The astronauts spent nearly three months in space

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Three US astronauts have returned safely to Earth after a record-breaking stay in space.

The men - Dr Edward Gibson, Lieutenant Colonel Gerald Carr and Lieutenant Colonel William Pogue - proved mankind can live in space for prolonged periods.

They spent 85 days in the American space station, Skylab, which orbits the Earth at a height of 270 miles.

It was Nasa's last manned space flight for this decade and the third and final mission to Skylab.

Skylab will now be abandoned as space junk and is expected to break up in the atmosphere in about 11 years.

After a five hour journey through space the astronauts splashed down, as planned, in the Pacific Ocean in spite of a leak in one of the two jets on their landing craft.

Dr Gibson emerged from the scorched Apollo capsule saying "I feel great".

The three men overcame many of the problems associated with living in space, such as weightlessness.

The astronauts experimented with new diets and exercise routines to counter the changes in muscle, blood and bone commonly experienced by space crews.

It will still take them several weeks to fully recover from their three month trip, but they were already re-gaining their sense of gravity on board the assault ship - New Orleans - that picked them up off San Diego.

The 20,000 photographs and 19 miles of sound recordings the astronauts brought back with them will take scientists and astronomers several years to analyse.

A joint US-Soviet mission early next year - the Apollo-Soyuz project - will mark the last use of the rocket technology that landed Apollo on the moon and launched Skylab.

Nasa's first phase of extra-terrestrial adventure began 15 years ago and has so far cost millions of dollars.

The second chapter of space discovery will begin in the 1980s with a reusable shuttle.

Trumpeters sound the accession of the new monarch and Defender of the Faith

Lords of the Council - numbering 150 - representatives from the Commonwealth, officials from the City of London - including the Lord Mayor - and otherdignitarieswitnessed the accession of the deceased king's eldest daughter this morning.

The new monarch read an official Proclamation - also ordered to be published - declaring her reign as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second.

Queen Elizabeth II read: "By the sudden death of my dear father I am called to assume the duties and responsibilities of sovereignty."

"My heart is too full for me to say more to you today than I shall always work, as my father did throughout his reign, to advance the happiness and prosperity of my peoples, spread as they are all the world over."

Her husband, Prince Philip of Greece, the Duke of Edinburgh, was also present at the 20 minute meeting at St James's Palace.

The couple returned to the UK yesterday after cutting short a tour of the Commonwealth - beginning in Kenya a week ago - because of King George VI's sudden death on 6 February.

After the Accession Declaration, at 1000 GMT, the new Queen held her first Privy Council meeting and her Proclamation was signed by the Lord Chancellor, the Prime Minister, and many other Privy Counsellors along with representatives of the Commonwealth and the City and the Lord Mayor of London.

During the ceremonies the 25-year-old Queen also took an oath to assure the security of the Church of Scotland and approved several other Orders in Council.

Other dignitaries formally announced the new sovereign across the UK and Commonwealth.

In a statement this evening UK Home Secretary Sir David Fyfe asked the nation for two minutes' silence on 15 February when the late King will be buried at St George's Chapel, Windsor.

dignitary: an important or influential (and often overbearing) person（权贵，高官）