Fast-moving wildfires in California and Nevada have left tens of thousands of people under mandatory evacuation orders, numerous structures threatened and air quality impacted, as a dangerous heat wave continues to grip Southern California in particular.
The big picture: California Gov. Gavin Newsom activated the National Guard Monday in response to the massive Line Fire in San Bernardino County — one of nine large blazes in California and 71 large fires burning across the western U.S. as of Tuesday, per the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC).
SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Floridaearly Tuesday morningfor a historic, high-risk operation.
Why it matters: The four-member civilian crew's mission features an attempt at the first-ever commercial spacewalk — around 430 miles above Earth.
