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As NASA celebrates the 50th anniversary of the historic Moon landing with a live TV broadcast and events, there is a focus on recognizing the contributions of the thousands of men and women who made the Apollo 11 mission possible. This year is particularly significant for the legacy of the Apollo program because of the president’s Space Policy Directive 1, which tasks NASA with returning to the Moon by 2024. This time, the mandate requires establishing a permanent lunar base and advancing space exploration to Mars and across the solar system.
As a space law and policy professor, I see positive differences with this new goal compared to the earlier space race: a focus on international cooperation, industry and astronaut diversity to achieve sustainable space exploration.
Inclusive US space policy
While the presidential proclamation calls for returning American astronauts to the Moon, NASA is no longer in it alone. Directive 1 invites commercial and international partnerships. NASA’s return mission will also include both men and women astronauts, leading to the first woman to step on the Moon. I think this inclusive vision invokes a refreshingly equitable interpretation toward human footprints on the Moon and the collective role of humanity in space.
Already companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin and Made in Space have partnered with NASA to provide advanced technologies and services necessary to extend life in space. This includes 3D printing and space transportation. In June, NASA announced new opportunities for civilian astronauts and commercial scientific research on the ISS National Lab. Currently, more than 50 companies engage in research and development for a range of commercial, pharmaceutical and educational purposes.
These are positive steps, but what the space sector still needs to improve for space exploration is to equalize the gender imbalance in NASA and STEM fields. This is more challenging because women comprise only 20% of space industry employees and 30% of the workforce in STEM research and development globally. Women are further excluded when the equipment, like smaller-sized spacesuits, isn’t designed for them. But this challenge also presents an opportunity for government and industry to work together to close the gender data and technology gap. This is necessary to ensure the requisite space hardware and technologies exist for a new diverse body of NASA and civilian astronauts.
Space for all humankind
The benefits of fostering an inclusive framework for space exploration are already recognized. Both the U.N. Office for Outer Space Affairs and NASA state that innovation and diversity drive exploration.
The 20-year old International Space Station, for instance, is a successful experiment in international cooperation in space and science. No one nation could have accomplished this alone.
Inclusivity is particularly visible in the U.N. Office for Outer Space Affairs’ programs and language, where “humankind” is used instead of “mankind.” Its Space for Women Project seeks to ensure that space benefits everyone and that women play an active and equal role in space and exploration. Fairness and inclusion are, after all, important aspects of a stable society. Inclusivity also supports international policymaking at the state level. Russia recently decided to join U.N. efforts to define guidelines of behavior in space to avoid being excluded from rule-making.
Back in 2016, the European Space Agency proposed a Moon Village to promote international harmony. The European Space Agency’s vision is to unite interested parties and nations to establish a sustainable Moon base for science and commercial purposes. In April, SOM, an urban planning company, and MIT presented the first concept design for this village.
Private ventures, too, benefit from promoting diversity in space. Germany is seeking to send its first female astronaut to the ISS through a consortium of commercial sponsors and crowd-funding. Diversity and inclusivity are everyone’s concern.
Reframing the narrative for space
Multiplicity of voices and perspectives matters for understanding space. Online media platforms, including Shespeaksscience, Everydayastronaut and Madam Mars, are weaving space images, science, information, cultural references and stories together to educate and inspire people’s interest in space and exploration.
Even nonhuman icons play a role in expanding space diversity. When NASA endowed Curiosity with its own identity and Twitter account, the rover’s science and exploration of Mars exploded on social media with more than 4 million followers. People connected with the rover’s personalized voice and daily narrative. What is less known is that Curiosity’s feed is run by three women at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Diversity of voice and perspective allows people to connect, learn and understand. Perhaps other future technologies and AI will play a role in furthering our notions of space, exploration and diversity.
Undoubtedly, the use of space improves life on Earth. But we also need human explorers in space to derive the greatest benefits. An inclusive approach is most likely to succeed. After all, returning to the Moon is only the beginning.
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Sara M. Langston, Assistant Professor of Spaceflight Operations, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Akita, boxer, Chihuahua, Labrador Retriever, mastiff and spaniel.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).
‘Jackson’
“Jackson” is a male Chihuahua with a short black and brown coat.
He is in kennel No. 12, ID No. 12533.
‘Sadie’
“Sadie” is a female spaniel with a long black coat.
She already has been spayed.
She’s in kennel No. 18, ID No. 12542.
Male pit bull-mastiff
This male pit bull-mastiff has a short black coat.
Shelter staff said he does well with others, and is a sweet and loving dog.
He’s in kennel No. 21, ID No. 12515.
Female pit bull
This female pit bull has a short black and white coat.
Shelter staff said she is a very submissive and loving dog.
She’s in kennel No. 22, ID No. 12516.
‘Cash’
“Cash” is a male pit bull terrier mix with a short black and white coat.
Shelter staff said Cash does well with others, loves people and walks well on a leash.
He has been neutered.
He’s in kennel No. 27, ID No. 12413.
‘Mia’
“Mia” is a female Akita with a tricolor coat.
She has already been spayed.
Mia is in kennel No. 28, ID No. 12543.
‘Chucky’
“Chucky” is a male pit bull terrier with a short black and white coat.
He already has been neutered.
He’s in kennel No. 29, ID No. 12523.
‘Buddy’
“Buddy” is a male pit bull terrier mix with a short tricolor coat.
He’s in kennel No. 31, ID No. 12508.
Male boxer
This male boxer has a short black coat.
He’s in kennel No. 32, ID No. 12512.
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm.
For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
In 1972, Apollo 16 astronauts John Young and Charles Duke stood on the Moon and looked back at Earth. From the lunar surface, they took a picture of Earth like none before: the first view of our planet in far ultraviolet light.
This picture highlights Earth’s ionosphere, a region of the upper atmosphere that is mostly invisible to our eyes – aside from aurora or airglow, if you’re in the right place at the right time – but shines in ultraviolet, or UV, wavelengths of light.
Named for the electrically charged ions that move about freely there, the ionosphere absorbs UV light from the Sun and re-emits it to space. The effect can be seen in the UV image on this page. The sun-facing side of Earth is bright. The rest of the planet, which is not receiving UV light from the Sun, remains dark, shrouded in night.
Attentive observers may notice three strips of UV emission that extend onto Earth’s night side. The two strips just above and below the equator are known as the Appleton Anomaly. They mark where Earth’s magnetic field interacts with the upper ionosphere to trigger dense fountains of uprising plasma. The southernmost strip is UV light from the aurora australis, or the Southern Lights.
Launched in 2018, NASA’s GOLD mission – short for Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk – is now one of our key tools for ionosphere observations, providing the first day-to-day weather measurements of the region.
By measuring far UV light, GOLD tracks changes in the ionosphere’s ever-changing temperature, density and composition – enabling scientists to piece together the forces that shape conditions in a part of the atmosphere critical to many Earth-orbiting satellites and everyday technology, including the successful transmission of radio signals and GPS.
This visualization of GOLD data from March 2019 shows the transition from day to night, as well as the Appleton anomaly, which appears as two horizontal arcs of light that extend into night. The aurora can be seen at the top and bottom of Earth, also extending into night.
The CHP’s Clear Lake Area office said the two-vehicle crash occurred at 10:23 p.m. Friday on Highway 29 north of Soda Bay Road.
Natividad Sanchez, 40, of Kelseyville, was driving a 1999 Ford F-150 pickup northbound on Highway 29 with five passengers when she hit a mountain lion, the CHP said.
The crash with the big cat caused Sanchez to swerve to the left, and the CHP said that the pickup went sideways into the southbound lane of Highway 29.
Daniel Lou Aguilera, 71, of Kelseyville, was driving his Lexus RX300 sport utility vehicle southbound on Highway 29 with two passengers, directly toward the right side of the Ford F-150, the CHP said.
The CHP reported that Aguilera was unable to react or stop before the front of his Lexus collided with the right side of the Ford, leaving both vehicles inoperable with major damage.
Reports from the scene said the collision killed the mountain lion, which firefighters found en route to the wreck site.
A total of four air ambulances and five ground ambulances were needed to transport patients, according to Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mike Wink.
The CHP said both Sanchez and Aguilera suffered major injuries and were flown to regional trauma centers, Sanchez to UC Davis Medical Center and Aguilera to Kaiser Permanente Vacaville Medical Center.
Also transported by air ambulance with major injuries were Sanchez’s passengers Francisco Gaspar and 52-year-old Ceniada Zuniga, both of Kelseyville. The CHP said Francisco Gaspar was taken to Vacaville and Zuniga to UC Davis.
Sanchez’s remaining passengers, Perla Gaspar, 14, and Angeles Gaspar, 16, each with moderate injuries, and Carlos Gaspar, 17, with minor injuries – all from Kelseyville – were all taken by ground ambulance to Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport, the CHP said.
Aguilera’s passengers suffered minor injuries and were taken to Adventist Health Clear Lake Hospital in Clearlake. The CHP identified them as Oscar Enrique Zayas Bazan, 65, of Florida, and Mariela Mercedes Grillettar Redonido, 50, of Venezuela.
The CHP said Zuniga, Carlos Gaspar, Francisco Gaspar and Perla Gaspar were not wearing seat belts at the time of the wreck.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Firefighters were first dispatched to the wreck on Highway 29 near Kit’s Corner just before 10:30 p.m. Friday, according to radio reports.
Initially, authorities received calls of a crash in the area, with units responding to the scene reporting that they only found a dead mountain lion in the roadway.
Approximately 10 minutes after the wreck was dispatched, firefighters found the two vehicles – reported to be a Lexus and a Ford F150 pickup – about half a mile north of Kit’s Corner in the northbound lane.
Firefighters reported over the radio that major extrication was needed, and they asked for an air ambulance, another ground ambulance and rescue units.
Within minutes, firefighters reported from the scene that there were more patients and that more resources were required. A total of four air ambulances were requested, with landing zones set up at Kit’s Corner and at Konocti Conservation Camp.
Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mike Wink told Lake County News that multiple people had to be extricated from the wreckage.
The roadway was blocked by the crash, and law enforcement closed the highway in both directions, diverting traffic onto Soda Bay Road, according to radio reports.
Wink said that, altogether, nine people were transported to hospitals – four by air ambulances to out-of-county trauma centers, and five by ground ambulance to county hospitals.
He said those taken by air ambulance had injuries ranging from moderate to major, and the remaining five had minor to moderate injuries.
Wink said the call was Kelseyville Fire’s, and they were assisted by Cal Fire, Lake County Fire, Lakeport Fire and South Lake County Fire.
By 12:20 a.m. Saturday, all of the patients had been transported. Over the next 10 minutes, the incident was terminated, firefighters cleared the scene and the highway – the northbound lane of which had been reopened a short time earlier – was fully reopened, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Additional information on the crash and its cause will be published as it becomes available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council has approved a purchase agreement for new state-of-the-art Tasers and training that the city’s police chief said will put his agency at the leading edge in the region for such technology.
Clearlake Police Chief Andrew White took the request to the council at its July 11 meeting.
The discussion begins at the 19:05 mark in the video above. The staff report for the item begins on page 34 of the agenda packet published below.
White asked for the council to approve a five-year purchase agreement with Axon for the Taser 7 Certification Plan for 24 full-time, sworn officers, and to waive the competitive bidding process.
The total cost for the five-year purchase agreement is $88,522.10, or $17,704.42 per year. White said that includes a trade-in credit of $5,000.40 for old Taser units.
He said the purchase price is $7,700 above what originally had been budgeted for the Taser replacement.
The department’s Tasers are now reaching the end of their service life. White said the agreement with Axon is for a full wraparound purchase, covering the Tasers, replacement cartridges, training and a new virtual reality deescalation training program to address those with mental illness.
Quoting statistics given by Axon, White said 7 to 10 percent of all police encounters involve mentally ill subjects and 25 to 50 percent of all fatal police shootings involve subjects with untreated severe mental illness.
White showed the council a short video clip from the deescalation training. The video showed an interaction between a mentally ill man with a knife and officers, who arrived on scene after the man’s mother called them. It showed the situation both from the perspective of the man and from that of the officers.
White explained that he believes such training for law enforcement is the future, noting that he thinks it’s important to understand how people with mental health issues perceive encounters with law enforcement.
“Officers more and more are being put on the front lines as the first responders and kind of field-level clinicians dealing with individuals in crisis,” he said, explaining that anything that can be done to make these encounters less risky for both officers and the public is warranted.
He said that the Clearlake Police Department uses its Tasers about 15 times a year, which comes out to $1,100 per use under the contract cost. With the costs of litigation that can be associated with Tasers, if encounters can be resolved differently, it can save money, he added.
City Manager Alan Flora asked if other law enforcement agencies in the region are using the Axon technology.
“We would be one of the early adopters of the technology,” said White, noting that he believes the Chicago Police Department has deployed it. “We would be on the leading edge within our region.”
In response to questions from community and council members, White said the training will be available on call, and officers will be able to review it when they want. Any new training modules that are produced will be included under the purchase agreement.
Councilman Phil Harris asked if Axon is looking at situations in which police are dealing with individuals using drugs like methamphetamine. White said the company was focusing on deescalation but that the city, as an early adopter, would have options for input on training.
Harris asked about if the company will send an instructor to the police department. White said officers can go to an instructor course and then come back and deliver the training, which also has a Web-based portion.
Mayor Russ Cremer asked if the additional $7,700 can be covered in the budget.
“It’s a small additional expense,” said Flora, explaining that they had looked at other options, including purchasing the Tasers outright. However he said there wasn’t much of a cost difference and the city wouldn’t get the wraparound program, such as the training and replacement cartridges.
Cremer asked if Animal Control and Code Enforcement officers also would get the new Tasers. White said no, they’re only for sworn officers. Code Enforcement and Animal Control will continue to use the older model, which are purely for defense.
Councilman Russ Perdock said the Taser is an excellent product and a great tool, and offered the motion approving the purchase agreement, which the council unanimously approved.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
071119 Clearlake City Council agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd