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- Written by: NASA JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
As NASA's Mars rover Perseverance hurtles through space toward the Red Planet, the six-wheeler's twin is ready to roll here on Earth.
A full-scale engineering version of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover – outfitted with wheels, cameras, and powerful computers to help it drive autonomously – has just moved into its garage home at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
This rover model passed its first driving test in a relatively tame warehouselike assembly room at JPL on Sept. 1.
Engineers expect to take it out next week into the Mars Yard, where a field of red dirt studded with rocks and other obstacles simulates the Red Planet's surface.
"Perseverance's mobility team can't wait to finally drive our test rover outside," said Anais Zarifian, the mobility test bed engineer at JPL. "This is the test robot that comes closest to simulating the actual mission operations Perseverance will experience on Mars – with wheels, eyes, and brains all together – so this rover is going to be especially fun to work with."
Wait, why does Perseverance need a twin?
Perseverance isn't flying to Mars with a mechanic. To avoid as many unexpected issues as possible after the rover lands on Feb. 18, 2021, the team needs this Earth-bound vehicle system test bed, or VSTB, rover to gauge how hardware and software will perform before they transmit commands up to Perseverance on Mars.
This rover model will be particularly useful for completing a full set of software tests so the team can send up patches while Perseverance is en route to Mars or after it has landed.
And just like Perseverance has a fitting name – one that captures the hard work of getting the rover on its way to Mars amid a pandemic – its twin has a name, too: OPTIMISM. While OPTIMISM is an acronym for Operational Perseverance Twin for Integration of Mechanisms and Instruments Sent to Mars, the name is also a nod to the mantra of the team that spent two years planning and assembling it.
"The Mars 2020 Perseverance test bed team's motto is 'No optimism allowed,'" said Matt Stumbo, the lead for the VSTB rover on the test bed team. "So we named the test rover OPTIMISM to remind us of the work we have to do to fully test the system. Our job is to find problems, not just hope activities will work. As we work through the issues with OPTIMISM, we gain confidence in Perseverance's capabilities and confidence in our ability to operate on Mars."
Almost identical
OPTIMISM is nearly identical to Perseverance: It is the same size, has the same mobility system and top driving speed (0.094 mph, or 0.15 kph), and features the same distinctive "head," known as the remote sensing mast.
After a second phase of building at the beginning of the new year, it will have the full suite of science instruments, cameras, and computer "brains" Perseverance has, plus its unique system for collecting rock and soil samples.
But since OPTIMISM lives at JPL, it also features some Earthly differences. For one thing, while Perseverance gets its power from a multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator (a kind of nuclear battery that has reliably powered space missions since the 1960s), OPTIMISM features an umbilical cord that can be plugged in for electrical power.
That cord also provides an ethernet connection, allowing the mission team to send commands to and receive engineering data back from OPTIMISM without installing the radios Perseverance uses for communication.
And whereas Perseverance comes with a heating system to keep it warm in the frigid environment of Mars, OPTIMISM relies on a cooling system for operating in hot Southern California summers.
Welcome to the family
OPTIMISM isn't JPL's only VSTB rover. NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, which has been exploring the Red Planet since it landed in 2012, has a twin named MAGGIE (Mars Automated Giant Gizmo for Integrated Engineering). MAGGIE has been helping the Curiosity team particularly with strategies for driving across challenging terrain and drilling rocks.
OPTIMISM and MAGGIE will live side-by-side in the Mars Yard, giving JPL engineers a two-car garage for the first time.
"Missions that are operating require high-fidelity replicas of their systems for testing," Stumbo said. "The Curiosity mission has learned lessons from MAGGIE that were impossible to learn any other way. Now that we have OPTIMISM, the Perseverance mission is well equipped to learn what they need to succeed on Mars."
The Perseverance rover's astrobiology mission will search for signs of ancient microbial life. It will also characterize the planet's climate and geology, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first planetary mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust). Subsequent missions, currently under consideration by NASA in cooperation with the European Space Agency, would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these cached samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.
The Mars 2020 mission is part of a larger program that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Charged with returning astronauts to the Moon by 2024, NASA will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA's Artemis lunar exploration plans.
JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance and Curiosity rovers.
Learn more about the Mars 2020 mission at https://www.nasa.gov/perseverance.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The city of Lakeport has honored a man who stopped to help a police officer subdue the suspect in an assault on two elderly people at a city park.
Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen presented a commendation to Anthony Gladstein at the Lakeport City Council’s Sept. 1 meeting.
Rasmussen said on the evening of June 30, Lakeport Police officers were dispatched to Library Park to investigate the report of a suspect committing a violent assault on two senior citizens.
The suspect, later identified as 37-year-old Lakeport resident Todd Gary Ousterhout, fled the area on foot before the officers arrived. However, Rasmussen said the victims and other citizens pointed Ousterhout out and reported his direction of travel.
During a search of the area, Rasmussen said an officer found Ousterhout on N. Forbes Street, confronting him and giving him orders to comply.
Ousterhout resisted the officer and attempted to get away, and Rasmussen said a struggle ensued in which the officer and the suspect both ended up down on the street.
During that struggle, Rasmussen said Gladstein happened upon the situation as he was driving on N. Forbes Street. Gladstein stopped and yelled out to the officer to see if he needed help and the officer advised him that he did.
Gladstein immediately came to the officer’s aid as a backup officer arrived at the same time. Rasmussen said a short time later another citizen stopped his vehicle and also ran to the aid of the officers.
With the assistance of Gladstein and the second citizen – who Rasmussen said hasn’t yet been identified – the two officers were able to control Ousterhaut and get him handcuffed and secured.
Due to the assistance of Gladstein and the second citizen who stopped to help, serious injuries to all involved were avoided, Rasmussen said.
“Although we do not normally encourage or ask citizens to assist officers, especially in dangerous situations, in this case, we are thankful that Mr. Gladstein did assist,” said Rasmussen.
He said Gladstein’s actions and assistance “are not common but rather exceptional and therefore should be commended and recognized.”
Rasmussen offered Gladstein thanks on behalf of the Lakeport Police Department and the city of Lakeport, recognizing “that you took these actions without regard for your personal safety but rather putting the safety of others before yourself. We are proud to have you as a citizen of our community.”
Mayor George Spurr offered Gladstein his appreciation.
In return, Gladstein, who joined the meeting by phone, thanked the council.
Chief reports on police operations for the first half of the year
Also during the Sept. 1 meeting, Rasmussen presented a report on his department’s operations for the first two quarters of 2020.
The report showed improved response times on calls in the second quarter when compared to the first, with fewer arrests compared to 2019.
Rasmussen said the department has had a number of changes due to COVID-19, which has impacted the training hours.
Still, he said they completed “a commendable amount of training” in areas like autism recognition and response, which they did in response to community requests. Rasmussen said the agency deals a lot with people with developmental disabilities.
They also conducted deescalation and crisis training the previous week at the community center and had two trainees in the police academy. All told, Rasmussen said the department had more than 2,000 hours of training in the year’s first half.
He noted that the training included 120 hours of focus on the agency’s 700-page policy manual. Rasmussen said officers are required to do policy training every single day of the year.
The council approved Rasmussen’s report and also voted to direct Mireya Turner, the council’s delegate to the League of California Cities’ annual conference, to support a resolution calling for an amendment of section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 to require social media companies to remove materials that promote criminal activities.
The council also approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to sign the statement of assurances and submit an application for State Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to purchase kitchen equipment for the Silveira Community Center.
City efforts help defeat AB 6
City Attorney David Ruderman thanked City Manager Kevin Ingram for his work over the previous weekend to help defeat AB 6, which would have blocked local governments from suing companies responsible for the opioid crisis unless they already had filed by Aug. 24.
In June, the city filed its own lawsuit against the responsible drug manufacturers, as Lake County News has reported.
Ruderman said Lakeport was part of a huge coalition of counties and cities that fought the bill.
He said Ingram got on the phone late Sunday to express his opposition to legislators.
On the last day of the legislative session, Aug. 31, Ruderman said the bill didn’t make it.
“My pleasure,” Ingram said of his efforts.
“It was a potential power grab by the attorney general,” Ruderman said.
The bill would reportedly have expanded the state attorney general’s powers and staff size, and directed those agencies that hadn’t filed suit by the August deadline to join him in attempting to reach a global settlement with manufacturers.
Rasmussen also reported that several police reform bills he considered problematic didn’t move forward this year, while a number of others that he didn’t think were concerning did make it through.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The August Complex grew to 491,446 acres and 25-percent containment on Friday, the US Forest Service said.
It is now listed as the largest fire in California history.
The Great Basin Incident Management Team assumed command of the August Complex on Friday.
On the west side of the fire, firefighters continue to work with Cal Fire on containment lines. Structure protection continues in many areas across the complex, officials said.
The Forest Service said firefighters are working to create fireline in the Elk Creek drainage and Sanhedrin Wilderness west of Monkey Rock.
Crews also continue to assess areas following the strong wind and fire activity earlier this week.
Forest officials said in a Thursday night briefing that more than two dozen structures have been burned in the complex.
Two hundred thirty-three soldiers from the 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion based out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington are deployed in support of the August Complex. The firefighting soldiers are working in various areas of the complex, officials said.
Fire activity is expected to remain high with critically dry fuels and poor overnight moisture recovery. Shading from dense smoke may moderate fire behavior in some areas, the Forest Service reported.
Evacuation orders are in effect for multiple counties; in Lake County, evacuations remain in effect for Pillsbury Ranch and the entire Lake Pillsbury basin.
For specific cabin access related questions, call the forest at 530-934-3316 for the latest information.
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- Written by: Jan Cook
ProQuest databases can be found on the library website from the main page by clicking Digital Content and then the ProQuest Research link.
The databases do require a temporary or physical Lake County library card. Online cards will need to upgrade to a physical card to be able to use ProQuest Research. To speak to a library employee about ProQuest or other library services, call 707-263-8817.
ProQuest Research includes six different databases. Through a single interface, the ProQuest Unified Search, students can search several databases.
CultureGrams presents concise and reliable cultural information on countries around the world.
SIRS Discoverer offers newspapers, magazines, and images for new researchers, especially elementary and middle school students and educators.
The SIRS Issues Researcher includes curriculum-aligned database of pro/con content organized by complex issues, ideally for middle and high school students and educators.
ELibrary is a general reference aggregation of periodical and digital media content with editorial guidance for new researchers.
Ebook Central provides authoritative, full-text e-books in a wide range of subject areas along with powerful tools to find, use, and manage the information.
The ProQuest Research Companion helps students learn how to research and evaluate information. The information literacy tools and tutorials help students develop critical thinking.
Online resources paid for by the State of California from Encyclopaedia Britannica, ProQuest and TeachingBooks are already available through multiple means – at school, at home, on laptops, on phones – to all K-12 educators, students, librarians, administrators and families in California.
Britannica and TeachingBooks have been available through local libraries since the 2018 school year. This is the first year for six ProQuest platforms to be available through library websites as well.
“It’s a simple idea: Help more California school kids succeed by being able to find more reliable information more easily where they’ll be going to school this fall – online,” said California State Librarian Greg Lucas.
Increasing opportunities for learning online prepares California students for a 21st Century information and innovation-driven economy.
These resources offered by the state include educational tutorials and guides to assist teachers and students, as well as millions of pieces of information from hundreds of newspapers, periodicals and scientific journals.
Many of the resources and search tools can address cultural sensitivity and diversity. Others support early childhood learning.
“Yet another reason every Californian should have a library card,” said Lucas.
The availability of these online resources for all public schools and libraries comes from an annual investment of $3 million through the California State Library that began in August 2018.
Since then, the websites have seen 123 million clicks, views and downloads.
There has been as much as a 590 percent increase in usage of some resources since March when schools closed.
Jan Cook is a library technician with the Lake County Library.
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