CREW OF ARTEMIS II, set to launch toward moon on Wednesday (Wikipedia).

The first manned mission to the moon since 1972 with is set to blast off on Wednesday with four American astronauts on the Artemis II mission.

According to NASA, the crew will be on board the Orion spacecraft and powered into space aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. Florida.

The crew of Artemis II is three Americans (Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch) and one Canadian (Jeremy Hansen).

They will not land on the moon’s surface, but circle it. The first landing could take place in 2028.

Their return from their four-day trip will conclude with a water landing. The Earth’s gravity will pull Orion back, so no propulsion is needed.

Congress must approve ballroom: judge

A preliminary injunction was granted on Tuesday by a federal judge that will suspend the construction a $400 million ballroom at the White House ordered by President Donald Trump.

CONGRESS meets in the U.S. Capitol.

According to the Associated Press, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon – an appointee of President George W. Bush – ruled that building must stop until and unless permission is given by Congress.

“The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not,” wrote the judge, “however, the owner.”

To clear space for the ballroom, the East Wing of the White House was demolished. The plaintiff in the case leading to the injunction was the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Court opposes ban on “conversion therapy”

On a 8-1 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled against a Colorado law that prohibits “conversion therapy” for gay and bisexual youths, arguing that it violated the First Amendment’s protections for free speech.

UNITED STATES Supreme Court building (Flickr/Geoff Livingston).

The Associated Press is reporting that the law – and about two dozen similar laws in other states – “probably” – is a violation of the federal constitution and sent it back to a lower standard “that few laws pass.”

The sole dissent came from liberal associate justice Ketanhii Brown Jackson, who wrote that the court’s decision “opens a dangerous can of worms” that might “impair … states’ ability to regulate the provision of medical care in any respect.”

Weather: Cooler, then warmer

If you’re not certain what season this is here in our West Orange County cities, don’t feel alone. Things do get confusing. The forecast for Wednesday is for a spring-like daytime high of 70 with an overnight low of 58. The sky should be partly cloudy with an 11 percent chance of rain. Thursday will be similar at 70 (55) with mostly cloudy skies and an 18 percent chance of precipitation. But things change on Friday with a temperature rise to 79 (58) with mostly cloudy skies. Saturday will be pretty summer-y at 85 (58) with partly cloudy conditions.

Great Thoughts (popularity)

“If you have any power at all from being popular, then you have a duty to help people out.”
– Arabella Weir

“Anybody in my job steers a tightrope between being popular and being principled.”
– Virginia Bottomley.

“Being popular doesn’t mean you’re better than anyone else.”
– Alex Mack