November 23, 2024

Blue Origin Launches Suborbital Mission Sending Central Florida Couple Back to Space (Sources: Orlando Sentinel, Blue Origin)
Winter Park power couple Marc and Sharon Hagle returned to space on a short suborbital flight aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket on Friday. Blue Origin successfully completed its ninth human spaceflight and the 28th flight for the New Shepard program on Friday from the company's Texas site. (11/22)

New Glenn Rocket Rises on Florida Pad Ahead of 1st Launch (Source: Space.com)
Blue Origin's powerful new orbital rocket has risen on the launch pad to prep for a debut flight that could happen soon. New Glenn was stacked at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, which is next door to NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Blue Origin has not announced an official launch date for the big new rocket, but media reports have suggested it could occur in late 2024. (11/22)

China’s New Hypergravity Machine Can Produce 1,900 Times Earth’s Gravity (Source: BGR)
China has taken a monumental leap in scientific research by activating the world’s most advanced hypergravity machine. the Centrifugal Hypergravity and Interdisciplinary Experiment Facility (CHIEF). CHIEF is a groundbreaking system located in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, which will house the largest hypergravity centrifuge ever built. When fully operational, CHIEF will be capable of producing forces thousands of times stronger than Earth’s gravity. China says this will completely revolutionize research and science of extreme conditions. (11/22)

Trump Picks Former Space Coast Congressman to Lead CDC (Source: Reuters)
Donald Trump on Friday announced Dave Weldon, a former congressman and a medical doctor, as his choice for director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a sweeping agency with a $17.3 billion budget used as a public health model around the world. The CDC tracks and responds to infectious disease outbreaks, including recommending licensed vaccines such as routine vaccines used in childhood and those given during the COVID-19 pandemic. (11/22)