(AP Photo)
(CNS) – Hawthorne-based SpaceX announced today a contract to shoot an Intelsat satellite into orbit with a Falcon Heavy rocket — a first.
“The Falcon Heavy has more than twice the power of the next largest rocket in the world. With this new vehicle, SpaceX launch systems now cover the entire spectrum of the launch needs for commercial, civil and national security customers,” said Elon Musk, SpaceX’s chief executive.
Only the Apollo-era Saturn V moon rocket produced more lift. The Falcon Heavy is capable of carrying 117,000 pounds into low-Earth orbit and more than 26,000 pounds into geosynchronous orbit, the destination of the Intelsat satellite, according to SpaceX.
Details of the contract were not announced.
On Friday, SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft — it was shot into orbit on a Falcon 9 rocket — made history when the unmanned vehicle docked at the International Space Station with a load of cargo. The Dragon is designed to carry astronauts, but only cargo deliveries are scheduled so far.
The Falcon Heavy also meets NASA and Air Force requirements for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program, according to SpaceX.
(AP) – Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain will begin hosting a new show next year on – of all places – the news network CNN. The weekend show on food and travel represents a departure for CNN in both content and procedure. CNN usually does its programming in-house, but in this case an outside production company tied to Bourdain will make the series.
It will air on Sunday nights in prime time and be repeated on Saturday nights.
Bourdain has done programs on both the Travel Channel and Food Network, and also appeared in the Bravo competition Top Chef. His CNN show will feature cultures around the world through the prism of dining traditions.
“We have license to love a wide variety of news, not just war and politics, but other things that reflect all aspects of our lives,” said Mark Whitaker, CNN executive vice president and managing editor.
CNN also wants to do more to distinguish its weekend programming from its weekday offerings, Whitaker said. The network is looking at other things, he said, but he would not discuss them on Tuesday.
Bourdain’s program will be made by Zero Point Zero Productions. CNN is aggressively considering proposals by outsiders, Whitaker said, something that it has rarely, if ever, done in the past.
The food show should not be considered a model for CNN programming during the week, he said. The domestic news network has suffered two of its worst ratings weeks over the past 20 years during the past month.
Whitaker said CNN continues to look at programming choices for weekdays but had no changes to announce.
(AP) – Summer television used to mean reruns. This year it’s gone to the dogs. Several new shows star dogs and their owners in need of help. CBS has the lone network show in “Dogs in the City,” starring comic, dog trainer and businessman Justin Silver. It’s joined by documentaries on PBS and HBO and a series in the works for the Disney Channel, among others.
Each Wednesday at 8 p.m., beginning May 30, Silver will try to help hound and human tackle unsettling problems like joint custody after divorce or dealing with significant others who just moved in.
Is man or mutt usually to blame for problems? It’s 50-50, he said, but “a dog’s behavior is shaped by the people in its life.”
Silver says he won’t be the one solving problems, even though he jokes that he speaks dog. Instead he will provide techniques and experiences so owners can fix their own problems.more
Get ready for more 405 freeway closures
L.A.'s Afternoon News: Maggie McKay and Michael Shappee, L.A. News,Traffic
(AP Image)
(CNS) – The southbound lanes of the San Diego (405) Freeway from the Getty Center Drive on-ramp to Sunset Boulevard will be closed from midnight until 5 tomorrow morning as part of the $1.2 billion widening project in the Sepulveda Pass.
Crews will close northbound lanes of the 405 from Moraga Drive to the Getty Center Drive off-ramp beginning at midnight on Wednesday.
Metro will begin closing on- and off-ramps as early as 7 p.m. and will start lane closures at 10 p.m.
The closures are necessary to conduct freeway survey work as part of the project to add carpool and exit lanes and make other improvements to the 50- year-old freeway between the Ventura (101) and Santa Monica (10) freeways.
The overall project is scheduled to be completed next year, and is being run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in cooperation with Caltrans.
Sepulveda Boulevard will remain open next to the freeway during the closures as an alternate route. But it only has one lane in each direction in much of the work zone.
Metro officials also announced the closure of a right-turn lane from northbound Sepulveda Boulevard onto eastbound Montana Avenue on Thursday and Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Southland students win spot in Scripps National Spelling Bee
L.A.'s Morning News: Phil Hulett and Penny Griego, Education,L.A. News
Three Southland students will be minding their p’s and q’s as they compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee which begins today in Maryland.
12-year-old Nickan Fayyazi from Portola Highly Gifted Magnet in Tarzana, 13-year-old old Justin Chuang from Chaparral Middle School in Diamond Bar, and 13-year-old Sam Nitz from The Pegasus School in Huntington Beach are among 278 competitors vying for the $30,000 prize from Scripps.
Southern California has produced only one champion of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which began in 1925 — a boy from Poway back in 2005.
Hungry for the latest food trend? It’s exotic!
L.A.'s Morning News: Phil Hulett and Penny Griego, Audio,Food,L.A. News
The latest food trend that’s hitting Orange County comes just in time for summer barbeques. It’s hot dogs and exotic sausages, and they are overtaking burgers as the next big comfort food. Just how exotic are the sausages that are hitting the market?
Click the play button to listen to Orange County Register restaurant reporter and food blogger Nancy Luna as she talks with KFWB’s Penny Griego and Phil Hulett.
Safety concerns arise with new Metro Expo Line
L.A.'s Morning News: Phil Hulett and Penny Griego, Audio,L.A. News
Less than a month after the opening of the Metro Expo Line, concerns are being raised about safety at a number of crossings due to lack of proper signage. KFWB’s Pete Demetriou spoke with Penny Griego and Phil Hulett from the intersection of Western and Exposition. He noted some of the specific intersections and explained the hazards.
A brown bear had the right idea for beating the Memorial Day heat in Monrovia by finding the nearest pool. Sisters Rachel and Valerie Gasparini were just about to leave home when they spotted the bear lounging in their pool. They tell Channel 2 that the bear made itself at home:
The sisters say the bear stayed in the water for about five minutes before returning to its forest home.
Self-driving cars unveiled in Spain
L.A.'s Afternoon News: Maggie McKay and Michael Shappee, Automobile,Traffic
The first SARTRE (SAfe Road TRains for the Environment) road train on a public highway among other road users was performed successfully in May 2012. The test, which covered approximately 200 km, was carried out in Barcelona, Spain at 85 km/h. The road train was comprised of a Volvo XC60, a Volvo V60 and a Volvo S60 plus one truck automatically driving in convoy behind a lead vehicle. (Photo: Volvo)
There are bad drivers and good drivers. And in Spain there are no drivers!
A convoy of self-driving cars took to a public motorway in Spain in “normal” traffic — a world first, according to Swedish car maker Volvo. A professional driver took the lead in a truck and was followed by four self-driven Volvo vehicles. They were equipped with safety systems that included cameras, radar and laser sensors.
The cars successfully drove for 124 miles at a speed of about 53 miles an hour. Volvo says the new technology would allow drivers to multi-task and work on their laptops, read or have lunch while driving.
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