CREW OF ARTEMIS II , which splashed down in the Pacific on Friday (Wikipedia).

Artemis II’s astronauts splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, successfully completing the first trip by humans to the moon in over a half-century.

The Associated Press is reporting that the spacecraft carrying Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen hit Earth’s atmosphere moved at 33 times the speed of sound, the Orion capsules heat shield successfully protecting the spacecraft from the high temperatures created during re-entry.

“A perfect bull’s-eye splashdown,” said Rob Navias of Mission Control in Houston.

The Artemis missions are considered a key step toward establishing a regular moon base, which would itself be a stepping stone toward a trip to – and possibly a base– on Mars.

Gas prices push inflation up

The biggest increase in the price of gasoline in six decades has prompted a sharp rise in inflation, according to the Labor Department.

Associated Press is reporting that consumer prices increased 3.3 percent in March, a rise from 2.4 percent in February and the largest annual increase since May 2024. On a monthly basis, consumer prices climbed by 0.9 percent from February to March. That’s the biggest jump in almost four years.

The effects of the Iran war are believed to be reflected in inflation. As oil and gas prices continue to rise, economists are considering whether the conflict will lead to a widespread increase such as a few years ago when the annual inflation rate rose above 9 percent.

Iran demands Lebanon included in cease-fire

Sustaining the cease-fire between the U.S., Israel and Iran may be more complicated that it originally seemed.

United Press International is reporting the speaker of the Iranian parliament stated on Friday that there will be no negotiations with the U.S. without including Lebanon in the talks as well as the release of blocked assets of Iran.

UPI notes that each side has accused the other of not abiding by the cease-fire deal. Iran has not opened the Hormuz Straight and Israel continues to fire missiles into Lebanon, in its conflict with the Hezbollah.

Weather: A little rain on Sunday

Tired of the sunny weather in our West Orange County cities? We will get seem relief soon. The forecast for Saturday is for partly cloudy skies with a daytime high of 71 and an overnight low of 58. However, some morning rain will hit us on Sunday morning with temps of 65 (54). Monday will warm a bit to 67 (53) and partly cloudy skies. Tuesday will be similar but warm to 72 (53).

Great Thoughts:

“The price of a car is not just what you pay for a car, but what the car does for you.”
– Henry Ford

“A car is like a mother-in-law – if you let it, it will rule your life.”
– Jaime Lerner

“The cars we drive say a lot about us.”
– Alexandra Paul.