Luke Skywalker
Super Moderator
{vb:raw ozzmodz_postquote}:
Sunrise shortly after Solar Impulse 2 takes off from the international airport in Nagoya, Japan, headed for Hawaii.(Photo: SOLAR IMPULSE via AFP/Getty Images)
1. Solar-powered plane lands in Hawaii after historically-long flight
The sun-powered plane attempting to fly around the world is scheduled to land Friday in Hawaii after an arduous five-day flight across the Pacific from Japan. The Solar Impulse 2 and pilot André Borschberg have now set records for longest solo flight and longest solar-powered flight in terms of time, the Solar Impulse team said Thursday. This is the eighth leg of the plane's expected 13-leg flight around the globe. Borschberg called this record-breaking leg the "moment of truth" for the mission, which is to encourage the use of clean technologies.
2. Heaviest traffic in 8 years expected this holiday weekend
Expect congested roads Friday through Sunday. An estimated 41.9 million Americans will travel on the roads for the Fourth of July, according to AAA. Rising numbers in the economy, increases in jobs and the lowest gas prices since 2010 will boost traffic for getaways to the most in eight years. Those driving in Indiana should keep up the pace in the left lane, though. A new state "slowpoke" law allows police officers to ticket drivers slowing down traffic in that lane.
Traffic makes its way along Interstate 80 on Wednesday in San Francisco. AAA is projecting that nearly 42 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more over the Fourth of July weekend, the largest number since 2007.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images)
3. JetBlue expands service to Cuba
JetBlue will be the first major carrier to run a direct flight from New York City to Cuba when it begins a new round-trip flight Friday. The trip goes from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Havana's José Martí International Airport. The Obama administration has eased travel restrictions to Cuba, allowing Americans who fall under 12 approved categories to visit the island. JetBlue has been flying to Cuba via charter companies since 2011, when Obama took the first steps to lift travel restrictions by allowing Americans to visit Cuba on authorized people-to-people tours.
JetBlue has been operating charter flights to Cuba for years. On July 3, flights will commence between New York City and Cuba via a JetBlue charter flight.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: USA TODAY/Nancy Trejos)
4. Russia tries again to get more grub up to space station
In the wake of SpaceX's failed launch last week, Russian space officials will take another crack at delivering needed supplies to the International Space Station. A robotic Progress freighter carrying more than three tons of food, fuel and spare parts took off at 12:55 a.m. ET Friday from Kazakhstan. The ship will dock at the station Sunday. The space station crew is fine, NASA says, but has only a four-month supply of food — two months below preferred levels — because of three unsuccessful resupply missions for the past eight months. More supplies are also needed before another three-person crew can launch July 22.
SPACEX'S FALCON 9 ROCKET EXPLODES ON LAUNCHThis is why SpaceX rocket explosion is a big loss | 02:10The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that exploded Sunday means the loss of important research equipment and supplies for the crew on board the International Space Station. But it won't delay plans to send three more astronauts to the ISS next month. USA TODAY
SPACEX'S FALCON 9 ROCKET EXPLODES ON LAUNCHWatch moment SpaceX rocket explodes after liftoff | 00:38Minutes after liftoff, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying an unmanned Dragon capsule exploded above Cape Canaveral. The rocket blasted off from Launch Complex 40 under excellent weather conditions and had successfully completed a short test-firing. USA TODAY
SPACEX'S FALCON 9 ROCKET EXPLODES ON LAUNCHSpaceX rocket explosion: 'It's space and it's difficult' | 03:10An unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying supplies for the International Space Station broke apart minutes after liftoff. As engineers analyze flight data to pinpoint what went wrong, NASA and SpaceX officials emphasize no negligence was involved. USA TODAY
SPACEX'S FALCON 9 ROCKET EXPLODES ON LAUNCHSpaceX Falcon 9 rocket explodes after liftoff | 03:59A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying an unmanned Dragon capsule exploded after liftoff today from Cape Canaveral, Fla. USA TODAY
Last VideoNext Video
5. Great Scott! It's been 30 years since we went 'Back to the Future'
Cue Huey Lewis and the News music. It was 30 years ago that Marty McFly accidentally traveled to 1955 in Doc Brown's DeLorean-turned-time-machine and thrilled audiences with his adventure getting Back to the Future. There was nearly 1.21 gigawatts of nostalgia generated Tuesday at the Hollywood Bowl where one of the largest movie audiences gathered for an anniversary screening of the film. And fans only need to travel a few months into the future for more Back to the Future events when we reach the date Marty traveled to in the sequel — Oct. 21, 2015 — when everyone will ask, "Where are our hoverboards?" Oh, and if you're holding out for a Back to Future remake, director Robert Zemeckis says it will happen over his dead body.
And, the essentials:
Weather: Expect severe weather from Nebraska to Mississippi, showers and storms from the Tennessee Valley to the mid-Atlantic, and high temperatures out West.
Stocks: China stocks fell sharply. U.S. markets are closed.
Check out what's new in theaters this weekend: Terminator Genisys and Magic Mike XXL.
If you missed the Thursday's news, we've got you covered here.
Need a break? Try playing some of our games.
You can also subscribe to get the day's top news each weekday in your inbox or find us on the Yo! app: justyo.co/usatoday.
Listen to five things you need to know on SoundCloud.
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed