Brevard's mid-reach beaches get much-needed sand
The Mid Reach beach sand renourishment from Pineda Causeway south to Indialantic will finally get more sand. Over the past few decades, the area had been left out of the larger federal sand-pumping projects.
The ongoing $47.6 million federal project was to restore more sand to Brevard's Mid Reach beach in 2024 but was delayed because of problems with the contractor's dredge. Using upland sand will allow the beach to be built before the 2025 hurricane season.
The Corps only has until April 30, though, when all work on the beach must stop because of endangered and threatened sea turtle nesting.
Critics say the project is too costly and only a temporary fix.
County officials point to economic cost-benefit studies that show such beach renourishment projects more than pay off in property protection and tourism.
Shakeup at NASA.
WFIT’s Rick Glasby tells us about a shakeup at NASA Headquarters in Washington:
In a surprise move, the Director of Kennedy Space Center, Janet Petro, has been named Acting NASA Administrator by the Trump White House. The Associate Administrator, Jim Free, had been expected to take over the job after the departure of Bill Nelson. Billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman had been nominated for the position. Petro will lead the agency until his confirmation.
President Trump: "American astronauts to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars"
Minutes after taking the Oath of Office, President Donald Trump pledged to plant an American flag on Mars.
Achieving this ambitious goal would likely depend on SpaceX’s Starship, the only spacecraft currently being developed with the capability to refuel in space—a crucial feature for the lengthy journey to the red planet.
Mars has long been a goal of SpaceX and its founder, Elon Musk.
Critics, however, have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest given Musk's dual role as SpaceX CEO and his involvement in DOGE.
Despite recent challenges, including a failed launch in Texas, SpaceX remains undeterred. Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into the incident.
NASA also has Mars in its sights as part of its Artemis program, which includes using the Lunar Gateway, a planned space station orbiting the moon, as a stopover on the way to Mars. However, a mission to the red planet is unlikely before the 2030s.
NASA’s current focus is on returning humans to the moon. Artemis II, a crewed lunar flyby, has been delayed to at least spring 2026, while Artemis III, which aims to return humans to the lunar surface, is now scheduled for 2027 at the earliest.
Trump signs order to withdraw US, again
On Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to once again withdraw the United States from the 2015 Paris climate agreement.
This decision comes as NOAA declared 2024 the hottest year on record, following a string of devastating climate events, including last year’s deadly hurricane season and this month’s destructive California wildfires.
While U.S. carbon emissions have been declining, the country remains the largest contributor to cumulative carbon dioxide emissions globally.
Climate experts warn that Trump’s move deals a significant blow to global efforts to combat climate change. Meanwhile, a 2023 Pew Research Center study found that two-thirds of U.S. adults believe the country should prioritize renewable energy development—such as wind and solar—over expanding fossil fuel production.
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