GOP’s Slom comes out in support of Cruz
On the heels of Ben Carson’s exit from the race to be the GOP presidential nominee, Hawaii state Sen. Sam Slom has shifted his endorsement to Ted Cruz.
The state’s lone Republican senator had previously supported Carson, who dropped out of the race Friday.
In throwing his support behind Cruz — whose victories on Super Tuesday established him as the Republican establishment’s apparent last, best hope to prevent Donald Trump from winning the party’s nomination — Slom cited Cruz’s core conservative values.
“After eight long years of Barack Obama’s failed policies, I want someone in the White House who respects the presidency, who respects the American people, and who respects the U.S. Constitution,” Slom said in a statement released Sunday. “Ted Cruz will excel on all those points and more.”
Slom’s endorsement comes in advance of the Hawaii GOP presidential caucus on Tuesday and just two days after Slom was hospitalized after taking ill during a Senate floor session.
Haleiwa utility work may cause delays
The northbound lane of Kamehameha Highway in Haleiwa will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. today because of work by Hawaiian Telcom crews.
The utility said by email Sunday the project would affect the stretch of highway between Emerson Road and Haleiwa Road.
Crews will be replacing cables that serve residents and businesses in the area.
Traffic will be contraflowed on the single southbound lane. Motorists are advised to use alternate routes if possible or anticipate delays.
New launchpad will undergo test with rocket motor
The Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems is readying for the first major test of a new vertical takeoff and landing pad on Hawaii island.
The test, scheduled for March 20 at a rock quarry in Keaau, will help to determine whether the 100-square-foot pad can withstand the heat and force produced by a rocket engine and provide a stable base for takeoff and landing.
The pad, which will allow spacecraft to take off and land without complication from dust and debris, is constructed of basalt mined from a Hawaii island quarry and baked into 100 separate pieces in a 1,100-degree kiln. The basalt used is similar to material available on the moon and on other planets, so in theory the process can be replicated in space.
The pad was assembled in December by a rover remotely controlled from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The test will involve the firing of a rocket engine powerful enough to launch a 960-pound rocket.
A successful outcome will further the project goal of allowing space explorers to construct their own infrastructure from materials available on the moon and other celestial bodies.
Like Florida’s Cape Canaveral, the east coast of Hawaii island is ideal for space launches because they would take advantage of the Earth’s rotation and there is ocean downrange.
The project is a joint effort by PISCES, NASA, Honeybee Robotics, ARGO, Hawaii County, the state and Ena Media Hawaii.
To see a video of the launchpad construction, visit: 808ne.ws/1YkVARb.
