The world loses its Starman as tributes pour in following the death of David Bowie. The news continues to look star-ward as the Cassini spacecraft reaches Saturn after a seven-year, two-billion-mile journey, marking a landmark moment in space exploration. Drama unfolds closer to home when a passenger jet makes a crash-landing on the Hudson River, with all 155 people on board surviving in what later becomes known as the “Miracle on the Hudson”. In geopolitics, Romania bans the Communist Party and Moscow moves to recognise Lithuania’s independence as the Soviet Union continues to unravel. Meanwhile, the West edges closer to conflict in the Middle East after UN weapons inspectors discover Iraqi warheads. Within months, a US-led invasion is under way. All are revealed on the front pages of The Independent.
