly.

The sources near Swift divulged that the couple went over the guest list a few times and it came down to 150 people. While the wedding is not huge, it sure will be traditional.

The source told the outlet that the couple has still not sent out physical wedding invites but their friends and family all know the venue and the date.

Speaking of June 13, they said, “The wedding timeline is based on Travis’ offseason rhythm,” so that they’re able to enjoy their honeymoon without any hurry.

Swift’s dad Scott Swift will reportedly be “walking her down the aisle and all the classic touches, like the father-daughter and mother-son dances,” will be checked off the list, they added, “Taylor loves those emotional, meaningful moments, and Travis [is] on the same page.”

The Love Story hitmaker has already picked out the dress, and it is currently under final tailoring, and as for her bachelorette party, the Grammy winner “has already asked her close girlfriends, like Selena and Gigi, to sleep over at her Rhode Island home the night before the wedding.”

Although, the source maintained, both of their families have been fully supportive and hands-on with help wherever required, the couple have mostly been the ones making the calls.

The Swifts and Kelces have also been tight-lipped whenever asked about the details about the couple’s big day.