SpaceX's Falcon Heavy has arrived at its launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center. Will Goodman, Managing Editor at Rockets are Cool, joins Cheddar to discuss what testing the Falcon Heavy will undergo before liftoff in January.
Goodman says the rocket should make it to space by early January, barring any major issues during the testing phase. As for what's on the docket for 2018, Goodman says SpaceX will continue to ramp up efforts for the BFR. He also believes it will add more Falcon 9 launches beyond the three it already has planned for January.
Now Elon Musk had promised to bring two private citizens to the moon in 2018, but will it actually happen? Goodman doesn't believe so, but he has high hopes for the aerospace community in general for the next year...including Blue Origin and Virgin Galatic.
President Biden's self-imposed deadline of making booster vaccines available for all Americans is today, but with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration only approving the boosters for senior citizens, it doesn't look like he can make that deadline. The nation's top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci defended both positions, saying that the deadline was more of a placeholder and that he also stands by the FDA's decision.
Dr. Jen Caudle, family physician and associate professor at Rowan University, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss more on the booster shot and Pfizer's vaccine for young kids.
26 states have now fully vaccinated more than half of their population with Vermont, Connecticut, and Massachusetts fully vaccinating at least two-thirds of their residents. These three states are among the ones with the lowest new Covid-19 cases per capita, but in states with low vaccination rates, hospitals are filling up again.
Dr. Rob Davidson, ER doctor and executive director of Committee to Protect Health Care, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss more.
Gas prices are expected to rise ahead of Labor Day weekend, with millions of people hitting the road and Hurricane Ida disrupting the nation's oil and gas industries. Chris Williams, CEO of CW Petroleum Corp, joined Cheddar to discuss the rise and fall of gas prices, plus what his company plans to do to adapt to the uptick in electric vehicles.