SpaceX astronaut launch, HBO Max launches, NASCAR Cup Series: 5 things to know Wednesday

Editors, USA TODAY
·3 min read

SpaceX set to launch its first human crew to space

On Wednesday, SpaceX is slated to fulfill its most important mission to date. Two astronauts are scheduled to board a Crew Dragon capsule and launch from Florida on a trajectory toward the International Space Station. It’ll mark the first time the company has launched humans, as well as the first time in nearly a decade that astronauts take flight from American soil on American rockets. To succeed, everything – launch, orbit, docking, then departure and splashdown – will have to be perfect. Astronauts Robert Behnken and Doug Hurley depend on it. The mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which was designed to return American astronauts to the ISS using commercially procured spacecraft.

Prefer to listen? Check out the 5 things podcast below and subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts:

HBO Max becomes latest streaming service to debut. Is it worth it?

HBO Max, the latest major streaming service to launch, will be available starting Wednesday. But it arrives with a steep price tag at $14.99 a month. Still, it has a big leg up on the competition: An existing base of 43 million subscribers to HBO or Cinemax and its existing streaming service. So what are you getting for your money? Unlike Apple TV Plus, it is led by TV hits "Friends" and "The Big Bang Theory," all of HBO's series, Warner Bros. films, "Sesame Street" and several kids shows. Unlike Disney Plus and Hulu, it's designed as a one-stop shop for all ages. And unlike Netflix, it aims to provide what backers call a more "curated" collection of content.

Rocky Mountain National Park to begin reopening

Rocky Mountain National Park in northern Colorado is scheduled to reopen Wednesday — two months after it was closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic. However, park officials are still determining the timing and feasibility of park visitor center operations and other services. They are working with the state to follow “safer-at-home” guidance and are urging residents to limit activities to their immediate communities, restrict travel to no more than 10 miles from their home and not travel to mountain areas. The state tourism office has also discouraged vacations to the state to curtail the spread of COVID-19.

Need a sports fix? NASCAR holding second race at Charlotte

The NASCAR Cup Series held its annual Memorial Day weekend event — the Coca-Cola 600 — Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and on Wednesday the drivers will get another crack at the same 1.5-mile oval. After a 10-week shutdown because of the coronavirus pandemic, NASCAR returned to action with a revised schedule that now includes rare mid-week races as the series tries to make up for postponed events. You can catch reigning series champion Kyle Busch, Sunday's winner Brad Keselowski and all of the Cup stars in the ALSCO Uniforms 500, 8 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.

Eminem to host listening party in celebration of 'Marshall Mathers LP'

Eminem has reached a new milestone in his rap career: the 20th anniversary of his seminal album "Marshall Mathers LP." And he's celebrating the album's big anniversary with a listening party on Wednesday, the Detroit-bred rapper announced. "I used to give a (expletive) / now I could give a (expletive) less," Eminem captioned an Instagram post using lyrics from his song "I'm Back." "Stan drop, Listening Party and I got a new number ☎️- hit the site for more info on the 20th Anniversary."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SpaceX launch, HBO Max, NASCAR, Eminem: 5 things to know Wednesday