Tampa International Airport Anticipates Record Crowds For Thanksgiving Travel

November 15, 2023Posted inFlorida News
Thanksgiving travel period could top 80,000 passengers
SWA jet taxis out at TPA
A Southwest Airlines Flight Taxis Out At TPA. Photo: Mark Stone/FMN

Tampa International Airport (TPA) is bracing for a record-breaking Thanksgiving travel period, with daily passenger volumes anticipated to average around 80,000 during the 11-day holiday stretch from November 16 to November 26. This surge in traffic is expected to peak on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the subsequent Sunday, with estimates suggesting as many as 84,000 to 87,000 passengers on each of these days.

Tampa Teacher Turned Soldier: Jesse Davidson’s Journey to the Front Lines of Israel-Hamas Conflict

November 14, 2023Posted inFlorida News
Jesse Davidson fights in the IDF
Tampa Teacher Jesse Davidson serves in the Israeli Defense Force Reserves. He was called to active duty following the October 7th massacre by Hamas. Photo: Jesse Davidson/Facebook

Since the October 7th attack on Israel by Hamas, members of Florida’s Jewish community have responded in a multitude of different ways. Some fight the battle here at home, facing stepped up antisemitic activities, while others are taking an even more direct approach to fighting terror.

Will We See A Second Starship Launch This Week?

November 13, 2023Posted inAviation and Space News, Space News, SpaceX
Starship 25 sits on the pad in Boca Chica, TX looking ready to go.
Starship25 and Booster9 Aiming for the Stars. Images by Richard P Gallagher/FMN

A second Starship launch soon? All indications suggest–maybe. The closest thing to a tentative date from SpaceX was a tweet that stated, “No Earlier Than” (NET) Friday 11-17-23. Other clues like road closures, NOTAMs and maritime restriction have tantalize space enthusiast and photographers but each has come and gone with a series of expiration dates. Maybe the strongest indication of an impending launch was an email to press and photographers to apply for remote camera setup on Thursday 11-16-23. But even this has to be taken with a grain of salt because of still pending regulatory approvals by the Federal Aviation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Administrations.

NASA’s New ISS APP is Now Out!

November 13, 2023Posted inISS, NASA
Spot the Station App

NASA’s new Spot the Station App. Image by: TJ Waller

The International Space Station (ISS), humanity’s celestial abode, is now even more accessible to the public thanks to NASA’s latest innovation – the Spot the Station mobile app. This easy to use app, now available for download on both iOS and Android platforms, is set to revolutionize the way we engage with the ISS, offering a unique and enhanced experience for ISS enthusiasts and photographers worldwide.

Florida House Bill Seeks to Protect Historical Monuments, Impose Penalties for Removal

November 13, 2023Posted inFlorida News, Politics
An African-American Man ponders confederate monuments
Getty Images

Tallahassee, FL – A new bill introduced in the Florida House of Representatives for the 2024 session has sparked a heated debate over the protection and preservation of historical monuments in the state. House Bill 395, proposed by Representative Dean Black (R) of Jacksonville, aims to enforce stringent measures against the removal or alteration of historical monuments and memorials, including those commemorating Confederate figures.

Federal Judge Upholds Florida Law Barring Transgender Athletes from Women’s Sports Teams

November 13, 2023Posted inFlorida News
Law

Tallahassee, FL – In a decision last week, U.S. District Judge Roy Altman upheld a controversial Florida law prohibiting student transgender athletes who are biological males from participating in women’s and girls’ sports teams. This ruling came on Monday as part of a 39-page decision in response to a lawsuit challenging the 2021 law.

Launch Alert: SES O3b mPOWER Satellites

November 12, 2023Posted inAviation and Space News, Falcon 9, Space News, SpaceX, US Space Force
SES O3b mPower Satellite
OpenAI Illustration of the O3b mPOWER satellite in orbit.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW AT A GLANCE:

  • Rocket: SpaceX Falcon9
  • Booster: B1076 9th flight
  • Payload: O3b mPOWER Satellites 5 and 6
  • Time: Launch Window from 4:08pm to 5:37pm
  • Date: 11-12-23
  • Location: LC40 CCAFS, Florida
  • Booster landing: on A Shortfall of Gravitas
  • Trajectory: will be to the East
  • Weather: is predicted to be mostly cloudy. 

WWII Reenactment Draws Large Crowds

November 12, 2023Posted inThings to Do and See in Florida
Soldiers of the 2nd Armored Division prepare for battle.
WWII reenactors prepare for battle at the Zephyrhills, Fl airport on Saturday, Nov. 11th. Photo: Mark Stone/FMN

Well over a thousand people turned out Saturday, November 11th, for “The Battle for Veterans.” The event is an annual WWII reenactment and tribute to Veterans at the Zephyrhills, Florida Airport. The two day event was sponsored by the Zephyrhills Museum of Military History.

SpaceX Delivers the Goods:

SpaceX Delivers the Goods:

November 10, 2023Posted inAviation and Space News, Falcon 9, ISS, KSC, NASA, Space News, SpaceX

An Image review of the CRS29 Mission

Yesterday evening at 8:28pm SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon9 rocket carrying a Cargo Dragon capsule to the ISS. It was loaded with about 6500 pounds of food and water and research experiments to be carried out over the next six months. Lift off occurred from LC39A at KSC in Florida.

Florida Lawmaker Introduces Cease-Fire Resolution, Heated Debate Ensues

November 9, 2023Posted inFlorida News, Politics
Florida Rep Angie Nixon (D) Jacksonville
Florida Rep. Angie Nixon (D) Jacksonville debates in the Florida House Photo: AP File

In a contentious and emotionally charged Special Session, the Florida House of Representatives became an arena of intense debate over a resolution introduced by Rep. Angie Nixon, a Democrat from Jacksonville. The resolution, which pleaded for a cease-fire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, swiftly ignited controversy and drew criticism from within her party as well as across the aisle.

Updated: SpaceX Set to Launch Starlink 6-27 Tonight -Everything You Need To Know

November 8, 2023Posted inAviation and Space News, Falcon 9, Florida News, Space News, SpaceX, Starlink
A SpaceX Falcon 9 Stands on the pad
Falcon9 rocket on LC40 during the pre-launch vent. 8-31-23 Photo: Richard Gallagher / FMN

Update

Launch occurred at 12:05am on 11-8-23 from LC40 at CCASA in Florida. SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon9 rocket caring 23 Starlink satellites. The first stage booster B1073 which has made 11 other launches and landings again successfully landed at sea on the barge Just Read the Instruction.

Image highlights of Starlink Group 6-27 launch on 11-8-23. Photos by Richard Gallagher / FMN
Video by Richard Gallagher / FMN

Join other Space Coast spectators tonight under the stars as SpaceX marks its 81st rocket launch this year with the launch of Starlink 6-27. Tonight’s mission (11/7/23) will add more Starlink satellites to the growing global satellite constellation. SpaceX is targeting a launch window between 11:01pm and 3:00am. Launch updates and photographs of this launch attempt will be added to this article when available.

House Votes to Censure Representative Rashida Tlaib in Heated Session

November 8, 2023Posted inNational News, Politics
Rashida Tlaib speaks to a crowd of Palestinian supporters.

Rashida Talib speaks to supporters Photo: Screenshot, Michigan Radio

In a dramatic session that extended into late Tuesday, the US House of Representatives voted 234-188 to censure Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan for her remarks about the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The resolution marks a rare rebuke for Tlaib. Tlaib is the only Palestinian American in Congress, and underscores the current deep divisions over Middle East policy.