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Summertime airshows are fun to watch, especially when aircraft fly in tight formation.
The sight of airplanes soaring overhead practically wingtip to wingtip is thrilling to behold.
Four of NASA’s spacecraft recently performed an equally thrilling maneuver: In Oct. 2015, the satellites of NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale, or MMS, mission gathered into a tetrahedral formation with each spacecraft at the tip of a four-sided pyramid only six miles across. Moving together as one, they raced around Earth at 15,000 miles per hour.
Conrad Schiff, MMS Orbital Dynamicist at NASA’s Goddard Spaceflight Center in Greenbelt, MD said, “No other multi-spacecraft formation has flown this close.”
The purpose of the maneuver was to study the inner workings of magnetic reconnection—sometimes called the Universe’s favorite way of making things explode.
Magnetic reconnection can happen anywhere magnetic fields permeate space. Magnetic lines of force cross, cancel, reconnect and in a sudden explosion, magnetic energy is unleashed in the form of heat and charged-particles racing away in all directions.
This process is linked to a wide range of explosions from flares on the sun to massive eruptions in the cores of active galaxies.
It also happens in Earth’s magnetic field. Not far above our own planet, small-scale magnetic reconnection sparks geomagnetic storms, disturbances of Earth’s magnetosphere that among other effects can trigger aurora.
MMS was launched in March 2015 to study the process at close range – by studying it close to home, we can better understand it throughout the universe.
John Dorelli, a member of the MMS science team at the Goddard Space Flight Center explained, “To understand magnetic reconnection, we have to measure thin layers of fast-moving electrically-charged material called current sheets that are typically six miles or less in thickness. That’s why the spacecraft had to fly in such tight formation.”
Down on Earth, airplanes can fly much closer together than that – but they have a big advantage over MMS.
Schiff said, “First, aircraft flying in formation above Earth enjoy the control afforded by the atmosphere – that is, lift and drag. These forces are akin to the friction that allows your car's tires to grip the road. Spacecraft do not ever feel these forces. A highway analogy would be driving on ice. Under these frictionless conditions, you always allow far more space between yourself and other drivers.”
“Second,” said Schiff, “the pilot in an aircraft is always able to see the other planes – visually and via instrumentation. In space, the spacecraft can't see each other. They require much more sophisticated instrumentation to know where the others are.”
MMS solves the formation problem, in part, using its Navigator System.
Schiff said, “The Navigator uses GPS signals and a model of the orbital dynamics so that each spacecraft knows where it is at all times.”
Each spacecraft also has an Acceleration Measurement and Control System. Schiff explained that “this system carefully measures the output of the onboard thrusters and either steps on the pedal or steps on the brake to ensure that control is maintained.”
Cutting-edge computer software called the Formation Design and Control Algorithm, helps, too. Schiff said, “It analyzes the dynamics of MMS and finds orbits where the spacecraft can safely gather in pyramid form.”
Six miles set a record, but it was only the beginning.
Tom Moore, the MMS Project Scientist at the Goddard Space Flight Center said, “As of September 2016, we’ve gotten the formation down to 4.5 miles. A tighter formation will give us key data from what's called the electron dissipation region of the reconnection zone.”
Rarely has space physics been so thrilling.
For more about MMS visit www.nasa.gov/mms .
Photographer, painter, e-bike designer and author Joe Schopplein of San Francisco and Clearlake Oaks, Calif., died on Sept. 16, 2016.
Joe lived with enthusiasm for 88 years.
He is survived by his wife, Corinne McEvers.
Joe’s family survived in Germany during World War II despite being anti-Nazi. Afterward he emigrated from East Germany to Canada and, eventually in 1952, to San Francisco in order to be able to speak his opinions honestly.
His life and those of his circle of friends were and are emblematic of what has been special about the City. Joe’s autobiography, “But Fear Itself,” is available as a download on his Web site, www.SchoppleinStudio.com .
His first camera was from the crash of a Luftwaffe plane. Joe documented hundreds of pieces of furniture for students, woodworkers and publications. He photographed the collections of San Francisco City museums and art galleries. His archives hold the images of artists from William Wiley to Peter Voulkos. He was thrilled by the replacement of film by digital techniques. No more negatives and slides to archive!
Joe’s delight in discovery was boundless. For last few years he had been building a series of state-of-the-art electric bicycles, which he considered perfect for San Francisco’s crowded streets and Lake County rural roads, and safe for an octogenarian. The bikes and his research are on his Web site.
We wish him an open road for his journey into wherever he goes next. Perhaps the potato salad in the afterlife is a good as that which he made. His was a friendship to treasure.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Lake County Zoning Administrator will consider approving MINOR USE PERMIT 16-21 of Donald Kennedy in accordance with Lake County Code to allow a Collector’s Permit for a 1,600 square foot storage building on property located at 21125 Loconomi Road, Middletown, APN 014-140-30.
The Planner processing this application is Mireya G. Turner, (707) 263-2221 or
The Zoning Administrator will approve this MINOR USE PERMIT with no public hearing if no written request for a public hearing is submitted by 5:00 P.M., October 5, 2016 to the Community Development Department, Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport, California.
Should a timely request for hearing be filed, a public hearing will be held on October 12, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. in Conference Room C, 3rd Floor of the Courthouse.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
Robert Massarelli, Director
By: ______________________________________
Danae Bowen, Office Assistant III
National Hunting and Fishing Day is Saturday, Sept. 24. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) reminds Californians of the plentiful opportunities to enjoy hunting and fishing in the state and commends them for their commitment to conservation.
Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. thanked California’s hunters and anglers for their conservation legacy and encouraged their continued support and dedication to conserving the state’s natural resources in a commemorative letter.
In 2015, more two million licensed hunters and anglers contributed approximately $90 million toward fish and wildlife management and conservation activities in the state.
Fish and wildlife management and conservation activities have resulted in numerous success stories over the years in California.
For example:
Tule elk
1874: Thirty were remaining in California in one herd in the southern San Joaquin Valley.
2015: 4,200 animals distributed in 22 herds across California.
Desert bighorn sheep (Nelson)
1915: They were nearly extirpated in the state.
2014: There are approximately 2,000 in California.
Wild trout fisheries
1970: No designated wild trout sport fisheries.
2015: 51 designated wild trout waters, encompassing 1,400 miles of streams and 14 lakes.
Landlocked salmon
1993: No landlocked salmon sport fisheries.
2015: Twenty-one reservoirs support sport fishing for Kokanee salmon and 12 reservoirs support sport fishing for landlocked Chinook salmon.
For more information on hunting and fishing opportunities in the Golden State, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov .
For information on how to purchase a hunting or fishing license, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/online-sales .
For more information on National Hunting and Fishing Day, please visit http://www.nhfday.org/ .
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Construction is under way for Habitat for Humanity’s 20th home on 32nd Street in Clearlake.
Habitat said volunteers with construction experience, or those interested in gaining construction experience, are urgently needed.
Anyone who wants to join together as a community to assist the Pantoja family in completing their home is encouraged to call 707-994-1100 for more information, or to come by the office at 15312 Lakeshore Blvd. in Clearlake to fill out a volunteer application.
SACRAMENTO – A record number of whales are suffering from entanglements in California waters – 2015 saw 57 whales entangled off our coast, which is the highest total since the National Marine Fisheries Service started keeping records in 1982.
Just in the first half of this year alone, there were another 40 reports of entangled whales off California’s coast. Many of these whales are becoming entangled in lost or abandoned crab fishing gear.
North Coast Sen. Mike McGuire’s legislation that will help permanently protect whales by removing lost and abandoned crab fishing gear from the ocean was signed Friday afternoon by Gov. Jerry Brown.
SB 1287 also received widespread and overwhelming support in the Senate and Assembly.
“With whale entanglement numbers skyrocketing off the California coast, we were able to bring together crabbers and environmentalists to get this common sense bill signed into law. This bill will save the lives of countless threatened and endangered whales and it will keep California’s crab fleet fishing,” Sen. McGuire said.
The Whale Protection & Crab Gear Retrieval Act, which was proactively initiated by the thousands of hard working men and women who make up California’s mighty crab fleet, would create a regulatory program with incentives for fishermen to retrieve Dungeness crab fishing gear that would otherwise be lost in the ocean.
It’s estimated that thousands of pots are lost every season and these pieces of gear could have hundreds of feet of rope attached to a locater buoy.
The lost gear has created marine debris and entanglement hazards for whales and other marine life, along with others in the crab and salmon fleets.
“In light of the record number of whale entanglements over the last several months, this legislation will provide us with the retrieval programs to ensure California’s beloved humpbacks and blue whales will have the protection they need to thrive,” Senator McGuire said.
Crab fishermen continue to take the lead on the whale entanglement issue and many are already taking part in a voluntary pilot project that was initiated two years ago.
Approximately 1,500 lost crab pots have been collected in that program. SB 1287 builds upon the successful pilot project by advancing a statewide solution to the growing problem.
Based on recommendations from the Dungeness Crab Task Force, SB 1287 will call on the Department of Fish and Wildlife to establish a retrieval program.
One hundred percent of the program will be paid for by industry related fees, not the taxpayers.
Dungeness crab fishermen, who obtain a retrieval permit through this program, will collect old crab traps after the crab season has closed each year. Those fishermen will be paid a recovery bounty for each trap retrieved from the ocean.
The bill also establishes a fee to be paid by the owner that lost or abandoned the crab trap. A crab fisherman who doesn’t buy back their lost or abandoned crab traps will not be able to get their vessel permit the next season.
The creation of a self-perpetuating program to recover fishing gear is a necessary action of the commercial Dungeness crab fishing industry to continue operating as a responsible, sustainable fishery.
“The Dungeness crab fishery is in the top tier of California’s commercial seafood catch and the entire industry has weathered a challenging few years, including the historic delay of this year’s Dungeness crab season,” Sen. McGuire said. “This gear retrieval program will be a great step forward in cleaning up our oceans and making a safer environment for the people who work the Pacific for their living and the whales and marine life that call the ocean home.”
A broad coalition of fishing and environmental groups were unified in supporting SB 1287 which will increase mariner safety while reducing marine debris and the potential for whale entanglement, including: Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Sierra Club, Californian’s Against Waste, California Coastkeeper Alliance, Earthjustice, Golden Gate Salmon Association, Golden Gate Fishermen’s Association, Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, The Marine Mammal Center, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Trinidad Bay Fishermen’s Marketing Assn, Crescent City Fishermen’s Assn, Half Moon Bay Seafood Marketing Assn, the Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Assn, Natural Resources Defense Council, Ocean Conservancy, Oceana, Surfrider and many more.