SpaceX Makes History: Falcon 9 Rocket – Successfully Launched and Landed

Good_Morning_From_the_International_Space_StationSpaceX made history at Cape Canaveral, Florida last night, December 21, when it successfully landed an intact Falcon 9 rocket upright on solid ground after traveling into space and back. Falcon 9 landing was a milestone moment for SpaceX and CEO Elon Musk. The ability to recycle the spacecrafts marks a big step toward making space travel cheaper.

It’s also the company’s first flight since June, when its unmanned spacecraft exploded shortly after liftoff and destroyed the company’s Dragon cargo ship bound for the International Space Station.

After a trouble-free countdown and liftoff at 8:29 p.m. EST today December 22 from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Falcon 9  delivered 11 commercial satellites into low-earth orbit, for the satellite-communications company Orbcomm. The two-stage Falcon 9 separated, the second stage of the rocket with the satellites continued on to orbit and ten minutes after launching, the engines of the the rocket’s first stage reignited to turn it around, back to Cape Canaveral and set down six miles to the south at Landing Zone 1, which is a facility previously used by the Air Force for rocket and missile testing that SpaceX has leased.

‘The Falcon has landed,’ a launch commentator said when the first stage came into view of a camera near the landing site and SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California, erupted in cheers, followed by chants of ‘U.S.A.! U.S.A.!’

Today’s landing was a milestone moment for SpaceX and the billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. Developing a reliable fleet of reusable rockets will definitely take many years, But it promises to be a game changer for the space industry and will open the heavens to exploration.

Universal and City Hall vs. Skyplex: the Saga Contunues

track1aWhen only a year ago, Wallack announced plans to construct the world’s tallest roller coaster as the centerpiece of Skyplex complex on International Drive, the project was praised by owners of local companies that hope it would draw more tourists.
Twelve months later, the future of the world’s tallest roller coaster is in doubt, thanks to opposition led by neighboring Universal Orlando, which says the proposed 570-foot Skyscraper, featuring a 450-foot drop, is not only too tall, but would adversely change the culture of the tourist corridor. Continue reading “Universal and City Hall vs. Skyplex: the Saga Contunues”

Family of Six Refugees Stuck Living at Airport for More Than 50 Days

South_Lebanon_refugeeDo you remember Viktor Navorski, a character portrayed by Tom Hanks in the 2004 The Terminal, a film directed by Steven Spielberg? Navorski is forced to stay at a New York City airport after officials say he is denied enrty into the US and at the same time he cannot return to his native country because a war has broken out there.

Unfortunately, it seems the same story may happen to people in real life. A Kurdish family of six has been stuck at a Russian airport for more than 50 days while  they were attempting to claim asylum in the country after fleeing Syria. Continue reading “Family of Six Refugees Stuck Living at Airport for More Than 50 Days”

Melbourne Airport to Add ‘Orlando’ to Its Name

Plane wing at sunset.jpgMelbourne International Airport is planning  to market itself as Orlando Melbourne International Airport. Looking to attract more passengers and air service, Melbourne International Airport is attempting to connect with one of the top tourism destinations in the world by marketing itself as Orlando Melbourne International Airport.

One of the points is travelers to consider Melbourne as a less congested alternative to the airports in Orlando. As Melbourne airport has always been overshadowed by Orlando International Airport and even Orlando Sanford International Airport. Continue reading “Melbourne Airport to Add ‘Orlando’ to Its Name”

Orlando Airport First to Add Facial Recognition

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOrlando International Airport (MCO) has become the first airport in the United States to add facial recognition technology to its automated passport control (APC) kiosks.

The technology is part of new requirement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The APC kiosks are meant to verify people’s identities by matching their faces to the biometric data in the newer passports with a 99.7% successful match rate. The APC kiosks take a snapshot of each traveler’s face and compare the image with biometric record in their e-passports. Continue reading “Orlando Airport First to Add Facial Recognition”

Transgender Passenger Detained by TSA at Orlando Airport

Gender-Symbol_Transgender_M2F_LesbianTransportation Security Administration agents at the Orlando International Airport detained a transgender woman when a suspicious “anomaly” appeared in her image after she entered an X-ray security scanner.

The transgender woman says TSA agents called her a man and held her for a lengthy security inspection because of her genitals at the Orlando airport on Monday.

Shadi Petosky, a television writer and executive producer for Puny Entertainment, was on her way back to Minneapolis from a vacation in Orlando, Fla. in celebration of her own birthday and her mother’s retirement when she was stopped at the airport and detained by Continue reading “Transgender Passenger Detained by TSA at Orlando Airport”

Canada’s Porter Airlines Adds Florida to Its Route Map

Porter_Airlines_Q-400_at_TorontoCanada’s Porter Airlines, headquartered at Billy Bishop Airport in Toronto, announced Monday, that it is adding its first Florida destination- Melbourne.

The airline, that is an award-winning air carrier, said it enters the Florida market for the first time and it has selected Melbourne International Airport for its first destination in the Sunshine State.

The flights to Melbourne International Airport (MEL) will be seasonal. The weekly service begins Continue reading “Canada’s Porter Airlines Adds Florida to Its Route Map”

Hatchet, Grenade Found in Children’s Carry-on Luggage

TSA Reminds Parents to Check Kids’ Carry-on after Two Incidents in Florida

Plane wing at sunset.jpgThe Transportation Security Administration is reminding parents to check their children’s luggage as a grenade and a hatchet have been found in children’s luggage at Florida airports recently.

After the two incidents, the officials from Transportation Security Administration released a reminder to parents to check their kids’ luggage while packing and before leaving to the airport.

Earlier this week, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2015, a 12-year-old boy caused panic at Jacksonville International Airport when security officers found a grenade during an inspection of his hand luggage. The agents made the shocking discovery while the boy and his parents were going through a checkpoint.

The grenade was later determined Continue reading “Hatchet, Grenade Found in Children’s Carry-on Luggage”