Billionaire private astronaut is Trump’s pick to lead NASA.
A tech billionaire who bought a series of spaceflights from SpaceX was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday to lead NASA. Jared Isaacman, 41, is the CEO and founder of a card-processing company. He’s been a close collaborator with Elon Musk ever since buying his first space flight with SpaceX. If confirmed, Isaacman will replace Bill Nelson. The former Democratic senator from Florida and Brevard native is 82. Isaacman has described himself as a “space geek” since kindergarten. He dropped out of high school when he was 16, got a GED certificate, and started his billion-dollar business in his parents’ basement.
Can NASA keep Space Station afloat until 2030?
After nearly 25 years, the International Space Station is the oldest orbiting outpost in human history. But the ISS is showing its age, and a recent NASA Office of Inspector General report raised concerns about whether it would be safe or even affordable to operate past 2030. Operating the ISS costs over $4 billion a year, which is 16 percent of NASA’s budget. Beyond the expense, there are other concerns. An air leak in a Russian module has been growing. And Americans right now only have one U.S. spacecraft certified to carry them to and from the station. Space suits have been malfunctioning raising questions of whether repairs to the outside of the ISS could even be safely conducted. NASA has plans to de-orbit the space station in 2031.
Florida first in Obamacare signups.
Florida leads the nation in Obamacare enrollment after one month. Nearly 1.5 million Florida residents signed up for insurance through the Marketplace for 2025. The Marketplace, at Healthcare.gov, is where customers can compare health plans. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to repeal the program, but has offered no details.
DeSantis is interested…
After meeting with President-Elect Trump on Tuesday, sources say Gov. Ron DeSantis is interested in becoming Secretary of Defense. Trump’s current pick for the job, Pete Hegseth, is under fire for past indiscretions. A source in the DeSantis administration told the Orlando Sentinel that DeSantis is leaning toward accepting the offer if it is made, but he had to discuss it with his wife first.
Florida is #1 (in book censorship).
A report from the Florida Dept of Education confirms that the state leads the nation in book censorship. 700 books have been banned, and another 4,000 have been pulled from school shelves, at least temporarily. In perhaps unrelated news, the state ranked near the bottom in SAT scores - 47th in the nation.
Palm Bay light parade this Saturday.
The Palm Bay Holiday Light Parade is scheduled for this Saturday at 6pm. The parade will start at Eastern Florida State College and travels west to City Hall. The parade is expected to end around 10:00pm.
Also this Saturday the City of Rockledge and Florida East Coast Railway bring the Santa train to town. The Santa train arrives around 2:30PM at Gus Hipp Blvd and US 1. Festivities last until 5PM Saturday.
Another downside to colder weather.
When the weather starts to get chilly, experts say rats invading homes in Brevard can become a growing hazard. Slug-A-Bug owner Steve Lum said his company usually sees a spike in calls to remove critters like rats from homes as the cold winter months set in. Rats can do lots of damage like chew on electrical lines, so it’s best to catch the problem early. Seal off your gutters, soffits are any other open spaces in your home.
