Astronauts sped to the space station.
A crew of four is now aboard the International Space Station after a launch from Cape Canaveral yesterday. Central Florida Public Media’s Brendan Byrne has more.
It took the SpaceX capsule carrying the Crew-13 mission less than eight hours to make the trip to the space station – the fastest travel time by a Dragon capsule.
The four will now settle into their orbital home away from home … where they’ll conduct science experiments and maintain the station for the next roughly six months.
NASA astronaut and mission commander Commander Jessica Watkins
We are so excited to be here. That was a super quick trip. It is hard to believe that we are already here.
Watkins and crew are relieving the four members of the Crew-12 mission, who arrived at the station back in February. They’ll make the trip back home early next week, splashing down off the coast of Southern California.
Florida sues Pfizer over vaccine safety.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier alleges that Pfizer misled the state on the safety of its COVID vaccine. Uthmeier filed a lawsuit Thursday against Pfizer, alleging unfair and deceptive marketing of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. Filed in state trial court in St. Lucie County the suit seeks monetary damages for each violation of Florida law plus an injunction against future violations. Pfizer responded it believes that the state’s allegations have “no merit and will respond to the suit in due course.
Mosquitos impacted by Amendment 3.
Amendment 3 could defund mosquito control throughout Florida, leading to spikes in insect-borne diseases. WFIT’s Terri Wright shares details.
Mosquitoes are responsible for up to one million deaths worldwide each year, and experts say climate change is expanding the range and active season of disease-carrying mosquitoes. Opponents of Amendment 3 warn that the proposed property-tax changes could reduce funding for mosquito control districts. They estimate those districts could lose about 65 million dollars over the next two years.
Mosquito control involves more than spraying. It also includes laboratory research to ensure treatments remain effective. Epidemiologists warn that reduced control could increase the risk of diseases such as dengue fever and West Nile virus. The Florida Department of Health reports more than 150 locally acquired dengue cases this year.
Orlando Health opens first primary care practice in Brevard.
Orlando Health opened its new primary care practice in Viera with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday. The location represents Orlando Health’s first primary care expansion in Brevard County. The new practice addresses high patient demand in Brevard County, where the need for primary care physicians continues to outpace available supply. The Viera practice brings two primary care doctors to Brevard County who attended Cocoa Beach Jr./Sr. High School.
Blue Origen wants to increase number of launches.
Blue Origin is seeking to increase its FAA-licensed New Glenn rocket launch rate from 12 a year to 50 a year. Blue Origin officials are calling for faster government permitting to support the growing launch cadence. CEO Dave Limp said the company still aims for a launch this year despite a May explosion. Limp said the Cape is going to look a lot more like an airport than a spaceport.
Aircraft manufacturer Embraer has confirmed the possibility of building a half-billion-dollar factory a military tanker plane at Melbourne Airport — but the factory is contingent on Embraer securing a significant order from the U.S. military. Seven NATO nations are adding Embraer-built KC-390 tanker-transport aircraft to their fleets, but the U.S. is not on that list.
