Things To Do In SW Florida

NASA wants more time to look at data related to problems with Boeing’s Starliner thrusters and helium leaks before letting a pair of NASA astronauts make their way back to Earth,  again pushing back a planned return date from the International Space Station.

The new target departure of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams is no earlier than Tuesday, June 25,extending again what was supposed to be about an eight-day visit to the ISS in the the first human spaceflight for the commercial Starliner capsule and service module.

The astronauts launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on June 5, but on the way to docking at the ISS on June 6, the capsule experienced a series of helium leaks and thruster failures on its propulsion service module.

“Teams have been very busy reviewing the data and executing the on-orbit flight test objectives for the mission,” said NASA Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich during a press conference Tuesday. read more

Two Central Florida restaurants, both in Orange County, shut down the week of June 9-15, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Orange

Pascale Bakery at 2469 S Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando shut down on June 12. Inspectors found two violations, one of which was a high priority for roach activity. A second inspection on the same day found 11 violations, and a follow-up inspection was required. During the second inspection, they found two more high-priority violations for nonfood-grade bags coming in direct contact with food and food held at the wrong temperatures. On June 14, officials conducted a final inspection. They found no violations as the restaurant complied with the emergency order.

Mynt Indian Cuisine at 535 W. New England Ave. 100 Winter Park shut down on June 12. Inspectors found 15 violations, four of which were a high priority. Those violations included using the wrong chlorine strength on the dishwasher, roach activity, a stop-sale on food due to temperature abuse and food held at the wrong temperatures. Another inspection on June 13 had 10 violations as the restaurant hadn’t complied with the emergency order by then. read more

By KEN SWEET (AP Business Writer)

NEW YORK (AP) — Apple is discontinuing its buy now, pay later service known as Apple Pay Later barely a year after its initial launch in the U.S., and will rely on companies who already dominate the industry like Affirm and Klarna.

It’s an acknowledgement from a company known for producing hit products that building a financial services business from scratch as Apple has been doing for several years is difficult and highly competitive.

Apple Pay Later launched with fanfare in March 2023 as a way for iPhone customers to split purchases of up to $1,000 into four equal payments with no fees or interest. The service was Apple’s answer to the growing popularity of buy now, pay later services globally, and considered a sizeable threat to companies like Klarna, Affirm and others.

But Apple Pay Later was only available where Apple Pay was accepted whereas the other buy now, pay later companies had deeply integrated themselves into millions of merchant websites. read more

Some of the headliners for the Monsters of Rock Cruise coming in 2025 will be collecting their first Social Security checks, but that’s never stopped the popular event from selling out.

Now prepping for its 13th sailing, the themed cruise that celebrates heavy metal bands from the 80s will feature Tesla, Extreme, Winger, Queensrÿche, LA Guns, Slaughter, Faster Pussycat, Krokus, Vixen and more.

Tesla lead singer Jeff Keith turned 65 this year. Coming up on “retirement” age are Winger lead singer and founder Kip Winger and Extreme lead vocalist Gary Cherone, both now 62. Slaughter lead singer Mark Slaughter is a relatively young 59.

Michael Schenker, 69, of MSG game will be there, as will Stephen Pearcy, 67, of RATT and Michael Monroe, 62, from Hanoi Rocks. Dokken fans will get 69-year-old guitarist George Lynch’s band The Lynch Mob alongside more than 35 artists set to play on the five-night cruise.

Fans of the HBO Max superhero show “Peacemaker” can hear Wig Wam perform its theme song “Do You Wanna Taste It.” read more

It’s been 11 days since SpaceX last lit up the Space Coast sky with a rocket launch, the longest run between launches in more than a year.

It’s not for a lack of trying, though, but bad weather and a scrub as the countdown clock hit 0 last week led to SpaceX taking down a Falcon 9 rocket for a Starlink mission and switching it up with a Falcon 9 to launch a European TV satellite on Tuesday night.

The SES 24 mission flying the ASTRA 1P communication satellite for Luxembourg-based communications company SES is set to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 during a window that runs from 5:35-8:24 p.m. The satellite will service TV markets in Germany, Spain and France.

Space Launch Delta 45’s weather squadron forecasts only a 55% chance for good conditions with liftoff winds and the presence of cumulus clouds a concern. The same issues remain in the event of a 24-hour scrub worsening to only 45% chance for good conditions.

If it does launch, the first-stage booster will be making its ninth flight and will aim for a landing downrange on the droneship Just Read the Instructions. read more