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NASA’s plans to get the first human spaceflight of the year off the pad have to hold off until at least Friday because of weather constraints along the flight path needed in case of emergency. That delay, though, opens the door for a national security mission aiming for liftoff on Thursday morning.

The SpaceX Crew-12 mission is now looking at a launch no earlier than 5:15 a.m. Friday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40, pushing back another day from what had originally targeted an early Wednesday liftoff.

The flight path for the Crew Dragon Freedom needs to have good weather conditions in case of an abort, and high winds are expected along the eastern seaboard.

So NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, will wait another day in quarantine at Kennedy Space Center before they get their chance to launch on what is planned to be an eight-month stay on board the International Space Station. read more

By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are hovering near records on Wall Street Tuesday following a mixed set of profit reports from big U.S. companies, as Hasbro jumps but Coca-Cola slips. Hopes are also building that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates later this year to boost the economy following a discouraging report on the strength of U.S. shoppers.

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The S&P 500 fell 0.1%, but at one point in the morning was sitting just above its all-time high set a couple weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was adding 54 points, or 0.1%, to its own record, as of 1:43 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.2% lower. read more

The U.S. dollar’s value has fallen 8% over the past year, as the price of gold has skyrocketed, said the WSJ Dollar Index. Some think it is a good thing.

President Donald Trump said recently a weaker dollar is “great.” The idea is a weaker currency boosts exports and employment while a strong currency can throttle an economy.

While the idea of a weaker dollar has had supporters over the decades, economists often argue gains can be eaten up by domestic inflation and deflation.

A weaker dollar could help U.S. manufacturers compete by becoming less expensive to foreign buyers, and boost tourism. Yet it also means goods imported from abroad can become more expensive. Traditionally, the U.S. imports more from abroad than it exports.

Question: Is a weaker U.S. dollar a good thing?

Economists

James Hamilton, UC San Diego

NO: A cheaper dollar would provide stimulus by encouraging sales of U.S. exports but would aggravate inflation by raising the price of imported goods to firms and consumers. Inflation is a bigger concern for me at the moment, so I see the dollar weakness as a slight negative. Moreover, the reason for the weaker dollar is a loss of faith in the United States government. That is not a good thing. read more

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO, AP Retail Sales

NEW YORK (AP) — Shoppers unexpectedly paused their spending in December from November, closing out the holiday shopping season and the year on a lackluster tone.

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The report, issued by the Commerce Department on Tuesday, surprised economists who were looking for growth despite mounting concerns about slowing job growth, uncertainty about President Donald Trump’s tariffs and other economic headwinds. And it raised questions about shoppers’ ability to spend after they have remained resilient for months despite souring consumer confidence, economists said.

Retail sales were flat in December from November, when business was up 0.6%, according to the Commerce Department. Economists were expecting a 0.4% increase for December. read more

Art meets up with aerospace again at the upcoming Spark STEM Fest at Orlando Science Center. Covering both disciplines will be appearances by Nicole Stott, former astronaut and outer-space watercolorist.

“You think an astronaut, you think technical, you think a scientist,” Stott said. “And yet, the majority of these people that I’ve encountered in my life also have something artsy or creative going on, really, too, and we want to share that.”

Spark STEM Fest celebrates technology and innovation with hands-on experiences, live science shows and interaction with engineers, researchers and other professionals. The event runs Saturday, Sunday and Monday at the science center.

Stott’s astronaut career included 104 days in space as a crew member on the International Space Station and Space Shuttle Discovery. She also had an artistic, anti-gravity experience with watercolors on board in 2009.

“It was bizarre to see this floating ball of water that just was attracted to the brush, and then pulling the colored water off the palette,” she said. “I had to figure out how far do I pull the brush off the paper so that I can drag the floating ball of colored water along the paper to paint?” read more