Parked at Gostomel Airport we find the only completed Antonov An-225 Mriya, which is the world’s biggest aircraft! (the American “Spruce Goose” has a larger wingspan, but it only ever flew once, and the Mriya is larger in terms of overall size). Compare its size to those ‘normal’ planes over to the East.

Originally designed to carry space shuttle as part of the Soviet Space Program the An-225 is now available commercially if you happen to need 250 metric tonnes of stuff carried about the world (5 tanks? 8 buses? 1,500 people?). Alternatively, it can carry up to 200 metric tonnes externally on the specially designed “roof-rack”.

There’s loads of ground-level pictures showing the six engines and 32 wheels on air and space.com.

Thanks: Al Cohole, Scott Richardson, Eddie & Paul

These are the Diomede Islands, two islands only 3km apart but one is in Russia, the other in the USA. These islands are right in the middle of the Bering Straights and the international dateline runs right in between them. Therefore, you can stand on the eastern island in Alaska and look into “tomorrow” in Russia, pretty trippy.

The Diomede Islands are often mentioned as likely intermediate stops for some kind of bridge or tunnel spanning the Bering Straits, which would be one big and expensive bridge!

Thanks: Adrian & Gut