With Liverpool's depleted squad hit by a Covid outbreak, could the chance of an FA Cup upset be on the cards for Steve Cotterill’s Shrewsbury at Anfield this afternoon. Follow our guide for all the ways to watch a Liverpool vs Shrewsbury Town live stream, and watch this FA Cup tie exclusively in the US on ESPN Plus or FREE on 10Play in Australia wherever you are in the world.
Reds assistant manager Pep Lijnders was the latest member of the home side's staff to test positive for coronavirus, after the club's midweek clash with Arsenal was called off. He joins Klopp, Alisson, Joel Matip and Roberto Firmino who are all isolating while the likes of Thiago Alcantara, Takumi Minamino, Nat Phillips, Divock Origi and Harvey Elliott are absent through injury.
Add in the fact that Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita are now at the Africa Cup of Nations, a golden opportunity may be in store for League One Shrewsbury Town.Currently 14th in the table, Salop come into the match off the back off a crucial 1-0 victory over fellow mid-table dwellers Sheffield Wednesday.
Here's how to get a Liverpool v Shrewsbury Town live stream and watch this FA Cup fixture online today .
How to watch a FREE Liverpool vs Shrewsbury live stream
Watch Liverpool vs Shrewsbury Town live stream from anywhere
If you're abroad right now and struggling to tap into your local coverage of the game, you'll want a VPN . This'll help you circumvent the geo-blocking that will try to stop you watching a Liverpool v Shrewsbury Town live stream in particular parts of the world.
They're a useful means of getting around this issue, are cheap, and easy to set-up as well. Here's how it's done.
Use a VPN to watch Liverpool v Shrewsbury Town from anywhere
How to use a VPN
Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three...
1. Download and install a VPN - as we say, our top choice is ExpressVPN .
2. Connect to the appropriate server location - open the VPN app, hit 'choose location' and select the appropriate location.
3. Go to the broadcaster's stream - head to your home broadcaster's site or app and watch as if you were at home - so that's ESPN Plus if you're from the US.
How to watch Liverpool v Shrewsbury Town live stream in the US
Can I watch a Liverpool v Shrewsbury Town FA Cup live stream in the UK?
Having wrestled the rights away from BT Sports, ITV now share live broadcast duties with the BBC for FA Cup matches in the UK. The great news is that eight Third Round ties will be shown live on free-to-air TV, but the bad news for anyone looking to watch Liverpool v Shrewsbury is that this game has not been selected by either network to be televised live.
That means you won't be able to watch the action from Anfield unfold as it happens on TV in the UK... unless you already subscribe to an overseas streaming service that is showing the game, such as ESPN Plus . Make sure you use a VPN , as described above, if you're a US citizen trying to access Liverpool vs Shrewsbury Town while in the UK.
The James Webb Space Telescope owes its success to Hubble's bumpy start
* Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story stated that Conrad Wells described the Hubble aberration as a major embarrassment for NASA. That characterization is incorrect. Mr. Wells only stressed that NASA took the matter of quality control much more seriously when it came to the James Webb Space Telescope. The story has been updated to clarify Mr. Wells' remarks. *
When the Hubble Space Telescope launched in April 1990, it was an instrument decades in the making. Originally called the Large Space Telescope, Hubble was the most advanced telescope ever deployed at the time and promised to give us a view of the universe unlike anything we'd ever seen before.
Almost as soon as we started taking pictures with Hubble, though, it was painfully clear that something was wrong. A "spherical aberration" was blurring the images , distorting the details, and making faint structures in the universe difficult hard to detect.
It was discovered that a slight flaw in the machining process of Hubble's primary mirror produced an error of just one-fiftieth the size of a human hair, but it was enough to reduce the quality of the photos considerably.
Corrective optics were installed on Hubble in a 1993 servicing mission that acted like a pair of corrective glasses to counter the effect of the aberration and Hubble went on to return truly awe-inspiring images for nearly three decades thereafter, but it was a hard lesson to learn that almost ended in disaster.
But NASA was determined to learn it before launching the James Webb Space Telescope, one of the highest-stakes deployments NASA has ever undertaken.
What the heck happened with Hubble anyway?
Hubble's primary mirror was fabricated by a company called Perkin-Elmer Corporation, beginning in 1979. The 7.9-foot/2.4-meter surface was ground with incredible precision, but when dealing with the incredibly faint light of distant stars, nebulae, and galaxies, incredibly precise sometimes isn't enough.
During the grinding process, miscalibrated equipment introduced a defect in the curvature of the mirror of just two microns, which is enough to blur the images Hubble takes.
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory director Lew Allen headed up the investigation into the defect and found that a reflective null corrector hadn't been measured properly and it directed a polishing machine to shape the wrong curvature into the otherwise perfectly smooth surface.
In fact, the resulting defect exactly matched the flaw in the offending null corrector, and a second reflective null corrector had actually identified the mistake. However, technicians rejected the test results showing the error and assumed a test showing the mirror to be properly shaped was correct.
Allen blasted both the contractor for its lack of quality control safeguards as well as NASA for not catching the error before launching Hubble. Both these conclusions left a lasting impression on the agency, and when work began on the James Webb Space Telescope just over a decade later, the conclusions of the Allen report would not be forgotten.
Preventing another Hubble debacle
Conrad Wells, a Senior Optical Systems Engineer at L3Harris and a lead engineer on Webb's optical telescope element, told TechRadar on Monday that NASA made took the matter of quality control very seriously when it came to Hubble's successor.
"When the Hubble Space Telescope went up, it had a little bit of a problem," Wells said. "It turns out they didn't do that full, system-level test on the Hubble Space Telescope. They tested the primary mirror, they tested the secondary mirror, they tested all the systems in it, but they never took light from one side of it all the way to the other."
That kind of full-system testing matters, since it is what most closely replicates the actual operation of the telescope in practice. Fortunately, Hubble was able to be repaired and the defect corrected, and those repairs and what engineers learned from that process lives on in Webb in a couple of ways.
First: test, test, test. In order to carry out the kinds of tests that would instill confidence in the James Webb Space Telescope, L3Harris engineers used the second largest vacuum chamber in the world and brought it down to less than 25 degrees Kelvin using compressed liquid helium to reproduce the operating conditions Webb will be working under at L2.
They then went through every step in the process of aligning the 18 panels that make up the primary mirror of the telescope just as engineers are set to do in the next couple of weeks, down to simulating starlight with fiber optics and ensuring that light accurately reaches all four of Webb's main instruments.
They also made sure that those instruments are all confocal, so that they are all able to focus on the same object properly. All while operating the optics at temperatures approaching -400 degrees Fahrenheit in a vacuum.
"All of us have a high degree of confidence that the optical system is going to work well," Wells said. "This is the second time that we’ve done it, it’s not the first time. It’s going to work. NASA’s insistence, and our execution of that system level test, is going to make this mission a success."
Another important legacy of that initial Hubble aberration is in the alignment and focusing of Webb's primary mirror, which is directly derived from the technology and techniques used to correct the original Hubble defect.
"The technology that they used to test [the corrective optics] in space," Wells explained, "imaging starlight through it, and looking at that blurred image as you go to focus, that's actually how the James Webb Space Telescope is going to align itself on orbit."
That process is now underway and will take several weeks at least, but Wells isn't nervous about how Webb's first light images are going to turn out. After all, he tested the alignment of the mirrors himself.
"It's going to work."
Ms Marvel on Disney Plus: release date, trailer, cast, plot and more
Ms Marvel is one of many new superheroes set to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in the next few years. And, with the character's Disney Plus series set to arrive in less than two months, it's about time you got acquainted with her.
Kamala Khan – Ms Marvel's civilian alias – will make her live-action debut in our own Disney Plus show in June 2022. The next Marvel Phase 4 TV project will begin airing about a month after Moon Knight 's run ends, and we're hoping that her standalone TV series will make her as popular as Moon Knight show's did for the caped vigilante
If you're unclear about who Ms Marvel is, you've come to the right place. Below, we've compiled everything you need to know about the Pakistani-American superhero, including her comic book origins, plus the show's release date, trailer, cast, potential plot threads, and more.
We've recently learned much more about the upcoming MCU production, too. We know what the show's age rating will be, learned more information about new cast members and Kamala's family/friends group, and found out what specific abilities she'll possess. All in all, there's a lot to catch up on.
Potential spoilers follow for Ms Marvel , so be aware of that fact as you read on. If you'd prefer not to know anything about the Disney Plus series before it airs, you're best turning back before you reach the story section.
Ms Marvel release date: June 8, 2022
Ms Marvel will officially launch on Disney Plus on Wednesday, June 8 . Unsurprisingly, that's a Wednesday, so the upcoming Marvel TV show follows in the footsteps of Moon Knight , Loki , Hawkeye , and What If...? in debuting midweek.
Ms Marvel had been in danger of going head to head with the next Star Wars TV show set to land on Disney Plus until recently, too. Obi-Wan Kenobi 's standalone series was initially set to launch on May 25, which meant that its final four episodes would have clashed with Ms Marvel's first four. However, Obi-Wan episodes will now debut on Disney's streaming service on Fridays (beginning May 27), so the two shows will no longer clash.
And that's a good thing. In a straight battle between the two, Ms Marvel is the lesser known property and would likely lose out on views as a result. Thankfully, that's no longer the case.
Meanwhile, we know the age rating of Ms Marvel's live-action adaptation. According to Twitter user AceyMainman , the Disney Plus app shows that Ms Marvel will carry a PG rating in the US. Currently, the TV series has a 6+ age rating on the Disney Plus website (in the UK, at least), but we suspect that will change ahead of release.
Additionally, What If...? showrunner A.C Bradley has confirmed her involvement in Ms Marvel. It's unclear how much of a hand (her pun, not ours) Bradley had from a writing perspective, as Bisha K. Ali (Loki, Sex Education ) penned the scripts for all six episodes. If nothing else, maybe we'll see Kamala Khan in a future What If...? season.
Other prominent members of Ms Marvel's chief creative team include directors Meera Menon (For All Mankind), Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Fundamental), and Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (both Snowfall, Bad Boys for Life). Ms Marvel co-creator Sana Amanat is also involved in an executive producing capacity, as is Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.
Ms Marvel trailer: Here's the official teaser
Revealed alongside its launch date, Ms Marvel's first trailer gives us our best look yet at the upcoming series.
The teaser begins with a clear homage to Kamala Khan's roots (and comic book panels generally) with the character daydreaming about viewing her life as a comic book itself. We also see Kamala fantasizing about being a superhero – which is to be expected, considering she's a huge fan of Captain Marvel and the Avengers.
It isn't long, though, before Kamala actually becomes a hero in her own right. The trailer reveals that Kamala discovers some magical bracelets, which allow her to use cosmic energy to 'embiggen' – the iconic power that she has in Marvel comics, although this takes a different form in the TV adaptation. The jewellery also allows her to use cosmic matter to form shields, create air-based platforms, and send out concussive blasts.
To paraphrase a legendary saying from Spider-Man's comic history, however, with great power comes great responsibility. Soon, Kamala is having to juggle her school, family and superhero life as she gets to grips with her new abilities. Oh, and there's a secrete government organization and a mysterious djinn-like cult attempting to track her down for their own nefarious means. Teenage life just got that little more difficult, it seems.
Ms Marvel plot: what's the story about?
Here’s the official synopsis : “The original series centers on fan-favorite Kamala Khan – a 16-year-old Pakistani-American growing up in Jersey City. A great student, avid gamer, and voracious fan-fic scribe, Kamala has a special affinity for superheroes, particularly Captain Marvel. However, Kamala struggles to fit in at home and at school – that is, until she gets superpowers like the heroes she’s always looked up to. Life is easier with superpowers, right?”
That doesn’t give much away, but it’s a Marvel production, so we’d expect the studio to be very careful about what it reveals ahead of time.
Still, there are plenty of rumors circulating online that give us a clearer idea about the show’s plot. We’re diving into potential spoiler territory from this point . If you’d prefer not to know anything about the series pre-release, turn back now or jump ahead to the next section.
The first rumor relates to how Kamala Khan gets her powers. In the comics, Khan is subjected to a mutagenic substance known as Terrigen Mist. Released by the Inhuman known as Black Bolt, Terrigen Mist alters the biological makeup of humans with latent Inhuman genes – that is, it mutates their DNA and grants them superpowers.
Khan is one of those individuals. After her DNA is changed, she has the ability to ‘embiggen’ – a shapeshifting power that allows her to alter her physical size and appearance. She can grow taller or smaller, make her fists bigger to hit enemies harder, stretch her body using its elastic properties, and more. She also possesses accelerated healing factor, superhuman strength and durability, and bioluminescence.
Interestingly, Khan’s powers are also based around time travel. As The Direct explains, Ms Marvel essentially shares her mass (at a cellular level) with other versions of herself through space and time. This allows her to grow or shrink in size. Coincidentally, IndieWire has reported that theoretical physicist Clifford Johnson acted as a consultant on Ms Marvel. Johnson was also an advisor on MCU movies such as Avengers: Endgame, whose plot was centered on time travel. So it’s likely that Ms Marvel’s live-action incarnation will retain these time-traveling abilities.
So we can expect to see Ms Marvel has her embiggening powers in the MCU, right? Yes, but her superpower origins have been altered for the TV show. Prominent Marvel leaker DanielRPK has claimed that the MCU’s incarnation will retain her shape-shifting powers, but they’ll have more in common with DCEU hero Green Lantern’s abilities than, say, another Marvel shapeshifter in Mr. Fantastic.
According to the Ms Marvel News Twitter fan account (thanks to The Cosmic Circus for the catch), Kamala's powers are derived from the magical bangles she finds, too. These bracelets are apparently a family heirloom that have been passed down through the generations, and are powered by a djinn, the invisible spirits mentioned in the Koran and that Muslims believe to have inhabited the earth before humanity.
Additionally, a recent Empire magazine article (thanks to the Ms Marvel Updates Twitter fan account for the screenshot) describes Kamala's powers as "cosmic super strength and the ability to manifest purple crystals via a pair of bangles". So yes, Ms Marvel's TV adaptation diverges from her comic book origins, but we'll still see her iconic powers on display in the MCU.
It appears that this magic/genie origin story alteration is based on the series’ rumored villains, too. According to multiple sources, including The Cosmic Circus , Moviescope , and Marvel leaker MyTimeToShineHello, a supervillain group called the ClanDestine will be the series’ antagonists.
In the comics, the ClanDestine are a centuries-old family of superpowered half-djinn individuals. They’re the descendants of Adam Destine, an ordinary man who becomes immortal after he falls in love with a djinn named Elyath. Adam freed Elyath from the gem that imprisoned her eons ago, and the pair eventually married before having a whole brood of superhuman offspring.
It’s unclear why they’d pursue Ms Marvel in the MCU. But, and this is us speculating, maybe Khan is a half-djinn, too. Maybe they need her bracelets to maintain their immortality. Or maybe they want to persuade Khan to join them and take over the world? We'll have to wait and see.
Curiously, Nerdist claims that the mysterious group (who we see in the trailers) are the Protectors of the Universe, a heroic supergroup who watch over the galaxy and also wear cosmic bands akin to Kamala's. Captain Marvel – the hero that Kamala is most obsessed with – has been part of that team in the comics, so there's every chance that Nerdist could be right in their assumptions. Time will tell if they or other Marvel leakers are on the money.
The Cosmic Circus and Cosmic Marvel have also suggested that another organization known as N.I.C.E will be the show's secondary antagonist. N.I.C.E are said to capture and imprison superpowered beings who it considers to be dangerous (per MyTimeToShineHello ), with Alysia Reiner (Orange is the New Black) believed to be playing the group’s leader, Deaver. As far as we know, there isn’t a N.I.C.E organization in the comics, though, so we can’t dig into its backstory.
According to The GWW and Main Middle Man (thanks to Reddit for compiling the information ), The Inventor/Birdman – a clone of Thomas Edison – will also feature as a villain. Although, there’s no word on who will portray this character, or if they’ll be a primary or secondary antagonist.
Moving away from the series' potential villains, it seems that Ms Marvel actor Iman Vellani is as much of a Marvel superhero fangirl as her comic book counterpart. Speaking to Empire , Ms Marvel co-creator Sana Amanat said: "She [Vellaini] showed me every corner of her room, and it was covered with Avengers. Then she said, ‘Oh wait, I’m not done’, opened up her closet, and there was more Marvel everywhere." Sounds like Vellani is the perfect person to portray this character.
Finally, Amanat revealed what viewers can expect from the burgeoning superhero when Ms Marvel lands on Disney Plus: "[Kamala] isn’t your traditional Avenger. She’s not as slick and suave as some superheroes. It’s not like when Captain America throws his shield and it comes back. She’s all over the place [but] I’m excited for people to get to know her."
Ms Marvel cast: who is playing who?
Here’s the confirmed cast for the six-episode series:
In her first major acting role, Iman Vellani will portray the teenage Pakistani-American superhero. Vellani will be joined in the superhero/vigilante department by Aramis Knight (Into the Badlands) as Red Dagger, an unpowered crimefighter who is also said to be Ms. Marvel’s love interest (per The Illuminerdi ) in the show.
Meanwhile, Rish Shah (To All the Boys: Always and Forever) has been cast as Kamran, a friend and potential love interest of Khan’s. In Marvel’s source material, Kamran is another teenager who gets exposed to Terrigen Mist, which activates his biokinetic energy powers and turns him into an Inhuman. It’s unclear, though, if the MCU’s incarnation of Kamran will get abilities like Khan does, or if he'll be good or bad. Per a profile piece in Vogue Magazine (thanks to the Ms Marvel UK Twitter fan account for the screengrab), Shah is playing the male lead in the show.
Matt Lintz (The Walking Dead) will portray Bruno, Khan’s high school friend. In the comics, he’s the only one who knows that she has superhuman abilities. Zenobia Shroff (The Big Sick), Mohan Kapur (Kittie Party), and Saagar Shaikh (Just Giggle It) have been cast as Khan’s mother, father and older brother.
Marvel recently released a new poster for the show, which gives us our best look at yet at some of the above supporting cast:
Laurel Marsden (Survive) will play Zoe Zimmer, a popular high schooler who looks down on Khan and Carrelli. In the comics, Zimmer is the first person that Khan saves after she gains her powers. So it’s possible that Zimmer will become friends with Khan if this plot point carries over into the TV series.
According to MCU leaker Charles Murphy , Laith Nakli (Ramy, The Blacklist) has been cast as Sheikh Abdullah, the Iman of Khan’s local mosque, while Yasmeen Fletcher (Let Us In) will play Nakia Bahadir, another of Khan’s friends. Marvel has confirmed their involvement in the TV adaptation, but not who the duo are playing. Hopefully, we'll find out soon.
As we mentioned earlier, Alysia Reiner (Orange is the New Black) has been photographed as N.I.C.E leader Deaver, though Marvel hasn’t officially confirmed this. Per Deadline , Anjali Bhimani ( The Legend of Vox Machina ) has signed on for a recurring-yet-undisclosed role.
Other actors, including Azhar Usman (Ramy), Travina Springer (The Mule) and Nimra Bucha (Churails) will also appear in undisclosed roles (per Marvelom ). The Express Tribune , meanwhile, has claimed that Fawad Khan (Khoobsurat) and Mehwish Hayat (Enaaya) have also been brought on board. It’s unclear if any of these individuals will be part of the ClanDestine or if they’ll play another character.
Finally, the official International Artists Management Twitter account (as first reported by The Cosmic Circus ) has revealed that Adaku Ononogbo (Cursed) is part of the cast. Ononogbo will play a brand-new Marvel character called Fariha, although Marvel Studios is yet to confirm this.
Ms. Marvel MCU future: when will she appear next?
That’s an easy question to answer. Vellani’s Ms Marvel will co-star alongside Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel and Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau/Photon in The Marvels, one of the Marvel movies set for release in 2023.
Unsurprisingly, plot details are being kept firmly under wraps, but we know that The Marvels is considered to be the sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel solo flick. It’ll also tie into the events of Ms Marvel, given that Vellani is involved. And, with Shaikh, Shroff and Kapur reprising their roles from the superhero’s TV show, it’s likely that Ms Marvel will be a key component of the film’s narrative. Now that we know her powers are cosmic energy-based, too, Ms Marvel will fit right in with her fellow superheroes.
Nia DaCosta (Candyman, Celeste) will direct The Marvels from a screenplay penned by Megan McDonnell (WandaVision). The 31st MCU movie is currently set to be released in theaters on February 17, 2023 – its launch being pushed back twice due to the ongoing pandemic.
Interestingly, Ms Marvel could be in line for a second season as well. According to the Marvel Updates Twitter fan account (thanks to ComicBookom for the catch), crew members received a Ms Marvel wrap gift marked with a 'season 1' tagline, which implies that Ms Marvel could follow in Loki's footsteps and get a second season on Disney Plus.
Time will tell if Ms Marvel season 2 is on the way, but we'll hopefully find out when its final episode airs on July 6.