SpaceX launched the first Falcon Heavy mission in over three years

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is back in business. It has now launched the first Falcon Heavy mission in over three years. This is a towering rocket and the most powerful one currently in operation. The rocket is carrying the classified USSF-44 mission for the U.S. Space Force. It is also the first operational national security mission for Falcon Heavy. The mission took off from a launchpad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Earlier, launch was the Space Test Program-2 (STP-2) mission in June 2019. At that time, it carried experimental satellites on a demonstration flight for the Pentagon. Falcon Heavy’s base is reusable. However, the company landed just the side pair of the three rocket boosters. Its central core dropped into the ocean as traditional rockets do. The purpose was to meet the Space Force’s high-performance requirement for this mission. The hiatus in Falcon Heavy launches is attributable to the readiness of customers on its schedule. Incidentally, the company has completed three since the rocket’s debut in February 2018. SpaceX launches Falcon Heavy, the world’s most powerful rocket, on Space Force mission.

This original schedule of USSF-44 mission was for late 2020. There was plan for two other Falcon Heavy missions for this year – one for the Space Force and the other for NASA. However, customer payloads are also not ready yet. In fact, there is a backlog of about a dozen missions for Falcon Heavy still to come. SpaceX continues to launch its Falcon series of rockets at a high rate. The latest mission was the company’s record 50th launch this year and the company continues to work on the even larger Starship rockets that could replace them.

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Hurricane Michael of 2018 destroyed Mexico Beach and the earlier residents are unable to return because of high costs

The height of new homes under construction now are at least 8 feet. Four years earlier, Hurricane Michael destroyed this blue-collar beach town in the Gulf of Mexico and the belongings of residents were spread across the two-lane highway. The old-style Florida cinderblock and stucco cottages are being replaced with stronger more elevated homes that conform to Florida’s latest coastal building codes to be in a better position to withstand powerful winds and storm surges. These new homes are proof of the resilience of some of the locals but they are also bigger and more expensive. As a result, many of the previous owners found themselves priced out. It is obvious. Mexico Beach is not the only coastal town in the U.S. struggling with affordable housing. There is no doubt that prices have skyrocketed in seaside communities from California to North Carolina. Big corporations are buying up properties and those who work from home are trying to buy second homes. Hurricane Ian of 2022 devastated portions of southwest Florida. These forced many residents to leave for good. A tiny Florida beach town is rebuilding after a hurricane. Is it becoming a preserve of the rich? .

The climatic disaster left a bad taste in the mouth for the residents. They had to battle innumerable issues like insurance, government bureaucracy apart from rising prices, construction costs, supply chain problems and labor shortages. The pandemic added to their miseries. In October 2018, Mexico Beach was a quaint and sleepy beach town on a stretch of the state’s northern Gulf coast. Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 storm with 160 mph winds and a 14-foot storm surge, devastated the city. It uprooted the pier, toppled the city’s water tower, and demolished the town’s police station, grocery store and hardware store. In 2016, the city’s website said Mexico Beach did not even have a set of traffic lights. Michael damaged or destroyed most of the structures of the city and the population of full-time residents dropped drastically. Rebuilding was a massive exercise and Mexico Beach now has a bank, a gas station, a restaurant, a hotel and about 900 residents. It has received federal funding to restore water and sewer mains, dredge debris from its canals, restore its beaches and build public parks. It is all about the basic needs for survival.

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Hurricane Ian flattens portions of the coast of Florida, wash away homes

The Category 4 hurricane Ian devastated Fort Myers Beach in Florida. There were abandoned vehicles in the roadway and debris of broken trees, boat trailers etcetera on the road. The fierce winds flattened large portions of the seaside tourist town. The barrier islands along the southwest Florida coast are famous for their seashells, fishing and laid-back lifestyle. These took major hits with both Sanibel and Captiva isolated and cut off from vehicular traffic. This was because of collapse of the only bridge to the mainland. There was devastation at a mobile home park in Fort Myers Beach. The owners tried to salvage whatever was possible. Hurricane Ian sweeps away homes, memories on barrier islands. A family who owned a gas station business for two years lost it but felt it could recover the loss because the business had insurance.

The storm surge had lifted a dozen large boats. These were nearly 48 feet long and the storm carried those away across the parking lot and a four-lane road and deposited them in a mangrove preserve. The surge left signs of destruction all over the place. Life in the coastal region took a severe hit. As one affected person said - “I thought that given that I have a concrete home with hurricane shutters and storm-grade windows, everything would hold. …. And for the most part it did. We just didn’t think we’d get an 18-foot storm surge.” His home is more than a block from the beach and about 6 feet above sea level. It is also elevated so the living space is about 10 feet off the ground. However, these did not help. Obviously, the behavior of nature is unpredictable and the people have to suffer. This can be taken as a warning from Nature on the miseries that climate change can bring on humanity.

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Hurricane Ian struck the western tip of the island, left millions of Cubans without power and is headed towards Florida

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Hurricane Ian struck the western tip of the island, left millions of Cubans without power and is headed towards Florida

The hurricane knocked out power across all of Cuba. Initially, there was loss of power in the western provinces, but later the entire grid collapsed. That meant nearly 11 million people were left without electricity. Hurricane Ian made landfall as a Category 3 storm and devastated Pinar del Rio province. That meant destruction of large numbers of the country's most important tobacco farms. The authorities had to arrange evacuation of tens of thousands of people as the disaster left behind damaged houses and floods. The US National Hurricane Center said Cuba suffered "significant wind and storm surge impacts." The hurricane had struck with top sustained winds of 125mph and it could gain strength as it moves over the Gulf of Mexico and nears the southwestern coast of Florida. Already orders are given for millions of people of Florida to leave. Hurricane Ian leaves 11 million in Cuba without electricity as it heads towards Florida. Warning is given to residents as well as holidaymakers to take precautions and not be complacent. This is because the hurricane could become a Category 4 storm, with wind speeds of 140mph across the whole state.

Deanne Criswell, spokeswoman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), held an emergency briefing at the White House. She summed up the grim situation and said - “The storm surge is going to be significant, and you put 20 inches of rain on top of that…. We are talking about impacts in parts of Florida that haven't seen a major direct impact in nearly 100 years." Incidentally, Hurricane Ian is heading towards the Florida Keys. This is a popular holiday destination consisting several islands, some less than a mile wide. US President Joe Biden cancelled a planned trip and called mayors in three Florida cities to assure them federal support is ready to deploy food, fuel and shelter. FEMA has already set up 29 emergency community shelters. Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, has declared a state of emergency and urged residents to be prepared. There are predictions of floods for much of the Florida peninsula midweek. This could lead to heavy rainfall for the southeast of the US later this week.

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Hell's Bay, a mako shark, sets a record - travels 20,900-Km in 600 days

Hell's Bay is the name of a mako shark that has set a record - it traveled 20,900-Km in 600 days. That is half way around the Earth. This shark has been dubbed 'Energizer Bunny' because his travels had taken him around the east coast of the US.
This has been discovered by researchers at Florida's Nova Southeastern University. They had tagged and tracked the finned creature from May 2015.
This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 28 January 2017.

Hell's Bay was first tagged off the coast of Ocean City in Maryland. He then went on the first half of his journey which took him north along the eastern seaboard. After that, he returned near the original tagging site and then spent 2016 passing throughout the Atlantic, on to Nova Scotia, Bermuda and finally heading back to Ocean City.
These mako sharks are excellent swimmers and can attain sustained speeds of 35 km/h with bursts to over 80 km/h. They can grow to be around four metres in length and weigh over 500-Kg.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Florida faces a hurricane after a decade - Hurricane Hermine batters with wind speeds of 130Km/hr

Florida faced the wrath of a hurricane after a decade when Hurricane Hermine made landfall in the Gulf Coast sending battering waves against docks and boathouses. The National Hurricane Centre has indicated that the storm's top sustained winds clocked 130km/h.
This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 3 September 2016.

Hermine made landfall just east of the city of St Marks in the Big Bend area. This is mostly rural and lightly populated corner where the Florida peninsula meets the Panhandle. It could drop back down to a tropical storm and push into Georgia, the Carolinas and up the East Coast and could result in drenching rain and deadly flooding.
Florida Governor Rick Scott has cautioned about the dangers of a strong storm surge, high winds, downed trees and power outages, and have urged people to move to inland shelters if necessary and make sure they had enough food, water and medicine. Governor Scott has also indicated that 6000 National Guardsmen in Florida were ready to mobilise after the storm passes.
The governors of Georgia and North Carolina declared states of emergency.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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Larry, the 100-year-old lobster of Florida, died on the way to its retirement abode

Larry, a huge lobster of Florida, weighing all of 15 pounds and believed to be aged between 70 and 100, was being transported to an aquarium, in Maine which was to be its retirement abode. But - it died on the way. The beloved crustacean was being transported from a restaurant in Sunshine, Florida, to Maine when it passed away. It had been rescued from its doom by activists, but when staff at the West Boothbay Harbor unpacked the lobster and found it had died during the 1,530-mile journey.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 28 July 2016.

The lobster had been packed in a Styrofoam clamshell with seaweed and frozen gel packs and it is not clear as to why it died. The huge lobster, three times larger than the average lobster, was headed for the stock pot earlier this month. Someone who saw him in the tank at Fish Tin seafood restaurant in Sunrise, Florida, bought him from owner and reserved a table for his family the following week.
Incidentally, the owner had bought Larry from a vendor only recently and was 'astounded' by his size. He said he felt 'bad' about serving up the lobster, but some animal activists got word of the lobster's impending fate and intervened. They offered to buy Larry from the man who wanted to make the aging animal dinner and had booked a table.
That really nettled the owner and he donated the lobster to the activists who arranged to send him to an aquarium - he could be quarantined for life or even be set free in the ocean. But - he died en-route to Maine.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Global warming and rise in sea level could take its toll on US military bases

Global warming is set to present a major problem to the US military because many of its bases located along the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico will be increasingly vulnerable to floods and power-packed storms as the planet warms. This has been indicated in the report by the Union of Concerned Scientists that covered 18 military bases. The research concluded that the military could risk losing land and strategic assets in the coming decades due to sea level rise.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 28 July 2016.

In the opinion of the team, by the year 2050, most of these sites will see more than 10 times the number of floods they experience today. ... in 2070, all but a few are projected to see flooding once or twice every day. And, the worst part is that these are not the worst-case scenarios.
The sea level rise will have its effect on US bases from Florida to Maine. The assumptions are that there would be a moderate rate of ice sheet melt that will continue to increases over a period of time with an ultimate rise of 3.7 feet above 2012 levels, globally, by the end of this century.
Another scenario, assumed a "more rapid ice sheet loss and projects an ultimate rise of 6.3 feet above 2012 levels" across the planet by the year 2100.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Florida man determined to keep his 13-ft male pet alligator at any cost

Strange indeed are the ways of this world and stranger still are the pets that man cherishes. An example is the man from Florida who has a 13ft male alligator as a pet whose favorite food are pizzas and cookies. Florida wildlife officials have told him that the reptile was too big to roam in his garden and he must get rid of it. But the owner is adamant. He says he will do whatever it takes to keep his pet alligator.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 14 July 2016.

The owner is a retired fire fighter and he has looked after the alligator for 47 years. It has been with him ever since he was a boy. He even took it with him to college.
This is not the first time he has faced a battle with the authorities to keep his pet. It had been taken away from him in 1994 but, he went to court and got him back when the judge ruled in his favor. He says his pet is healthy and is not a danger to anyone, and he will do whatever it takes to keep him.
Florida Fish and Wildlife officials now say that since it has been living with him, it would be best if they were not separated. Only, he will need to make changes to his property so tat there is more space.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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Orangutan on the loose sets off scare in Florida animal theme park

There was a scare and visitors had to be evacuated from a portion of an animal theme park in Florida when an orangutan escaped from its enclosure and climbed trees. How it escaped is nit known but video footage shows the large female sitting about 20ft above a large crowd at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 2 July 2016.

The animal, at one time, drops to the ground and climbs on to a display board - it prompted screams from some of those standing nearby. As a witness explained - it climbed up out of the habitat and towards the guest area, just near the Zambia Smokehouse, which is in Stanleyville.
It was eventually shot with a tranquiliser dart and was returned to its enclosure. The park has not yet been able to establish just how the animal escaped. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was carrying out an investigation.
Incidentally,the animal was an 18-year-old named Luna and was the second to have left its enclosure while the public were in the part in just over two weeks.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Five alligators cut open to recover two-year-old in Disney's Grand Floridian resort

A two-year-old boy wandered into the waters too far and was swallowed by an alligator in the Seven Seas Lagoon at Disney's Grand Floridian resort. In order to recover his body, rescuers had to catch and cut open at least five other alligators before the killer of the kid from Nebraska was located.
This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 16 June 2016.

The boy fell victim to the reptile as he waded in shallow water at the edge of the Seven Seas Lagoon. The search team increased to 50 people as trappers and divers searched Disney's network of man-made canals, ponds and lakes to locate the alligator. In the process, they caught and cut open at least five before they found the killer. AS indicated by the officials, the little boy was wading at the edge of the Seven Seas Lagoon around nightfall when an alligator dragged him under.
Walt Disney World has said that it has never had anything like this happen to it in 45 years of operations. The theme parks' wildlife management system works regularly to keep guests safe from dangerous Florida creatures and they remove or kill them when found. AS a cautionary measure, Disney closed all beach areas in its Lake Buena Vista resorts.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Elephants being prematurely retired from Ringling Circus

#ringlingcircus #elephants It has been decided by the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to end its elephant acts a year and a half in advance - the plan was to retire them in 2018 but, now, all of its touring elephants will be retired in May and the animals would be sent permanently to the company's 200-acre Center for Elephant Conservation in central Florida. There are, at present, 11 elephants on tour with the circus.
This has been reported in foxnews.com dated 11 January 2016.

Feld Entertainment owns the largest herd of Asian elephants in North America and, in addition to those still touring, there are 29 more elephants on the property now, and two additional animals are on breeding loans to zoos. It costs nearly $65,000 yearly to care for each elephant and that is a lot of money.
Elephant acts have been showcased by Ringling for more than a century and have often been featured on its posters. However, in view of many cities and counties passing "anti-circus" and "anti-elephant" ordinances, it becomes difficult to organize tours of three traveling circuses to 115 cities each year. Moreover, fighting legislation in each jurisdiction is expensive.

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Ferry services between Cuba and the United States to resume after 56-years

#Cuba #FerryService #Florida #travel #tradeembargo Ferry services between Cuba and the United States had been stopped in 1959 after Washington imposed a trade embargo on Cuba following its communist revolution. However, it has been reported in news.sky.com dated 7 May 2015 that passenger ferry services could soon be resumed between the two countries.

The US has now lifted the ban and has granted licenses to a number of American ferry companies – this would benefit the hundreds of thousands of people who travel between Florida and Havana every year.
Before the embargo, there used to be a regular ferry service between Florida and Cuba and thousands of American tourists used to avail the service to go to the bars and casinos in Havana and, simultaneously, Cubans would take overnight shopping trips to the US.
On a rough estimate, nearly 600,000 people travel between the US and Cuba every year and have to depend on expensive charter flights.
The US had indicated the restoration of diplomatic ties with Cuba in December – due to that, the trade embargo was lifted which opened up the avenue for import of some goods that are produced by Cuba's new private sector.

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Cuba could soon become a favored tourist destination for Americans

#Havana #Cuba #RaulCastro #BarackObama #tourists With the thaw in relationship between the old Cold War foes US and Cuba, progress is visible following a second round of discussions to end a half-century diplomatic freeze as reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 1 March 2015.
President Barack Obama and his counterpart Raul Castro have promised to restore embassies in each other’s capitals. Some hurdles still remain, including the one of Cuba’s place on the US blacklist of state sponsor of terrorism.
Anyway, the rural communities of Cuba could real benefits from an influx of American tourists because, the fresh relations between the two governments could provide a boost to allow the isolated communities to look for new economic opportunities once the US fully lifts its ban on trade and travel. Havana, the capital of Cuba, was seen as a party destination for Americans years ago due to its close proximity to Florida.
It is in the villages where visitors can experience a side of the Caribbean island that few holidaymakers bother to see. In the villages, the number of cars is less, the farm workers harvest tomatoes by hand, and the farmers sell their produce and meat at roadside stands. Goods are transported by horse and buggy or tractor.
Of course, life in 'the real Cuba' and talks between US and Cuban officials continue with an eye to restore full diplomatic relations and, ultimately, move towards opening trade.

19 manatees stuck in Florida storm drain rescued and returned to Indian River Lagoon System

#manatees #Florida #stormdrains #SatelliteBeach As many as 19 manatees had got stuck in a storm drain in Florida and rescue workers of the Satellite Beach Fire Department along with a manatee-rescue team from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission had to work overtime to free them and return them to the Indian River Lagoon System. This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 25 February 2015.
In order to carry out this work, the rescuers had to bring in heavy earth-moving equipment to the Satellite Beach neighborhood, located on a barrier island on Florida's central Atlantic Coast near Cape Canaveral.
FWC Research Institute spokesman Brandon Basino has indicated that it is not clear exactly how the manatees became stuck, but noted that there was no grate on the storm drain. Moreover, during the winter months, the manatees usually sought out warm habitats. And then, of course, their unique properties of being curious.
Just before setting them free, the FWC biologists marked all the manatees on their backs with a grease pen. This non-toxic markers will allow the biologists to identify the rescued manatees as and when they check on their conditions.