Jason Stanford refers to himself as an 'astronaut wife', because his actual wife and stepmother to their two sons, Sonia Van Meter, 36 (pictured together with sons Henry, 13, and Hatcher, 11) was one of the people chosen for the Mars One Project, a privately-funded one-way mission which hopes to establish a permanent human colony on the red planet. In an oped for Texas Monthly, Stanford writes of how he has come to accept his role in the process and the reality that he will have to say goodbye to his wife in 2026, when Mars One hopes to send the first four people to live on Mars. 'We're just an ordinary couple in an extraordinary situation, and we're taking it one small step at a time,' he wrote.

Bobbi Kristina Brown's loved ones turned a somber day into a jovial one Saturday when they left their tears behind at the 22-year-old's funeral and sang and danced their way to her celebration of life afterparty. Brown's aunt--Whitney Houston's sister Pat Houston--hosted the post-funeral reception at her Atlanta home. Bobbi Kristina's friends and family were seen chanting and smiling, many with arms raised heavenward, as they filed in to the party. The convivial atmosphere of the event undoubtedly came as a relief to mourners following the tension-filled funeral service where the clashing Brown and Houston clans mourned together before splitting off to separate receptions.

Shira Banki, 16, (left) was one of six people wounded in the assault on Thursday and succumbed to her wounds at Hadassah hospital today. Suspect Yishai Shlissel (inset) was arrested at the scene. He was pictured brandishing a knife and attacking marchers (right), before being restrained by police. Police have come under fire for not keeping the ultra-Orthodox Jew under surveillance as he had been released from prison only weeks earlier having been jailed for stabbing three at the same event in 2005.

The friendly hitchhiking robot was found damaged beyond repair in Philly, ending its journey early. HitchBOT set out to travel cross-country by relying on the kindness of strangers to pick it up and pass it on to other travelers. The world-traveled robot's trip began on July 17 in Marblehead, Massachusetts.

Ronda Rousey defended her bantamweight title by knocking out Bethe Correia only 34 seconds into the first round at UFC 190 on Saturday night. Rousey charged at Correia at the start and finished the fight by throwing a rapid sequence of punches at the Brazilian's head, landing a combination of right and left strikes that sent her opponent face-first into the ground and disappointed the home crowd that packed the HSBC Arena. It was yet another impressive performance by Rousey, who improved to 12-0 in her incredible MMA career. The UFC's biggest star arrived in Rio as the overwhelming favorite against Correia (9-1) after winning her previous three title defenses in a combined 96 seconds. She needed only 14 seconds to beat Cat Zingano at UFC 184 earlier this year.

Sabrina Corgatelli, from Boise, Idaho, has gleefully posted Facebook images of herself on big game hunts like the one taken by Walter Palmer, the Minnesota dentist who took the life of Cecil the lion (bottom right) in Zimbabwe, prompting an international outcry. Corgatelli has killed an impala, a kudu, a warthog and a wildebeest and - her largest quarry - a majestic giraffe (center), which she said she killed on July 24th. According to her social media posts, Corgatelli is still on her trip to eastern South Africa, which is likely to have set her back well in excess of $10,000. Despite a tide of online criticism describing her in hateful and obscene terms, she has continued to upload images of her ongoing exploits and remains defiant to her so-called haters. Top-right is a mocking image she posted in response to their criticisms.

The stone cottage in the appreciating Detroit suburb of West Village has become the epitome of an area that is having renaissance - and making a lot of money for people willing to invest the time and energy. When the house went into foreclosure in 2011, following a major flood from frozen pipes, it was listed for $26,000. It then sold at auction for $31,000. It is now listed for $279,000. Among the many renovations, the current owners put in new plumbing, new electrical, and knocked down walls and opened arches to make for a more open living feel (top right). The house also sits on a double lot (bottom right).

Pictures of the latest discovery on the Indian Ocean island's shoreline seem to show a handle with what appears to be a set of Chinese characters (left). Police (pictured right on the beach) took the object to be analysed to find out if it could be related to the wing flap found on Reunion on Wednesday - and discovered it was just part of a ladder.

Kaiser Carlile, a bat boy for amateur Kansas team The Liberal Bee Jays was left in critical condition after the freak accident during a National Baseball Congress game against the San Diego Waves. Carlile is in the intensive care unit of Via Christi St. Francis hospital in Wichita as a result of his injuries and his condition is listed as 'critical.'

Thirteen years after it opened as one of the most luxurious tourist resorts in the Peloponnese - with a blue-flag beach and A-lister clientele - Hotel Lakoni is half derelict. Now it is for sale - offered at five million euros - but privately said to be available for as little as half that price. The once-thriving 100-room luxury hotel in east Mani took three decades to complete and was built by a private developer who now owes 'significant sums' to the bank.

The Bin Laden private jet which crashed in England was pushed into a steep dive after climbing rapidly less than a minute before the disaster. The Embraer Phenom 300, pictured right, seconds before the disaster, failed to land at the Blackbushe Airport and instead slammed into the neighbouring car auction site, left. Three members of Osama Bin Laden's family, including his sister, Sana Bin Laden, believed to be pictured inset, died in the crash. Flight data captured by a nearby company showed the jet flew an unusual and unstabilised approach before crashing.

The Marine arrived home early to surprise his wife but caught her her on camera with another man. In the video, the Marine walks through the home and finds the woman in the bathroom with the other man. The video was posted to Facebook on July 28 and has since gone viral.

The group is the second to be rescued by the Peruvian special forces from the depths of the jungle, where they had been held for decades by Maoist rebel group Shining Path. Anti-terrorism police chief Gen. Jose Baella said they had been abandoned by the group, which is thought to number just 200.

When Brooklyn's Kate Siegel, 26, started posting her mother Kim's outrageous texts, they caused an Instagram sensation. Here Crazy Jewish Mom gives her colourful advice on dating, marriage and motherhood... much to her daughter's irritation.

A plucky cat named Felix went head to head with Neiko the tiger and even screeched at it in an intimidating manner while refusing to back down. The humorous footage, which is believed to have taken placed in America, captured the tiger looking very confused before eventually walking away from the cat. The much smaller feline stood its ground until the very end however.

This is Whoopi Goldberg's idyllic Victorian barn which has been snapped for $2 million just 10 days after hitting the market. The estate in Berkeley, California, features a three-bed main house, a detached three-bed cottage, and a tree-lined patio. And though it may look quaint, it has five garages fit for an A-list homeowner. So perhaps it is no wonder the place went for $750,000 higher than the asking price just over a week after it was listed.

A five-year-old girl has been hailed a hero for hiking barefoot up a cliff to get help after her mother and baby brother were knocked out in a freak car crash that sent their SUV hurtling down a 40-foot embankment. Angela Shymanski was driving her children from Calgary to their home in Prince George, British Columbia, when she unexpectedly passed out behind the wheel and veered off the cliff road into a tree in June. Her daughter Lexi awoke with a few scratches to see her mother slumped unconscious and her brother crying. Angela had broken her back, little Peter had bleeding on the brain, and they could not be seen from the road.

They can be found in hotels that seemingly want their pools to be one of their top selling points, with jaw-dropping and mesmerising designs. MailOnline Travel has compiled some of the wackiest hotel pool designs around the world. Pools include geothermal spas in Iceland (top left), blood-red waters in Thailand (top right), infinity pools in incredible locations (bottom left) and even one for vertigo sufferers to avoid (bottom right).

Photographer David Hylnsky made four trips to the Eastern Bloc in the late 1980s and took a series of more than 8,000 images showing the everyday products and services now taken for granted. Devoid of advertising or colour, they paint a grim picture of life in the last days of the crumbling Soviet empire. Included in the series of pictures are a bakery, top left, a confectionary shop, bottom left, a plumbing supplies store, left, and a cake shop, inset.

The firefighters in Saskatchewan, Canada, started pitching in to cover Tanner Brotzel's shifts so he could undergo life-saving cancer treatment - while still receiving his full pay and benefits. But now, seven months on, the men's selfless actions have been brought to an abrupt halt after officials in the province's capital city of Regina told them they could no longer work for Brotzel (pictured, right, and, left, with his niece). Instead, Regina Fire and Protective Services reportedly said that Brotzel - who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma last December - must either return to work or apply for long-term disability. In the latter case, Brotzel's disability benefits would apparently cover only a fraction of his pay - when they kicked in. Therefore, the cancer-stricken firefighter has decided to go back to work.

A helicopter has crashed during an air show at the Dubrovichi firing range in Ryazan region of Russia. One crew member was killed in the crash, and another was injured, but is in a stable condition. The helicopter was taking part in an aerobatic display at the air show, as part of the International Army Games. The games sees troops from Russia and other nations compete across the country.

Time-warped Pyramiden has become a popular curiosity in the Arctic Circle world of mountains, fjords and glaciers. It is on a fjord on Norway's Spitzberg island in the Svalbard. This summer eight Russians were employed at Pyramiden to look after the hotel and the coal-fired water system. Pictured is Alexander Romanovskiy, the Russian guard of the abandoned settlement.

A woman parting ways with her cat Susie penned a letter addressed to whomever next adopts the pet. Susie was handed over to the Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center in Maryland in May by a man saying he couldn't look after his late mother's cat. MCASAC community outreach coordinator Katherine Zenzano has said: ''We assume his mother knew this was going to happen because she wrote a letter to the person that was going to adopt Susie.' The woman's letter said: 'Susie is unusual but I enjoy her company. She is a good snuggler but she likes to be the boss. She enjoys being petted. She spends much of her time on my bed but always seems to know where I am. I hope you enjoy Susie as much as I have.'

Realist painter Nathan Walsh, from York, has spent the past 12 years painting the intricate details of cities such as New York, Paris and Barcelona. The sense of realism is partly created by Nathan's incredible use of geometry, which involves the artist sometimes sketching and photographing more than 100 images of a location before committing to the canvas. Pictured top left is Little Russia in New York, bottom left is Times Square, top right is Barcelona and bottom right is Verona.

Well known for their inquisitive behaviour, one marmoset monkey has made an unlikely new friend in the form of a green iguana, in a zoo in Germany. The female white-fronted marmoset can be seen giving the green iguana, who is almost bigger than her, loving pecks on the nose and even a little cheeky nibble. Despite its sharp claws and scaly skin, the iguana appears completely unfazed by the monkey's wandering paws.