NASA sets date for lunar mission.
NASA announced yesterday that they are shooting for April 1st for the launch of astronauts around the moon and back on the Artemis II mission. The SLS rocket should roll from the Vehicle Assembly Building back to the launch pad on March 19th to meet that date.
At yesterday’s media briefing at the Cape there was discussion on the risk to astronauts posed by the Artemis II mission. At one point NASA’s John Honeycutt gave the odds at 50%. But then quickly backtracked. NASA’s Office of Inspector General released a report on Tuesday, estimating that there's a 1-in-30 risk of failure overall during a crewed Artemis mission to the lunar surface.
In other space news, the Falcon 9 Starlink mission from the Cape was delayed again today. The new four-hour launch window opens at 6AM Saturday morning.
Florida Legislature passes bill making voter registration harder.
The Florida Legislature has approved a bill that will require proof of U.S. citizenship to vote. WFIT’s Terri Wright tells us more.
The measure aligns Florida law with the federal Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act and the REAL ID Act, meaning most Florida voters with compliant driver’s licenses would not be affected. Supporters say the change strengthens election security, while critics argue it could disenfranchise eligible voters — particularly low-income and elderly residents, as well as women who have changed their names after marriage.
The law would not take effect for this year’s midterm elections but would apply beginning with the 2028 presidential race. Kansas enacted a similar law in 2013, though it was later struck down as unconstitutional. The bill will now head to Gov. DeSantis’ desk. He’s expected to sign it into law.
In other legislative news, a bill allowing professors and staff at Florida’s universities and colleges to train as “guardians” and carry guns on campus was approved in Tallahassee yesterday. It will now head to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has already signaled his support. Guardians would need hours of firearms training before they could carry guns on their campuses.
A bill targeting ‘terrorist’ groups and ‘sharia’ law is also headed to governor’s desk. Critics say the measure unfairly targets Muslims and could impact private Islamic schools that take part in Florida’s school voucher program.
School bus incident at train crossing.
A broken school bus mirror and a destroyed train crossing gate set off a controversy in Melbourne. Parents claim their children on the school bus narrowly escaped disaster. Brevard Public Schools had a different story. BPS reported that after a train passed, the crossing arm came up and the bus began to cross. Then the arm malfunctioned and came back down onto the bus. Fearing there was another train coming, the driver reversed off the tracks, breaking a side mirror off of the bus. She called dispatch because the bus was damaged rather than continue the route. No students were injured. BPS said police felt she handled the situation well. The incident happened at the intersection of Hickory St and NASA Blvd.
Hell ’n Blazes wins beer award.
The brewery Hell ’n Blazes won the title of “Best Medium‑Sized Brewery” in the Best Florida Beer Professional Competition. The The Melbourne-based brewery also won six medals for its beers in this year's competition. Owner Don DiFrisco credits much of that success to brewmaster Todd Furbeck, saying “He is the genius behind our beer.”
