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- Written by: Mikayla Mace Kelley and Rani Gran
Like boot prints on the Moon, NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft left its mark on asteroid Bennu. Now, new images — taken during the spacecraft's final fly-over on April 7 — reveal the aftermath of its historic encounter with the asteroid.
The spacecraft flew within 2.3 miles of the asteroid — the closest it has been since the Touch-and-Go, or TAG, sample collection event on Oct. 20, 2020.
During TAG, the spacecraft's sampling head sunk 1.6 feet into the asteroid's surface and simultaneously fired a pressurized charge of nitrogen gas, churning up surface material and driving some into the collection chamber.
The spacecraft's thrusters also launched rocks and dust during the maneuver to reverse course and safely back away from the asteroid.
Comparing the two images reveals obvious signs of surface disturbance. At the sample collection point, there appears to be a depression, with several large boulders evident at the bottom, suggesting that they were exposed by sampling.
There is a noticeable increase in the amount of highly reflective material near the TAG point against the generally dark background of the surface, and many rocks were moved around.
Where thrusters fired against the surface, substantial mass movement is apparent. Multiple sub-meter boulders were mobilized by the plumes into a campfire ring–like shape — similar to rings of boulders seen around small craters pocking the surface.
Jason Dworkin, the mission's project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, noticed that one boulder measuring 4 feet across on the edge of the sampling site seemed to appear only in the post-TAG image. “The rock probably weighs around a ton, with a mass somewhere between a cow and a car.”
Dante Lauretta, of the University of Arizona and the mission's principal investigator, later pointed out that this boulder is likely one of those present in the pre-TAG image, but much nearer the sampling location, and estimates it was thrown a distance of 40 feet (about 12 meters) by the sample collection event.
In order to compare the before and after images, the team had to meticulously plan this final flyover.
"Bennu is rough and rocky, so if you look at it from a different angle or capture it at a time when the sun is not directly overhead, that dramatically changes what the surface looks like. These images were deliberately taken close to noon, with the Sun shining straight down, when there's not as many shadows,” said Dathon Golish, a member of the OSIRIS-REx image processing working group, headquartered at the University of Arizona.
"These observations were not in the original mission plan, so we were excited to go back and document what we did," Golish said. "The team really pulled together for this one last hurrah."
The spacecraft will remain in Bennu's vicinity until departure on May 10, when the mission will begin its two-year return cruise back to Earth. As it approaches Earth, the spacecraft will jettison the Sample Return Capsule, or SRC, that contains the sample from Bennu.
The SRC will then travel through Earth’s atmosphere and land under parachutes at the Utah Test and Training Range on Sept. 24, 2023.
Once recovered, the capsule will be transported to the curation facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where the sample will be removed for distribution to laboratories worldwide, enabling scientists to study the formation of our solar system and Earth as a habitable planet. NASA will set 75% of the sample aside for future generations to study with technologies not invented yet.
The OSIRIS-REx mission is the first NASA mission to visit a near-Earth asteroid, survey the surface, and collect a sample to deliver to Earth.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, provides overall mission management, systems engineering, and the safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona, Tucson, is the principal investigator, and the University of Arizona also leads the science team and the mission's science observation planning and data processing.
Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the spacecraft and provides flight operations. Goddard and KinetX Aerospace are responsible for navigating the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA's New Frontiers Program, which is managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, D.C.
For more information about OSIRIS-REx visit https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex.
Mikayla Mace Kelley works for the University of Arizona, Tucson, and Rani Gran for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The state has increasingly loosened restrictions on who can get the vaccine thanks to increasing supply and more vaccines coming on the market.
California previously expanded COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to individuals aged 50 and older starting April 1.
Officials said the eligibility expansion comes as California reaches major milestones in its vaccine rollout: Nearly half of all residents in the 16 and older population have already received at least one dose, including 73.9 percent of seniors aged 65 and older.
As of Thursday, more than 24 million doses have been administered in California, with 4.9 million doses administered in the hardest hit communities.
The statewide provider network now has the capacity to administer up to six million vaccine doses a week, according to its third-party administrator Blue Shield of California.
“Thanks to the hard work of Californians who followed public health guidelines, our case rates and hospitalizations are among the lowest they’ve been since the start of the pandemic,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom.
However, Newsom said the work is far from over. “California will need all hands on deck to keep up this progress, and I encourage everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Vaccinating all of those who are eligible will take time, but our statewide providers are ready to meet the increased demand and we are excited to get this vaccine into the arms of all Californians who want them, especially those in the hardest hit communities.”
California’s eligibility expansion meets a nationwide deadline set by President Joe Biden that all adults in the U.S. be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by April 19.
“As these life-saving vaccines put the worst behind us, it is important to not let our guard down, even after being fully vaccinated,” said Director of the California Department of Public Health and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás Aragón. “We urge Californians to continue wearing face coverings, practice physical distancing, limit extended indoor activities with others, and follow all the best practices to stop the spread of COVID-19 to help protect your friends, family and neighbors.”
Officials have been focusing on allocating COVID-19 vaccines to ensure equitable distribution.
Last month, the state began directing 40 percent of vaccine doses to the hardest-hit areas of the state based on the lowest quartile of the Public Health Alliance of Southern California’s Healthy Places Index.
Six of Lake County’s zip codes – for the communities of Clearlake, Clearlake Oaks, Finley, Lucerne, Nice and Upper Lake – are among 446 that were targeted for increased vaccine supply due to being in the Healthy Places Index’s lowest-performing quartile, as Lake County News has reported.
This week, the state said it reached the 4.9 million mark in doses administered in those hard-hit communities across California.
The local picture
Sarah Marikos, Lake County’s epidemiologist, said this week that 43 percent of Lake County residents aged 16 and older are partially vaccinated, with more than 22,000 people having received at least one dose.
On Thursday, the California Department of Public Health gave a precise number of doses administered by county of residence, totaling 34,259 for Lake County.
Dr. Evan Bloom, who is interim Public Health officer while Dr. Gary Pace is on vacation, told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that new case numbers locally are on a downward trajectory,
While there are viral variants circulating in Lake County – a fact state and local health officials first confirmed earlier this year – Bloom said the immunity that is derived from the vaccines that are being administered still holds against the variants.
Bloom said the positive COVID-19 cases now being reported in Lake County are in people who are not fully vaccinated, which is why health officials continue to focus on vaccinating residents.
“This is the best way forward to protect our residents of Lake County against COVID-19,” Bloom said.
Individuals seeking an opportunity to get vaccinated may still need to wait for an appointment. Eligible residents can visit https://myturn.ca.gov/ – which is available in 12 languages – to find and schedule available appointments or call the COVID-19 hotline at 833-422-4255; assistance is available in more than 250 languages.
All COVID-19 vaccines are free regardless of immigration or health insurance status. Residents with questions about the vaccines can visit https://www.vaccinateall58.com/ to learn more.
In addition to being vaccinated through the state signup process, Adventist Health and Sutter Health are hosting vaccine clinics for all eligible community members, not just their registered patients. Contact Adventist Health at 707-995-4500 or Sutter Health at 844-987-6115 or https://www.sutterhealth.org/for-patients/health-alerts/covid-19-vaccine for more information.
Lake County Tribal Health Consortium continues to vaccinate its patients. For information, visit http://www.lcthc.com/ or call 707-263-8382.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The CPUC voted to place PG&E into the first of the six steps in the Enhanced Oversight and Enforcement Process, which was created specifically to hold the company accountable for improving its safety record after it emerged from bankruptcy in 2020.
The resolution to take the action shows that the process allows the commission “to take additional steps to ensure PG&E is improving its safety performance” if specific “triggering events” occur.
The resolution notes, “The steps range from Step 1, which contains enhanced reporting and oversight requirements, to Step 6, involving the potential revocation of PG&E’s ability to operate as a California electric utility.”
The CPUC’s resolution invokes Step 1, “with regard to PG&E’s insufficient progress with risk-driven wildfire mitigation efforts,” and requires PG&E to submit a corrective action plan
within 20 days of the resolution effective date.
Both the CPUC’s Public Advocates Office and The Utility Reform Network, or TURN, asked the CPUC to take stronger action against PG&E.
“We’re glad the CPUC took this step but it should have included closer oversight of PG&E’s other shortcomings in its resolution,” said Maya Chupkov, the Public Advocates Office’s director of strategic communications and outreach, on Thursday afternoon.
In a statement issued to Lake County News, PG&E said its most important responsibility is the safety of its customers and the communities it serves.
“We take today’s vote and the feedback from the Wildfire Safety Division and others seriously, and as a result we have already implemented significant improvements to our Enhanced Vegetation Management program and will continue to do so as outlined in our 2021 Wildfire Mitigation Plan. It is in all of our best interests to work together to improve our safety performance for the benefit of our customers and the communities we are privileged to serve,” the company said.
PG&E said is already has implemented a new 2021 wildfire distribution risk model and elevated its transparency and oversight, explaining that its newly formed Wildfire Risk Governance Steering Committee is responsible for approving the selection of enhanced vegetation management work locations “and monitoring regular reporting of work completed to ensure actual work is aligned with the planned risk reduction and performed with the highest level of quality.”
The company said this year it’s tripling the number of its work verification inspectors that are performing post-tree work inspections on work performed in high fire-threat districts to make sure work is getting done in its enhanced and routine vegetation management programs.
It’s using ground-based LiDAR in vehicles as a post-inspection review of completed circuits for vegetation management work and has staffed a centralized team of arborists to investigate any concerns or findings raised by the CPUC, the Federal Monitor, the Governor’s Operational Observer or any of our external stakeholders to ensure timely follow-up and resolution any issues that are identified.
PG&E said it’s also implementing a more effective operating structure that establishes daily operating reviews to improve visibility into all facets of its performance.
PG&E’s went into bankruptcy in 2019 following several catastrophic wildfires in its service territory – among them, the 2017 North Bay firestorm that included the Sulphur fire in Clearlake Oaks in Lake County and the 2018 Camp fire that destroyed Paradise in Butte County.
The CPUC later approved PG&E’s reorganization plan and allowed it to emerge from bankruptcy, but the company had to follow specific financial and operational conditions, the CPUC’s document shows.
The Enhanced Oversight and Enforcement Process was instituted because of the need to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildland fires caused by PG&E’s infrastructure, the commission reported.
‘Triggering event’ involves vegetation management
The CPUC resolution explains that the triggering event that led to the action was that PG&E has made “insufficient progress toward approved safety or risk-driven investments related to its electric business.”
Specifically, the commission said PG&E has not sufficiently prioritized its vegetation management based on risk.
“PG&E ranks its power line circuits by wildfire risk, but the work performed in 2020 demonstrates that PG&E is not making risk-driven investments. PG&E is not doing the majority of EVM [enhanced vegetation management] work – or even a significant portion of work – on the highest risk lines,” the document says.
The document goes on to explain that over the course of 2020 and early 2021, PG&E provided the CPUC’s Wildfire Safety Division with three different lists ranking its power lines by risk. Each risk ranking differed from the others in material respects, the commission said.
On each of the lists, the CPUC said it showed that less than 5 percent of the enhanced vegetation management work that PG&E completed in 2020 was on the 20 highest-risk power lines. This failure to appropriately prioritize and conduct the vegetation management on the highest-risk power lines is a triggering event under step one of the process.
Pertinent to Lake County, the Middletown circuit is featured on one of those lists, issued in September of last year, ranking the top 20 highest risk circuits.
At that time, PG&E reported 59 miles of enhanced vegetation management was completed on those circuits, with nearly 20 miles on the Middletown circuit alone, the most of any of the circuits.
The CPUC is requiring PG&E to submit its corrective action plan for approval by the commission’s executive director. The plan is to consist of reporting starting on day 20 following the resolution’s approval and every 90 days afterward until the CPUC no longer requires it.
Among the many items required in that plan, PG&E has to explain what contributed to its failure to adequately prioritize the highest risk lines; a detailed list of vegetation management projects for this calendar year and the subsequent one, if available; changes to its risk models; and a detailed description of the circumstances that contributed to PG&E management’s inconsistent reporting on the details of its risk modeling and risk ranking lists.
In the resolution’s conclusion, it notes, “Nothing in this Resolution precludes the Commission from placing PG&E into another Step of the EOE Process if warranted.”
Separately, on Tuesday, PG&E submitted a response to the Public Advocates Office’s recommendation that the CPUC’s Wildfire Safety Division reject PG&E’s proposed wildfire safety plan due to “numerous significant deficiencies.”
In response, PG&E said it has so far conducted more than 1,800 miles of enhanced vegetation management and 342 miles of system hardening; installed more than 600 weather stations and high definition cameras; and also installed 603 sectionalizing devices, which allowed for a reduction in the scope and impact of PSPS events in 2020.
“We also recognized some gaps in 2020 and offered specific plans for addressing those gaps in 2021,” the company said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
377568108 - CPUC resolution on PG&E by LakeCoNews on Scribd
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The commission will host the “Redistricting Basics” presentation with a live question and answer period from 2 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 20.
Watch the livestream at www.WeDrawTheLinesCA.org under the “meetings” tab, where the commission’s regular meetings also can be viewed, and sign up to let them know you’re attending here.
Attend to find out about what redistricting is, fair representation and why it’s important, what factors the commission will consider when drawing the maps and how Californians can have a say in the process.
The commission was created by the VOTERS FIRST Act in 2008.
It uses Census data to redraw Congressional, State Senate, State Assembly and State Board of Equalization districts every 10 years so that the districts correctly reflect the state’s population.
In carrying out their work, commissioners must follow “strict, nonpartisan rules designed to create districts of relatively equal population that will provide fair representation for all Californians,” the commission website explains.
The 14-member commission, seated in 2020, is made up of five Republicans, five Democrats and four not affiliated with either of those two parties.
Commission representatives told Lake County News said they expect to receive the Census data this summer, with the goal of being finished with the process by the end of this year.
Email Elizabeth Larson at