Elon Musk had called Tuesday's launch of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket the "most difficult" yet. So the fact that the rocket made it into space — even if one of its core boosters did end up crashing into the sea — is "a huge deal," according to the former NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao.
Chiao has flown on three Space Shuttle flights, and lived aboard the International Space Station for several months as the commander of the 10th-ever expedition to the habitable satellite.
He adds that SpaceX's mostly successful launch is a promising sign to government agencies — including the Air Force, the Defense Department, and NASA — that commercial, reusable space rockets could make travel beyond earth easier.
"It showed a very high level of sophistication," Chiao told Cheddar. "It all seems to have gone off without a hitch. And so this demonstrates to the Air Force that SpaceX is up to this kind of sophistication and that they're ready, hopefully, to launch more sophisticated and expensive Air Force payloads in the future."
In the early morning hours on Tuesday, the vehicle ascended from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, beginning its third trip since 2018. After takeoff, the rocket's two side-boosters — which the rocket uses to propel its launch — successfully returned to the ground, landing vertically at the Air Force station on Cape Canaveral.
Leroy said the rocket's greatest challenge was launching myriad spacecraft, including 24 satellites, a new, solar-powered space 'sail,' and NASA's Deep Space Atomic Clock — a tool that should help future vehicles navigate farther into space — to three different orbits. That task required reigniting and shutting off its upper stage, a smaller portion of the rocket that is meant to position payloads into the orbit, several times.
While the rocket's center booster didn't land quite so perfectly (missing its intended target and dramatically crashing into the sea), Falcon Heavy did manage to deploy its payload, an important victory for future flights.
In addition to its spacecraft, the flight also carried the ashes of 152 people.
The former astronaut explained that successfully landing side-boosters has become "more and more routine."
As for the Falcon Heavy's central booster, he says: "It was coming in so hot because of the trajectory of the launch, it looks like it didn't have enough control-authority and fuel to make a successful landing."
The launch marked the first time the Defense Department has deployed its hardware on a rocket that had been launched previously, the New York Times reported.
Falcon Heavy's third ascent also comes amid vigorous competition in the burgeoning commercial space industry, where SpaceX faces tough foes in both Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic.
Meanwhile, government agencies have increasingly looked to private companies to assist in their ventures into space. For instance, the Defense Department's research arm, DARPA, has begun a competition among space launch firms, including Vector Launch and Virgin Orbit, to make the process of delivering small payloads like satellites more flexible.
"It's a natural progression," said Chiao. "This is the next step. NASA never wanted to be the only customer for these services, and so it's natural that NASA would step up and provide a destination for some of these activities, be it research, tourism, or something else."
But spending time in space? That will still require some adjustment.
"You can't go home when you want to go home. You're going to be there for the time of your planned journey," said Chiao. "It can be frustrating at times, but it's definitely worth it."
The FDA has granted emergency use authorization to Pfizer's pill to treat covid-19. The treatment, called Paxlovid, is the first antiviral covid-19 pill that people can take at home.
Pfizer says the pill can reduce the risk of severe illness by 90 percent and is intended for people at high risk for severe disease, including those over 65, people with obesity, diabetes, or a weakened immune system. Professor Peter Pitts, Founder, Center for Medicine in the Public Interest & Former FDA Associate joined Wake Up with Cheddar to discuss.
Ahead of a four day week for the markets due to the upcoming Christmas holiday, investors hoping for a quiet end to the year, or even a Santa Claus rally, may not be in luck. Investors are still digesting the latest from the Fed regarding a quicker than expected taper, as well as ever increasing blow back as the Omicron variant spreads. Octavio Marenzi, CEO of Opimas LLC, explains why the markets have been so volatile ever since the emergence of the latest variant and what to expect going forward into 2022.
Carlo and Baker cover the heartening news on the Covid front ahead of the holiday, plus President Biden punting student loan repayments again, a new space telescope and Love, Hate, Ate: Christmas Eve Eve Edition!
Pfizer, one of the makers of a currently available COVID-19 vaccine, has taken another critical step forward in combatting the pandemic by getting regulatory approval for Paxlovid, a pill treatment rather than IV or injection as others have been. Dr. Purvi Parikh, an immunologist with the Allergy and Asthma Network, spoke to Cheddar about the ramifications of the authorization. "This is huge, especially because we know early treatment does keep people out of the hospital, especially with this antiviral," Parikh said. "The fact that people can start a regimen at home so they don't have to leave and further expose others is a big breakthrough." She also explained how the drug is a combination of two antiviral medications that are not without its risks but should be safe over the short term.
This year's worldwide semiconductor shortage limited the supply of everything from new cars to smartphones; and now, many in the chip industry expect the shortage to continue deep into 2022, and maybe even 2023. Semiconductor senior research analyst for Robert W. Baird & Co., Tristan Gerra, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Direct health care company Nomi Health recently raised $110 million in a Series A round. Nomi Health lets public and private organizations directly purchase healthcare at reduced costs, and pay providers in real-time. It also delivers healthcare directly to under-served communities via its fleet of mobile care units, which the company says is the largest in the country. Nomi Health says its mission is to improve the health care experience for all Americans. Nomi Health CEO Mark Newman joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The airline industry says it is contending with staff shortages that threaten to hamper operations amid the COVID resurgence, andDelta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian called on the CDC to revise its guidance for vaccinated workers who test positive from a 10-day quarantine to just five. Chuck Liberman, chief investment officer and managing partner at Advisors Capital Management LLC, joined Cheddar to talk about the current guidance on isolation and why he believes the omicron variant calls for more relaxed guidance given its reportedly mild symptoms.
The boys discuss President Biden's plans to send out free rapid tests as the testing supply chain starts to buckle ahead of the holidays. Also, why aren't Americans having more babies, and The Matrix returns.
NASA is launching its new generation of space telescopes just before Christmas. The James Webb Space Telescope, set to launch on December 24th, will succeed the Hubble space telescope as the world's most powerful complex space observatory. The project has been 30 years in the making and is one of the most highly anticipated space science missions of the 21st century. Klaus Pontoppidan, astronomer and JWST Project Scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
With Omicron becoming the dominant COVID-19 variant in the U.S., President Joe Biden announced that he will make 500 million rapid tests available to Americans in January 2022. Cheddar News speaks with Dr. Shereef Elnahal, President and CEO of University Hospital why testing is key to combatting the spread of the virus.
