Polaris Splashdown
After nearly five days in orbit, Dragon and the Polaris Dawn crew safely splashed down at 3:36 a.m. yesterday, off the coast of Dry Tortugas, Florida, completing the first human spaceflight mission of the Polaris Program.
During their multi-day mission to orbit, Dragon and the crew reached the highest Earth orbit ever flown since the Apollo program and participated in the first-ever extravehicular activity (EVA) from Dragon wearing SpaceX-developed EVA suits.
They also conducted ~36 research studies and experiments from 31 partner institutions designed to advance both human health on Earth and during long-duration spaceflight and tested Starlink laser-based communications in space.
Despite FDA recommendations, Florida Surgeon General Ladapo warns against new COVID booster
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly half of the country reports "very high" levels of COVID activity.
The new COVID vaccine is now available. However, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo is advising against the use of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
An FDOH statement repeated the same arguments against mRNA COVID shots that Ladapo used when he recommended against their use in January, saying the U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not provide an adequate response to his questions regarding the drugs’ safety.
The FDA’s response to Ladapo in December rebutted each of his concerns, warning that vaccine “misinformation and disinformation” would result in fewer people getting vaccinated, which contributes to the “continued death and serious illness toll of COVID-19.”
In Florida, deaths from COVID were on par with last year. The numbers are almost certainly low as many people self-test at home, and some may have it and never test at all.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against the potentially serious outcomes of COVID-19 for this fall and winter season.
If you own an electric vehicle, you may have noticed the state's infrastructure hasn't kept up with the charging demand.
More federal $ is going towards much-needed EV charging stations
Florida has the second-most E-V drivers in the nation and recently got 200 million dollars in federal funds for charging stations.
Ashley Miznazi is a climate change reporter for The Miami Herald.
She explained why the state has NOT tapped into these funds.
"That funding was supposed to be used to put charging stations, faster charging stations every 50 miles of interstate, which would help with some of that range anxiety as well when we're talking about these trips. But, they put out their applications and it's been three years."
The lack of charging stations can also raise safety concerns during hurricane evacuations.
As a result, some E-V owners have gone back to gas-powered vehicles.
Harvest Moon Will Bring Partial Lunar Eclipse on Sept. 17
In a partial lunar eclipse, the umbra – the shadow’s darkest part – “takes a bite out” of just a fraction of the Moon. The dark bite grows larger, and then recedes, never reaching the totality phase.
“The maximum eclipse will be at 9:44 p.m., and the partial phase will be over at 10:15 p.m.
The September full Moon is often called the Harvest Moon due to its association with autumn harvests in the Northern Hemisphere.
