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After more than 12 years studying Saturn, its rings and moons, NASA's Cassini spacecraft has entered the final year of its epic voyage.
The conclusion of the historic scientific odyssey is planned for September 2017, but not before the spacecraft completes a daring two-part endgame.
Beginning on Nov. 30, Cassini's orbit will send the spacecraft just past the outer edge of the main rings. These orbits, a series of 20, are called the F-ring orbits. During these weekly orbits, Cassini will approach to within 4,850 miles of the center of the narrow F ring, with its peculiar kinked and braided structure.
“During the F-ring orbits we expect to see the rings, along with the small moons and other structures embedded in them, as never before,” said Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. “The last time we got this close to the rings was during arrival at Saturn in 2004, and we saw only their backlit side. Now we have dozens of opportunities to examine their structure at extremely high resolution on both sides.”
The last act: A grand finale
Cassini's final phase – called the Grand Finale – begins in earnest in April 2017.
A close flyby of Saturn's giant moon Titan will reshape the spacecraft's orbit so that it passes through the gap between Saturn and the rings – an unexplored space only about 1,500 miles wide.
The spacecraft is expected to make 22 plunges through this gap, beginning with its first dive on April 27.
NASA's Cassini spacecraft stared at Saturn for nearly 44 hours in April 2016 to obtain this movie showing four Saturn days.
Cassini will begin a series of dives between the planet and its rings in April 2017, building toward a dramatic end of mission – a final plunge into the planet, six months later.
During the Grand Finale, Cassini will make the closest-ever observations of Saturn, mapping the planet's magnetic and gravity fields with exquisite precision and returning ultra-close views of the atmosphere.
Scientists also hope to gain new insights into Saturn's interior structure, the precise length of a Saturn day, and the total mass of the rings – which may finally help settle the question of their age.
The spacecraft will also directly analyze dust-sized particles in the main rings and sample the outer reaches of Saturn's atmosphere – both first-time measurements for the mission.
“It's like getting a whole new mission,” said Spilker. “The scientific value of the F ring and Grand Finale orbits is so compelling that you could imagine a whole mission to Saturn designed around what we're about to do.”
Getting into Saturn, literally
Since the beginning of 2016, mission engineers have been tweaking Cassini's orbital path around Saturn to position the spacecraft for the mission's final phase.
They have sent the spacecraft on a series of flybys past Titan that are progressively raising the tilt of Cassini's orbit with respect to Saturn's equator and rings. This particular orientation enables the spacecraft to leap over the rings with a single (and final) Titan flyby in April, to begin the Grand Finale.
“We've used Titan's gravity throughout the mission to sling Cassini around the Saturn system,” said Earl Maize, Cassini project manager at JPL. “Now Titan is coming through for us once again, providing a way for Cassini to get into these completely unexplored regions so close to the planet.”
The grand finale will come to a dramatic end on Sept. 15, 2017, as Cassini dives into Saturn's atmosphere, returning data about the planet's chemical composition until its signal is lost.
Friction with the atmosphere will cause the spacecraft to burn up like a meteor soon afterward.
To celebrate the beginning of the final year and the adventure ahead, the Cassini team is releasing a new movie of the rotating planet, along with a color mosaic, both taken from high above Saturn's northern hemisphere. The movie covers 44 hours, or just over four Saturn rotations.
‘A truly thrilling ride’
“This is the sort of view Cassini will have as the spacecraft repeatedly climbs high above Saturn's northern latitudes before plunging past the outer – and later the inner – edges of the rings,” said Spilker.
And so, although the mission's end is approaching – with a “Cassini Final Plunge” clock already counting down in JPL mission control – an extremely important phase of the mission is still to come.
“We may be counting down, but no one should count Cassini out yet,” said Curt Niebur, Cassini program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “The journey ahead is going to be a truly thrilling ride.”
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Italian Space Agency.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed, developed and assembled the Cassini orbiter.
For more information about Cassini visit http://www.nasa.gov/cassini .
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Clear Lake Trowel and Trellis Garden Club will meet at noon on Tuesday, Sept. 20.
The club will meet at the Scotts Valley Women's Club House at 2298 Hendricks Road (near Lakeport). A light lunch will be served.
Wil Gonzales, American Institute of Floral Designers, will present a program on his award-winning Rose Parade floats and his experiences in designing these floats.
The club also will approve its 2016-17 budget and review upcoming programs and field trips.
This is always a fun meeting as members share their summer gardening adventures.
The Clear Lake Trowel and Trellis Garden Club welcomes new members and information can be found by visiting www.clttgc.org . For more information please call Dana at 707-275-3500.
The Clear Lake Trowel & Trellis Garden Club is a member of the Mendo-Lake District of the California Garden Club Inc.-Pacific Region and National Garden Clubs Inc.
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The first Sierra Club Lake Group public meeting of the fall will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 21.
The group will meet beginning at 7 p.m. at the Lower Lake Methodist Church social hall, 16255 Second St.
Although the 170-year-old Lower Lake Methodist sanctuary was destroyed in the Clayton Fire, the social hall still stands, and is still available to serve the community.
Wearing her hat as a member of the Lake County Resource Conservation District Board of Directors, Lake Group Conservation Chair Victoria Brandon will talk about the recent merger of the East Lake and West Lake RCDs, and their work helping the community recover from the devastating wildfires of 2015 and 2016.
These efforts include distribution of both hardwoods and conifers to landowners, organizing volunteers to replant Trailside Park in Middletown, and provision of free chipping services.
As always the meeting is free and open to the public. For more information about the RCD projects visit www.lakercd.org , or contact Brandon at 707-994-1931 or
What’s required when packing out game?
Question: What are the laws on deboning a bear or deer to pack out the meat? I don’t know of any laws saying I cannot debone a deer or bear as long as I am able to prove that the quarters and heads are all part of the same animal.
I'm just looking for clarity as I am heading into X9A for my first time and I plan on hiking into deep country on foot. (Brad P.)
Answer: This is a legal practice as long as you can verify what animal the meat belongs to. The only problem that may arise is when people are packing out multiple animals at the same time.
If that’s the case, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) asks that hunters keep each animal separate to avoid any misunderstandings.
For deer, you must pack the antlers out with the meat to verify the sex, and the antlers must be tagged. With bears, you must pack the whole head out with the meat so that we can extract a tooth for aging purposes. You are not required to prove the sex of bears.
In addition, all hunters must comply with Fish and Game Code, section 4304, which prohibits needless waste of any portion of the meat that is usually eaten by humans.
Nontraditional measurement devices?
Question: I am aware that a person must be able to judge the size of their take, but are there any regulations saying what types of devices the person must carry?
For example, I recently observed a group that were crabbing and their only means of measurement was a cut zip tie, but it was indeed the correct minimum length. (Katlyn G., Sausalito)
Answer: It varies, but for crab, the only requirement is that the device be capable of accurately measuring the minimum size of the species (California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 29.05(c)). But, sometimes the regulations are very specific about the type of measuring device that is required.
Persons taking abalone, for example, “shall carry a fixed-caliper measuring gauge capable of accurately measuring seven inches. The measuring device shall have fixed opposing arms of sufficient length to measure the abalone by placing the gauge over the shell” (CCR Title 14, section 29.15(f)).
An object such as a ruler is capable of accurately measuring rock crab because size limits are “measured by the shortest distance through the body, from edge of shell to edge of shell at the widest part.”
For Dungeness crab though, the measurement is “five and three-quarter inches measured by the shortest distance through the body from edge of shell to edge of shell directly in front of and excluding the points (lateral spines).”
Because of the curvature of the Dungeness carapace, and the need to measure the straight line distance across a curved surface between the points, a measuring device such as a ruler or zip tie is not accurate.
CDFW recommends using a fixed or adjustable caliper for Dungeness crab. It does not have to be commercially purchased and we have seen devices cut out of wood or plastic that work fine.
Sale of valley quail during the offseason?
Question: Is it legal to sell pen-raised valley quail during the offseason to be used to train dogs? The pen-raised valley quail will have CDFW tags that I think only cost a few cents each. (Matthew W., Santa Rosa)
Answer: Interesting question since very few people raise California quail and instead raise bob white. However, the answer is yes, they can be sold if they were bred and raised under the authority of a CDFW Domesticated Game Breeder License (see Fish and Game Code, section 3201).
The birds will need to be marked with game bird tags to differentiate them from wild birds. These tags are sold to game bird breeders through our License and Revenue Branch for less than four cents each.
Spearfishing with scuba before free diving for abalone?
Question: If I’m out spearfishing with scuba gear, can I leave the scuba gear in the boat to also free dive for abalone? (Anonymous)
Answer: No. Sport divers are prohibited from using scuba or other surface-supplied air equipment to take abalone, and they cannot possess abalone on board any boat, vessel, or floating device in the water containing scuba or surface-supplied air.
There is no problem transporting abalone and scuba gear together while on land. Divers working from boats, kayaks, float tubes or other floating devices who wish to use scuba equipment to spear fish or harvest sea urchins, rock scallops or crabs of the genus Cancer, will need to make a separate trip for abalone.
Carrie Wilson is a marine environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While she cannot personally answer everyone’s questions, she will select a few to answer each week in this column. Please contact her at
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, Co-Chair of the Military Veterans Caucus, announced that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has launched a pilot program to offer service dog benefits to veterans with mental health diagnoses, including post-traumatic stress (PTS).
This program will pair 100 veterans who experience a mental health diagnosis that limits their mobility, including their ability to conduct normal social activities and navigate public spaces, with a highly trained assistance dog.
Earlier this year, Thompson hosted a briefing and demonstration with the Santa Rosa based nonprofit Canine Companions for Independence in Washington, D.C. to showcase the benefits service dogs provide for veterans with PTS.
After the briefing, Thompson asked senior VA officials to explore making service dogs available to veterans with PTS immediately while we await the completion of a formal study currently underway.
Until now, the VA had only offered benefits for service dogs to veterans who experienced a physical disability, such as blindness, deafness and loss of limb.
“I’ve seen firsthand the tremendous benefits service dogs provide for our veterans dealing with invisible wounds of war, like PTS and traumatic brain injuries,” said Thompson. “I’m thrilled that more of our veterans will be able to benefit from a service dog thanks to this announcement from the VA and I encourage veterans experiencing PTS or other mental health diagnoses to talk to their doctor about whether they might be able to benefit from a service dog.”
“The pilot program will provide the opportunity for veterans with PTS to fully engage the numerous benefits of a highly trained assistance dog,” Canine Companions for Independence CEO Paul Mundell states. “Thanks to Congressman Thompson and the VA for taking this important step.”
Canine Companions for Independence provides highly-trained assistance dogs to children and adults with disabilities.
Established in 1975, Canine Companions has six regional training centers across the country. Canine Companions is recognized worldwide for the excellence of its dogs, and the quality and longevity of the matches it makes between dogs and people.
For more information, visit www.cci.org or call 1-800-572-BARK.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A pilot and his passenger were injured on Saturday when the seaplane they were flying in crashed into Clear Lake.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office said the incident occurred late Saturday morning during the annual Clear Lake Seaplane Splash In, which is taking place this weekend at the old Natural High School property on N. Main St.
Lt. Corey Paulich said the aircraft involved was a Grumman Widgeon seaplane that was reported to have crashed offshore from Via Del Lago.
Lakeport Fire Chief Doug Hutchison said he saw the crash from his house, while he was out in his yard Saturday morning playing fetch with his dog.
Hutchison said he saw the plane come in for a landing on the lake, then there was a rooster tail of water and the sound of the impact.
He said he immediately called Central Dispatch to report the incident, and responded to the scene himself a short time later.
The Sheriff’s Marine Patrol responded to the area, locating the seaplane Seaplane in the water approximately 500 yards offshore, Paulich said.
Getting to the scene just ahead of the Marine Patrol were two Air Force pilots who were attending the event and driving a rented boat, along with Damon Trimble, a local pilot who in years past has been an event organizer and this year was driving a safety boat.
First Lt. Chris Dempsey and his friend Capt. Jared Wahleithner from Travis Air Force Base had flown to the event in Dempsey's plane on Friday and were in a boat nearby helping people to shore from a larger seaplane when the Grumman seaplane crashed.
Trimble and his safety boat also were helping offload the passengers when the incident occurred.
“It happened right behind us,” said Trimble.
Dempsey and Wahleithner said the entire episode happened very fast, with the seaplane looking and sounding normal beforehand.
“He was coming in and it just appeared that his gear was down,” Dempsey said, explaining that a pilot's biggest fear in a seaplane is accidentally leaving down the wheels. “It looked like a normal landing until his wheels touched the water.”
Trimble said the pilot, who was from out of the area, had just fueled up at Lampson Field. When he took off, he inadvertently left the wheels down, a situation that Trimble said the pilot would have noticed if he had been traveling any distance, since it would have slowed him down considerably.
However, with the airfield a short distance from the lake, “He didn't particularly notice any difference in performance,” said Trimble.
The plane has two wheels in the front and one in the back, which Trimble said pilots affectionately call “tail draggers.”
Just before the plane's hull touched the water, the wheels touched first, which abruptly stopped the plane's forward motion, causing it to flip over. The plane – which had been heading south – ended up facing to the north, Trimble said.
Dempsey said the plane came to rest with the nose down into the water, the tail in the air and the engine cutting off.
Trimble said his boat and the boat driven by Dempsey and Wahleithner arrived at the plane at about the same time.
Dempsey and Wahleithner threw a buoy to the pilot, who was just coming up out of the wreck. He had contusions to his face and appeared to be “pretty cut up,” said Dempsey.
When the passenger surfaced they helped him to the swim deck of their boat. He couldn't swim on his own due to his leg injuries, which they said included one broken leg, deep cuts and a possible fracture to the second leg, Dempsey said.
Trimble said the Marine Patrol boat had been down at the Fifth Street boat ramp and arrived at the scene just behind his boat and the one driven by the two Air Force pilots.
Trimble said the Sheriff's Marine Patrol deputies got the pilot – who had a big gash on his head – into their boat, while Dempsey said he and Wahleithner took the passenger to shore, using a life jacket to stabilize the man's broken leg.
Another man – whose name Trimble didn't know but who had been on the safety boat with him – also assisted in the rescue, getting into the water to help pull the injured men from the plane.
Trimble said a sheriff's deputy called Lakeport Fire – which Hutchison said had one engine standing by during the event – on the radio and had an ambulance meet them at the Fifth Street Boat Ramp.
Dempsey said both crash victims were coherent and had no spinal or breathing problems. “I just imagine the one guy will need some pins and some surgery,” Dempsey said of the passenger.
Hutchison said the man with the injured leg was taken to the REACH air ambulance base at Lampson Field, and from there flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
The pilot refused to be transported by ambulance and was taken by private vehicle to Sutter Lakeside Hospital, Hutchison said. “He needed some stitches.”
As for the plane, “It was in rough shape,” said Dempsey, noting it was a beautiful aircraft.
Trimble said the plane was in about 8 feet of water, with the nose on the bottom. They had attached ropes to it during the initial rescue, and he didn't think it completely submerged, although the cabin filled up with water.
About an hour after the crash, Trimble went back to the crash area but didn't see any signs of the plane. He wasn't sure if by then it had been removed.
Both of the Air Force pilots have had training in CPR and first aid, which Dempsey said helped a lot in the Saturday incident.
Dempsey and Wahleithner are in the same flying squadron at Travis Air Force Base. They fly KC-10 air refueling tankers, which refuel fighter and bomber aircraft in flight to extend their range.
“It's not as exciting as it sounds,” Dempsey said.
Dempsey had attended last year's Splash In, driving up to Lake County because he was concerned about the flight conditions due to the area's wildland fires.
This year he wanted to fly up, arriving on Friday in his Lake Buccaneer seaplane with Wahleithner.
Paulich said the sheriff’s office is coordinating with Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board, which will be taking over the crash investigation.
Trimble attributed the incident to simple human error.
This is not the first plane crash on the lake to coincide with the Splash In.
In September 1990, a World War II-era Lockheed P2V Harpoon doing a series of low passes and maneuvers nose dived into the lake, killing all seven aboard.
Organizers of the 1990 Splash In said that the plane involved in the crash was not a part of the event but had intruded, according to media reports at the time.
Trimble said besides the 1990 incident, he doesn't remember any other crashes having taken place during the Splash In, which has been held in Lakeport since 1979.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
