Things To Do In SW Florida

When the robotic lander Odysseus last month became the first U.S.-built spacecraft to touch down on the moon in more than 50 years, it toppled over at an angle.

That limited the amount of science it could do on the lunar surface, because its antennas and solar panels were not pointed in the correct directions.

Just a month earlier, another spacecraft, the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, sent by the Japanese space agency, had also tipped during landing, ending up on its head.

Why is there a sudden epidemic of spacecraft rolling on the moon like Olympic gymnasts performing floor routines? Is it really that difficult to land upright there?

On the internet and elsewhere, people pointed to the height of the Odysseus lander — 14 feet from the bottom of the landing feet to the solar arrays at the top — as a contributing factor for its off-kilter touchdown.

Had Intuitive Machines, the maker of Odysseus, made an obvious error in building the spacecraft that way?

The company’s officials provide an engineering rationale for the tall, skinny design, but those internet commenters do have a point. read more

Citing many tensions within her division, Barbara Bouza, president of Walt Disney Imagineering since late 2021, revealed Saturday she is leaving her job.

In an Instagram post on her account, she referred to angst stemming from plans to move staff from California to Lake Nona in Orlando, job cuts, pandemic pressures and “unprecedented hyper-escalation on projects” as part of her tenure.

“It is bittersweet as I wrap up my work as president of Walt Disney Imagineering this month before I create an even bigger impact for the world,”  she wrote.

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A post shared by Barbara Bouza (@bouzaarchitect)

Bouza also saluted Imagineers and their projects, which have “fueled the turbocharged growth of Disney Experience through $60 billion of investment over the next 10 years.”

Robert Iger, CEO of Walt Disney Co., has announced plans to spend that amount on as-yet-unspecified theme-park projects in Disney parks around the world over the next decade.

Walt Disney Imagineering workers were among about 2,000 people to be transferred from their Southern California base to Disney’s $1 billion Lake Nona campus. That project was announced in July 2021 but dropped in May 2023 for what the company called “changing business conditions.” read more

By Sally French | NerdWallet

As Paris gears up to host the 2024 Olympic Games, the cost of travel in France is undergoing its own bout of Olympic-size inflation.

Even public transportation prices are increasing, with prices for individual public transit tickets temporarily rising between July 20 and Sept. 8 to almost double their current prices. French government officials have said prices will temporarily cost 4 euros (roughly $4), up from the current starting price of 2.15 euros.

The good news is there are still ways to save money if you’re heading to Paris this summer for the Olympic Games.

1. Scope out the cheap seats

Not all Olympic sports are equal — at least in terms of admission costs.

Popular sports such as gymnastics and swimming tend to sell out quickly. Now, the only official way to get your hands on tickets for an event like women’s artistic gymnastics is through expensive hospitality packages. At the time of a NerdWallet analysis in mid-February, such packages start at 495 euros (about $540) — and that’s just for qualification rounds. For women’s gymnastics all-around finals, the cheapest available packages cost 3,750 euros (more than $4,000). read more

WINTER HAVEN – Legoland Florida theme park has moved into the fast lane. Its new Ferrari Build & Race attraction is now open to the public.

Opening-day visitors put the new space through its paces. They intensely assembled small cars using red and black Lego bricks, ran them through ramps and other physical challenges and then scanned their models into a simulator to see whose vehicles could do three laps around a virtual Ferrari course fastest.

All of that was preceded by a life-size model of a Ferrari 296 GTS that uses 424,000 Lego pieces. Its driver-side door is propped open, allowing people of all ages to sit behind the wheel and pose for photos.

“It reflects the strength of the Ferrari IP,” Rex Jackson, managing director of Legoland Resorts, North America, said Friday. “It’s loved by children. It’s loved by adults. We’ve seen it in our other attractions that we’ve launched across the globe that the interaction is truly a family interaction. It’s not just an interaction for the kids.” read more

There is still time to nominate your business or organization for the Orlando Sentinel’s 2024 Top Workplaces program, which recognizes the best places to work in Central Florida.

The deadline for applications has been extended to April 12. Get information or submit your nomination at OrlandoSentinel.com/nominate or by calling 407-428-2696.

Nearly 200 companies have already signed up to participate in the program, now in its sixth year with the Sentinel. Participation is free and there is no obligation to purchase any product or service.

Any organization – public, private, non-profit or governmental – with 35 or more employees in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Sumter, Polk, Brevard, Volusia, Flagler or Marion counties may enter the Top Workplaces program. Workplaces are evaluated by their employees, who are sent a short 24-question survey to complete.

The survey period runs through May.

The Sentinel is again partnering with Energage as the program’s survey company. Energage conducts Top Workplaces surveys for media companies in 65 markets and surveyed more than 2 million employees at more than 8,000 organizations in the past year. read more