logo
Rise and shine: SpaceX Falcon 9 glows through Space Coast clouds

Rise and shine: SpaceX Falcon 9 glows through Space Coast clouds

Yahoo12 hours ago

He's a pro at creating something amazing out of the mundane, but FLORIDA TODAY's Malcolm Denemark was not expecting a great photo from the June 3 Starlink 12-19 mission.
Regardless, as the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket roared away from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 12:43 a.m., carrying a batch of Starlink internet satellites, Denemark's eye on the sky yielded this serene, cloud-parting Photo of the Week.
"There were no visible stars or planets, meaning heavy cloud cover and not good for a time exposure streak shot," said the veteran photographer, who was shooting from Cocoa Beach.
"It turned out the clouds were not quite as thick as they looked ... a ghostly streak shot came out, but I shot this as a backup, with the rocket's glow illuminating the clouds over the beach."
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Rocket's glow lights up the clouds over Brevard | Photo of the Week

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

WATCH: Drone captures huge shark pair near Honeymoon Island
WATCH: Drone captures huge shark pair near Honeymoon Island

Yahoo

time39 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

WATCH: Drone captures huge shark pair near Honeymoon Island

DUNEDIN, Fla. (WFLA) — Local drone operator John Yanchoris captured video of two large sharks exploring the waters around Caladesi and Honeymoon Islands. The footage, taken at around 8 a.m. on Friday, shows the pair meandering around St. Joseph Sound, perhaps scoping out a honeymoon spot for themselves. It's difficult to identify the sharks from above, but they appear to be Caribbean reef sharks, which are abundant throughout the Gulf and Caribbean Sea. They're similar to blacktip sharks, which are also fairly common in the area, but are usually smaller than Caribbean reef sharks and have distinct black markings on the tips of their fins. Yanchoris said he had seen around 40 blacktip sharks earlier in the day, and that these two were noticeably larger. Blacktips usually grow to around 4-5 feet, but Caribbean reef sharks can reach up to 9 feet. Neither species is considered to be aggressive toward people, but both can be dangerous predators when spooked or in the presence of food. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Trump drops Nasa nominee Jared Isaacman, scrapping Elon Musk's pick
Trump drops Nasa nominee Jared Isaacman, scrapping Elon Musk's pick

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Trump drops Nasa nominee Jared Isaacman, scrapping Elon Musk's pick

The White House has withdrawn as its nominee for Nasa administrator, abruptly yanking a close ally of Elon Musk from consideration to lead the space agency. Donald Trump said he would announce a new candidate soon. 'After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head Nasa,' the US president posted online. 'I will soon announce a new Nominee who will be mission aligned, and put America first in space.' Related: Drugs, marital advice and that black eye: key takeaways from Trump's Oval Office send-off for Elon Musk Isaacman, a billionaire private astronaut who had been Musk's pick to lead Nasa, was due next week for a much-delayed confirmation vote before the US Senate. His removal from consideration caught many in the space industry by surprise. Trump and the White House did not explain what led to the decision. Isaacman, whose removal was earlier reported by Semafor, said he was 'incredibly grateful' to Trump 'and all those who supported me throughout this journey'. 'I have gained a much deeper appreciation for the complexities of government and the weight our political leaders carry,' he posted. 'It may not always be obvious through the discourse and turbulence, but there are many competent, dedicated people who love this country and care deeply about the mission.' Isaacman's removal comes just days after Musk's official departure from the White House, where the SpaceX CEO's role as a 'special government employee' leading the so-called department of government efficiency (Doge) created turbulence for the administration and frustrated some of Trump's aides. Musk, according to a person familiar with his reaction, was disappointed by Isaacman's removal. 'It is rare to find someone so competent and good-hearted,' Musk wrote of Isaacman on X, responding to the news of the White House's decision. Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was unclear whom the administration might tap to replace Isaacman. One name being floated is the retired US air force Lt Gen Steven Kwast, an early advocate for the creation of the US space force and a Trump supporter, according to three people familiar with the discussions. Isaacman, the former CEO of the payment processor company Shift4, had broad space industry support but drew concerns from lawmakers over his ties to Musk and SpaceX, where he spent hundreds of millions of dollars as an early private spaceflight customer. The former nominee had donated to Democrats in prior elections. In his confirmation hearing in April, he sought to balance Nasa's existing moon-aligned space exploration strategy with pressure to shift the agency's focus on Mars, saying the US can plan for travel to both destinations. As a potential leader of Nasa's 18,000 employees, Isaacman faced a daunting task of implementing that decision to prioritize Mars, given that Nasa has spent years and billions of dollars trying to return its astronauts to the moon. On Friday, the space agency released new details of the Trump administration's 2026 budget plan that proposed killing dozens of space science programs and laying off thousands of employees, a controversial overhaul that space advocates and lawmakers described as devastating for the agency. The Montana Republican Tim Sheehy, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation committee, posted that Isaacman had been 'a strong choice by President Trump to lead Nasa'. Related: Universe's mysteries may never be solved because of Trump's Nasa cuts, experts say 'I was proud to introduce Jared at his hearing and strongly oppose efforts to derail his nomination,' Sheehy said. Some scientists saw the nominee change as further destabilizing to Nasa as it faces dramatic budget cuts without a confirmed leader in place to navigate political turbulence between Congress, the White House and the space agency's workforce. 'So not having [Isaacman] as boss of Nasa is bad news for the agency,' Harvard-Smithsonian astronomer Jonathan McDowell posted. 'Maybe a good thing for Jared himself though, since being Nasa head right now is a bit of a Kobayashi Maru scenario,' McDowell added, referring to an exercise in the science fiction franchise Star Trek where cadets are placed in a no-win scenario. With Reuters

Musk backs down on threat to retire SpaceX Dragon spacecraft amid Trump dispute
Musk backs down on threat to retire SpaceX Dragon spacecraft amid Trump dispute

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Musk backs down on threat to retire SpaceX Dragon spacecraft amid Trump dispute

Elon Musk, the world's richest person, on Thursday said his company SpaceX would begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft after he engaged in an extraordinary public fallout with Donald Trump who had threatened to cancel government contracts with Musk's businesses. He later appeared to back down. 'In light of the President's statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately,' Musk posted on the social media platform X, which he owns. A few minutes earlier Trump had posted on Truth Social – the media platform that he owns – that he might cancel huge lucrative contracts with Musk's businesses, which include the SpaceX company that is building a fleet of rockets. Related: Trump and Musk's very public feud is like Alien v Predator for political nerds 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!' Trump said. Nasa relies on SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Hours after issuing his threat, Musk appeared to take pleas from users on his social media platform X to 'cool down' and he posted: 'Good advice. Ok, we won't decommission Dragon.' Since 2008, SpaceX has received more than $20bn in government contracts, largely from Nasa and the Department of Defense. In March, two Nasa astronauts returned to Earth in a Dragon capsule after being stranded on the ISS for nearly nine months, after their Boeing Starliner capsule faced technical issues and returned to Earth without them. The next SpaceX Dragon launch is scheduled to take place on 10 June. The Dragon is expected to carry four people to and from the ISS on Axiom Mission 4. Nasa's press secretary, Bethany Stevens, in a statement on X after Musk's announcement, said the agency 'will continue to execute upon the president's vision for the future of space'. Related: Trump v Musk: 10 ways they can further hurt each other 'We will continue to work with our industry partners to ensure the president's objectives in space are met,' she added. Musk's announcement came amid an escalating dispute with Trump that began after he denounced the president's tax and spending bill as a 'disgusting abomination'. Musk later accused Trump of 'ingratitude' for the millions he spent to get him elected. Trump, in turn, said he was 'very disappointed' in Musk. The president wrote earlier on Thursday that Musk was 'wearing thin' and that the tech billionaire 'went crazy' after he was asked to depart the White House last week as head of Trump's 'department of government efficiency' .

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store