Buresh Blog: Average date last freeze...Oak pollen’s turn...Mars for a year...Delta eclipse flight

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The seasons are a changin’.... our average date of the last freeze of the season is upon us for much of the I-95 corridor & has passed for the beaches. The average last date of 32 degrees or lower at JIA is Feb. 25th (meaning 50% of the time, the last freeze is before Feb. 25 & 50% of the time the last freeze is after Feb. 25). But for areas near & west of Highway 301 as well as much of inland SE Georgia, the average date of the last freeze is not until March & as late as March 15th for Waycross.

With the change in seasons comes our pollen season. Dr. Seymour with Edward Waters University continues to supply the First Alert weather team with excellent weekly data. It appears cedar pollen has peaked & pine pollen is near or a little past its peak. So now it’s oak pollen that takes center stage which is the most bothersome pollen for many folks. Oak pollen should peak by mid March.

Martians wanted! :) .... NASA is looking for a 4-person crew to live in simulated conditions on Mars. The application deadline is April 2nd. According to NASA:

Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) is a series of analog missions that will simulate year-long stays on the surface of Mars. Each mission will consist of four crew members living in Mars Dune Alpha, an isolated 1,700 square foot habitat. During the mission, the crew will conduct simulated spacewalks and provide data on a variety of factors, which may include physical and behavioral health and performance.

Known as Mars Dune Alpha, the 3D printed structure located at Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX simulates a realistic Mars habitat to support long-duration, exploration-class space missions. Life in Mars Dune Alpha will resemble the expected experience for those living in a future Mars surface habitat. The layout of the 3D printed habitat was designed to provide separate areas within the habitat for living and working.

The “Great American Eclipse” of 2024 is only a little more than a month away (April 8th)! And Delta is offering up a flight that will travel the distance of the full eclipse from Texas to Northern New England. At last check, all window seats are already taken! The airline is offering a special flight from Austin to Detroit on April 8, 2024, specifically for “umbraphiles” to be able to spend as much time as possible directly within the path of totality. Delta flight 1218 will be specifically operated on an A220-300, which will offer especially premium viewing due to the aircraft’s extra-large windows. The flight will depart from Austin at 12:15 p.m. CT and land in Detroit at 4:20 p.m. ET — timed to give those on board the best chance of safely viewing the solar eclipse at its peak. For more info. on the eclipse go to Action News Jax.com * here *.