SpaceX is planning to launch its Falcon Heavy rocket Tuesday. CEO Elon Musk tweeted Sunday night it "remains go." If it is successful it will be the biggest, and most powerful rocket to go into space over thirty years. Phil Plait, author of The Bad Astronomy blog, explains challenges facing Tuesday's lift-off.
"This is the most powerful rocket that will have been launched since the Saturn 5," says Plait. "In this case we are having a new generation of rocket that will be able to hopefully take people to Mars."
Tesla's roadster will be in the cargo when this rocket goes to space, along with what Elon Musk is describing as a Starman pressure suit. "It's a publicity stunt," says Plait. "You need to launch something in there. There's got to be some mass in there to test the rocket, and he chose this for sentimental reasons."
As Russia intensifies its war on Ukraine, President Biden announced a ban on oil imported from the aggressor nation. Critics of Russia have said this would be the best way to force Putin to pull back, but curbs on Russian oil exports are expected to send already skyrocketing oil and gas prices even higher, further impacting consumers, businesses, financial markets, and the global economy. Leslie Beyer, CEO of the Energy Workforce and Technology Council, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss. "It's certainly going to increase pricing, but it is the right thing to do," she said. "The industry itself has already pulled out of the significant portion of its operations in Russia."
Two friends have joined forces to come up with an app dedicated to making mental health more approachable and to provide users with the tools needed to improve their mental health and overall well-being. Co-Founders of the Dial App Jonah Salita and Marcel Johnson, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
On this International Women’s Day, Deb Cupp, president of Microsoft U.S., joined Cheddar News to talk about the implementation of her pillars to extend the company's culture, such as acting with care and putting the team first. "What I like about the pillars is they're very simple, so it's easy for us to think about how they show up every day in our lives," Cupp said.