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On the three-year anniversary of the Mars landing of NASA’s Curiosity rover, NASA unveiled two new online tools that open the mysterious terrain of the Red Planet to a new generation of explorers, inviting the public to help with its journey to Mars.
Mars Trek is a free, Web-based application that provides high-quality, detailed visualizations of the planet using real data from 50 years of NASA exploration and allowing astronomers, citizen scientists and students to study the Red Planet’s features.
Experience Curiosity allows viewers to journey along with the one-ton rover on its Martian expeditions. The program simulates Mars in 3-D based on actual data from Curiosity and NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), giving users first-hand experience in a day in the life of a Mars rover.
A NASA team already is using Mars Trek to aid in the selection of possible landing sites for the agency’s Mars 2020 rover, and the application will be used as part of NASA’s newly-announced process to examine and select candidate sites for the first human exploration mission to Mars in the 2030s.
“This tool has opened my eyes as to how we should first approach roaming on another world, and now the public can join in on the fun,” said Jim Green, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division in Washington. “Our robotic scientific explorers are paving the way, making great progress on the journey to Mars. Together, humans and robots will pioneer Mars and the solar system.”
Mars Trek has interactive maps, which include the ability to overlay a range of data sets generated from instruments aboard spacecraft orbiting Mars, and analysis tools for measuring surface features. Standard keyboard gaming controls are used to maneuver the users across Mars’ surface and 3-D printer-exportable topography allows users to print physical models of surface features.
Mars Trek was developed by NASA's Lunar Mapping and Modeling Project, which provides mission planners, lunar scientists and the public with analysis and data visualization tools for our moon. LMMP is managed by NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.
Experience Curiosity also uses real science data to create a realistic and game-ready rover model based entirely on real mechanisms and executed commands. Users can manipulate the rover’s tools and view Mars through each of its cameras.
“We've done a lot of heavy 3-D processing to make Experience Curiosity work in a browser. Anybody with access to the web can take a journey to Mars,” said Kevin Hussey, manager of the Visualization Applications and Development group at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, which manages and operates the Curiosity rover.
Curiosity's adventures on the Red Planet began in the early morning hours of Aug. 6, 2012, Eastern time (evening of Aug. 5, Pacific time), when a landing technique called the sky-crane maneuver deposited the rover in the 96-mile-wide Gale Crater.
From there, the rover began investigating its new home, discovering it had landed near an ancient lakebed sprinkled with organic material. Billions of years ago, fresh water would have flowed into this lake, offering conditions favorable for microbial life.
“At three years old, Curiosity already has had a rich and fascinating life. This new program lets the public experience some of the rover's adventures first-hand,” said Jim Erickson, the project manager for the mission at JPL.
NASA has been on Mars for five decades with robotic explorers, and August traditionally has been a busy month for exploration of the planet. Viking 2 was put into orbit around Mars 39 years ago on Aug. 7, 1976, making NASA’s second successful landing on the Martian surface weeks later.
MRO was launched on Aug. 12, 2005 and still is in operation orbiting Mars. And, Tuesday, Aug. 4 marked the eight-year anniversary of the launch of the Phoenix mission to the north polar region of the Red Planet.
NASA’s orbiters and rovers have changed the way we look at Mars and enable continued scientific discoveries that one day will pave the way for astronauts to explore the Red Planet.
More information about NASA's journey to Mars is available online at https://www.nasa.gov/topics/journeytomars .
For more information about Curiosity, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl .
To download and print a 3-D model of Curiosity, go to http://nasa3d.arc.nasa.gov/detail/mars-rover-curiosity .
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Firefighters continued to gain ground on the Rocky fire on Friday, hitting the 50-percent containment mark by nightfall.
Cal Fire said the fire area remains at 69,600 acres.
The newest report showed the first growth in containment since Thursday night, when the blaze was reported to be 45-percent contained.
Cal Fire is estimating that it's still on target to fully contain the Rocky fire by Aug. 13, according to spokesman Dominic Polito.
“So far, Mother Nature has felt sorry for us and given us a break,” Polito said.
Part of that break included some rain overnight, which helped on the fire lines, he said.
The National Weather Service had issued a red flag warning due to concerns that thunderstorms on Thursday night and Friday morning might bring lightning strikes and, potentially, more fire activity.
“There was lightning but it didn't ignite any fires,” Polito said.
The number of fire personnel assigned to the incident continued to be scaled back on Friday, with approximately 2,966 firefighters assigned, along with 195 engines, 84 fire crews, 30 water tenders, 17 dozers, 13 helicopters and four air tankers.
Cal Fire said the fire continues to creep and smolder along the perimeter, with access remaining a challenge as firefighters work to sustain perimeter control and build additional control lines.
On Friday, conditions were hot and dry, with upslope winds at 10 miles per hour in the fire area, Cal Fire reported.
Since it began burning on the afternoon of Wednesday, July 29, the fire has destroyed 43 homes and 53 outbuildings, and damaged eight additional structures, according to Cal Fire.
Lake County Office of Emergency Services Manager Marisa Chilafoe told Lake County News on Friday afternoon that county damage assessment teams had begun visiting areas still under evacuation on Thursday and were continuing that work on Friday.
Highway 20 and Highway 16 were reopened on Friday morning as state and local authorities had anticipated.
With Highway 20 a major roadway in and out of the county and across the region, the closure had reportedly presented headaches not just for travelers but for pear truck drivers trying to deliver fruit during the height of the harvest season.
Drivers have been asked to use caution while driving through the fire area, as firefighters still actively working along the highways.
“Everyone was really courteous, stayed out of our way,” Polito said.
Also on Friday morning, Spring Valley residents were allowed to start returning to their homes, a day after some residents in the Lower Lake area were allowed to return home, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office and Cal Fire.
Authorities also have lifted the evacuation advisory for Clearlake area east of Highway 53 from Dam Road to Highway 20 and Highway 53 west to Sulphur Bank Road along Highway 20.
New repopulation information can be found at http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/pub/cdf/images/incidentfile1161_1677.pdf .
Still under evacuation is the Double Eagle Ranch subdivision, off Highway 20 east of Clearlake Oaks, officials said.
Polito said the fire has burned around the subdivision.
“There's some really hard-to-reach areas over there in the canyons, and that's what they're working with,” he said, adding that authorities don't want residents to go back to their homes until the fire in that area is 100-percent contained.
The Rocky fire is still close enough to Double Eagle Ranch that a report of what was believed to be a new fire came in at about 6 p.m. on Friday in the area of Mule Skinner Road, located in the subdivision, according to scanner reports. Firefighters reported it actually was the Rocky fire, visible in the distance.
Evacuation centers remain open at Kelseyville and Middletown high schools, Cal Fire said.
Some air and ground resources from the Rocky fire were diverted to fight a small wildland fire in the Seigler Canyon area near Highway 29 outside of Lower Lake on Friday evening. Polito said the fire in Seigler Canyon was held to three acres.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The American Red Cross, with local partners and community groups, will be opening a client service center for residents impacted by the Rocky fire on Friday, Aug. 7, at Highlands Senior Service Center, 3245 Bowers Ave., Clearlake.
The center will continue on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
This will be a safe place where affected residents can meet with a variety of community organizations to help create recovery plans and access additional resources.
The groups that will present include:
– Catholic Charities: providing CalFresh Application Assistance and access to Immigration Assistance/ Resources.
– Christian Aid Ministries: providing volunteer-powered debris removal.
– County Social Services: providing representatives to assist with CalFresh and CalWORKS Applications.
– HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response will have therapy dogs present.
– Local Food Pantry Representative: providing emergency food boxes and assorted produce.
– Red Cross: providing recovery planning, referrals and financial assistance.
– Salvation Army: providing vouchers and/or gift cards for local thrift stores, food resources, hygiene needs, and back-to-school supplies.
– Tzu Chi: providing blankets and rice as well as financial assistance to those who qualify.
– United Policy Holders: providing insurance claims assistance to those with insurance policies.
“Our organization encourages impacted residents from Lake County to stop by the service delivery site,” said Jeff Baumgartner, executive director, American Red Cross of the California Northwest. “We have volunteers and staff ready to work with individuals to get them onto their path of recovery.”
In addition, the Red Cross shelters continue to provide for the immediate needs of those affected, including a safe place to stay, food and clothing, emotional support, health services and clean-up supplies (work gloves, masks, etc.).
Evacuated residents, who do not wish to spend the night at the shelter, may still stop by the shelters for meals and to pick up cases of water and cleanup supplies.
Red Cross shelters are currently open at Middletown High School, 20932 Big Canyon Road; and Kelseyville High School, 5480 Main St.
Impacted residents may also call the Red Cross Information Hotline at 415-987-6421 for additional information and assistance.
How to help
A donation to Red Cross Disaster Relief can help provide shelter for someone who has had to leave their home and food and water for them to eat. Help people affected by disasters like wildfires, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes and countless other crises by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small.
To donate, people can visit www.redcross.org , call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
The Red Cross has enough volunteers for this response at this time. Meantime, if you want to be trained as a Red Cross disaster volunteer to respond to future disasters, sign up at www.redcross.org/volunteer .
For updates on the Red Cross response, like the organization on Facebook or follow Red Cross on Twitter, @RedCrossCalNW.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – State Sen. Mike McGuire hosted a town hall meeting in Lakeport Thursday night, hosting an estimated 150 community members who came to get updates on a variety of local issues, key among them, the Rocky fire.
The town hall, which ran just over two hours, originally had been planned well ahead of the Rocky fire, and featured numerous local and state officials talking about everything from water to tourism and local budgets.
However, much of the meeting turned toward the nearly 70,000-acre fire, the great crisis now in the county's midst, and gave local leaders the chance to offer their thanks to firefighters as well as state and federal officials.
McGuire said he wanted everyone who attended to walk away with the latest fire information, and he congratulated community members for the way they have rallied together in the midst of the disaster.
“Lake County is strong, and it is a true testament to the people who live here and work here about how folks have come together,” he said.
McGuire also thanked Sheriff Brian Martin, the firefighters who have been on the fire lines for more than a week, as well as emergency officials.
Gov. Jerry Brown had visited the fire earlier in the day, and McGuire noted that he loved hearing Brown say the state was committed to the recovery effort.
McGuire said the state's fourth year of drought has contributed to the fire, the response to which includes hundreds of firefighters coming from across the United States – as far away as New Jersey – plus 14 National Guard hand crews, and an aerial assault that includes resources from the California National Guard, Nevada National Guard, and C130s from Colorado and Wyoming that also are working other fires.
A federal grant the state has received will help cover 75 percent of the Rocky fire's costs.
McGuire welcomed Cal Fire officials to offer updates.
Cal Fire public information officer Scott McLean thanked the community for its incredible generosity.
He noted many people are coming forward with donations, and asked people to donate instead to Red Cross.
Cal Fire Chief Sean Kavanaugh, the deputy incident commander, told the group. “We were in a six-day firefight” in the initial days of the Rocky, to which 3,600 firefighters were assigned on Thursday.
Kavanaugh said there has been incredible cooperation amongst agencies. “That cooperation needs to continue.”
He said 171 National Guard troops were on the lines on Thursday. “We're still not out of this thing yet. We're working hard to get this fire contained.”
Kavanaugh and several other officials who spoke during the event anticipated that Highway 20 and Highway 16 – both of which have been closed due to the fire – were expected to reopen at 10 a.m. on Friday.
Lakeport Mayor Martin Scheel said the city has been supporting the firefighting effort logistically, including offering places for parking fire equipment once the Lake County Fairgrounds – where the incident command post is located – filled up.
Local businesses have been excited about serving the firefighters, as have community members, he said, recounting an anecdote of people at restaurants giving up their orders when food was running out in order to make sure firefighters had meals.
Scheel also thanked Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen for quickly responding to help Sheriff Martin during the mandatory evacuations called during the fire.
In his update, Martin recounted responding to Lower Lake before 4 p.m. on July 29, the day the fire broke out, to start evacuating people in the path of the fire. “We've been working tirelessly ever since.”
To date, there have been no serious injuries and no fatalities. “For me, that's the mark of success for this fire,” Martin said.
Martin said of the fire, “It's going to take some property but it's not going to take anybody's life as long as we keep this up.”
He said officials want to get people back in their homes as quickly as possible and as soon as it's safe, with the first evacuees to return home doing so on Thursday.
The fire is under active investigation, said Martin, who reported that his investigators are working with Cal Fire to find the cause.
He also urged people to make donations to reputable organizations rather than the many Go Fund Me sites that have popped up in recent days. Instead, he pointed donors to Red Cross, Salvation Army or the accounts set up at Mendo Lake Credit Union.
Martin additionally touched on topics including new hires, partnerships with local fire agencies to provide substation space, new cars and acquiring military surplus.
Jodi Traversaro, Coastal Regional administrator for the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said there is a saying that “all disasters are local,” and she praised the first responders across all the agencies.
She said the response will soon be transitioning into recovery mode. The governor, she said, is entirely committed to serving community. “This is a very big disaster.”
Traversaro and her team have been on the ground since the beginning, and they will work to understand the community's unique needs in order to offer full support.
“This could be an onerous process for all of you, but we're here to shepherd you through process,” she said.
Lake County Office of Emergency Services Manager Marisa Chilafoe said an account to help the recovery has been opened at Mendo Lake Credit Union. Checks can be made out to the Rocky fire and sent to any of the bank's branches.
She said the county of Lake also has formed a partnership with Sonoma County to offer an around-the-clock assistance line for those impacted by the fire, 1-800-325-8604.
Chilafoe said a local assistance center will open will open at 14092 Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake at 8 a.m. Monday, with a virtual local assistance center at www.lakecountyLAC.com .
John Arguello, captain of the California Department of Insurance's Benicia Regional Office, said he spoke to a community member before the event who said events like the fire bring out the best in people. However, he said such disasters also bring out the worst in people.
Arguello warned people to be on their guard against scams, including people masquerading as contractors. “You guys are vulnerable at this time.”
He said California Department of Insurance representatives will be on hand to help community members at the local assistance center.
Lt. Hector Paredes, commander of the California Highway Patrol's Clear Lake Area office, said his agency has been working closely with Sheriff Martin and Cal Fire throughout the Rocky fire.
He said they didn't have to evacuate the city of Clearlake – part of which still remains under evacuation advisory. In the case of an evacuation, his officers were poised to close Highway 53, but ultimately did not.
Paredes also anticipated the reopening of Highway 20 and Highway 16 at 10 a.m. Friday, urging people to drive slowly through the area, as fire crews will still be working along the highway corridors.
Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg said local schools have really stepped up to support the firefighting effort.
Evacuation centers have been located at Kelseyville High School and Middletown High School, and at Upper Lake Middle School, with Upper Lake High School's facilities also being made available to crews working on other fires in the north of the county.
He said every school in the county had received a warning order and was prepared to open as a shelter if needed. Kelseyville Unified and Konocti Unified were staged for six days in case of the need for evacuations. Lower Lake High and Clear Lake High opened their doors to host community meetings.
Caltrans District 1 Director Charlie Fielder noted, “It's been a rough week,” but said he was glad Highway 20 was set to reopen.
“That's a heck of a detour,” for people who are trying to get through the area, he said, noting it's a main arterial route.
Before wrapping up and opening up a question-and-answer session, McGuire went over drought, climate change, the condition of Clear Lake and the need for more high-speed Internet.
McGuire promised that the state is committed to Lake County, both now in the midst of dealing with the Rocky fire and for the long-term in helping it succeed and address its challenges. He said his job is to help the county to get the resources it needs.
He guaranteed Lake County will recover from the fire.
“I promise you, this is just the beginning,” McGuire said.
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MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A Middletown man died Thursday morning when his motorcycle collided with a vehicle that pulled into his path.
The name of the 54-year-old motorcyclist was not released in the California Highway Patrol's report on the incident.
The CHP said the crash occurred just after 8 a.m. Thursday on Highway 175 at Napa Avenue in Middletown.
Susan Marie Nowell, 58, of Middletown was traveling southbound on Napa Avenue in a 2006 Toyota. She came to a stop and waited to make a left turn onto Highway 175, the report said.
At the same time, the motorcyclist – riding a 2000 Kawasaki – was traveling westbound on Highway 175 at approximately 55 miles per hour, the CHP said.
The CHP said Nowell did not see the motorcyclist and pulled directly into his path before noticing the motorcycle's approach to her left. The motorcycle then hit the left side of the Toyota.
The motorcyclist died at the scene of his injuries, the CHP said. Nowell suffered minor injuries in the wreck.
Both drivers were using their safety equipment, the CHP said.
Neither alcohol nor drugs are suspected to be factors, according to the CHP.
The collision remains under investigation.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County residents affected by the Rocky fire can now dial one number to be connected to key resources as they work to recover from damages and/or displacement they have experienced.
Residents calling 1-800-325-9604 will receive an operator-staffed public assistance line, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with operators who are able to assist with: food pantries and shelters, counseling, damage assessment, disaster response and other recovery services.
“The partnership between Lake County Office of Emergency Services and Sonoma County 211 is a great example of the support that has come from all over our state. We reached out and asked for help and the response has been amazing,” said Lake County District 2 Supervisor Jeff Smith.
The public assistance telephone line is provided through collaboration between the Lake County Office of Emergency Services/Emergency Operations Center and the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County.
The call center is staffed by knowledgeable volunteers who will work with callers to connect them with key services to help them start the process of recovery and rebuilding.
For assistance and information 24 hours a day, seven days a week call 1-800-325-9604 to speak with a live operator.
For updates on the Rocky fire, visit the Lake County Office of Emergency Services Facebook page Twitter @lakecountyeos, hashtag #Rocky Fire.