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Written by: Lake County News reports

Published: 14 June 2020

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Authorities in Sonoma County on Saturday made an arrest for a hate crime, taking into custody a Ukiah man with a violent criminal history who also is under investigation for similar incidents in Mendocino County.

Sgt. Juan Valencia of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said Anthony James Pelfrey, 43, was arrested in the case.

Valencia said Sonoma County deputies, working together with the Ukiah Police Department, arrested Pelfrey for a hate crime, felon in possession of pepper spray and illegal use of pepper spray.

The incident unfolded at approximately 10:18 a.m. Saturday when deputies were dispatched to Pinnacle Gulch Trail in Bodega Bay for a male intentionally pepper-spraying people, Valencia said.

Valencia said the first victim, an Asian male, was sprayed in the face with bear deterrent spray by Pelfrey for no apparent reason in the parking lot. The second victim, a Hispanic male, was walking out of the restroom and was sprayed as well.

Pelfrey walked to his car, a white Honda Civic, as witnesses took photos of him and his car, Valencia said.

Witnesses at the scene recognized the male as Pelfrey from their yoga class. Pelfrey was at the location, attending an outdoor yoga session. Pelfrey left the scene in his car, Valencia reported.

A records check revealed the car belonged to Pelfrey with an address in Ukiah. Valencia said the Ukiah Police Department was notified and conducted surveillance at Pelfrey's home, where. Pelfrey subsequently was arrested.

Ukiah Police Department and Mendocino County Sheriff's Office were both investigating two similar incidents involving Pelfrey last week in which he used bear deterrent spray on people, Valencia said.

Valencia said Pelfrey was convicted of attempted murder in Mendocino County in 2009 after attacking two men with a machete.

Pelfrey was arrested and later transported to the Sonoma County Jail and booked for a hate crime, felon in possession of pepper spray and illegal use of pepper spray. Pelfrey is currently in custody and being held on $50,000 bail after a judge approved a bail enhancement, Valencia said.

Jail records show Pelfrey is due to be arraigned on Tuesday afternoon.

“We want to thank the community members who called us with information. This case is another example of how we can better protect our community when we all work together,” Valencia said.

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Written by: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Published: 14 June 2020

NASA has awarded Astrobotic of Pittsburgh $199.5 million to deliver NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2023.

The water-seeking mobile VIPER robot will help pave the way for astronaut missions to the lunar surface beginning in 2024 and will bring NASA a step closer to developing a sustainable, long-term presence on the Moon as part of the agency’s Artemis program.

“The VIPER rover and the commercial partnership that will deliver it to the Moon are a prime example of how the scientific community and U.S. industry are making NASA’s lunar exploration vision a reality,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “Commercial partners are changing the landscape of space exploration, and VIPER is going to be a big boost to our efforts to send the first woman and next man to the lunar surface in 2024 through the Artemis program.”

VIPER’s flight to the Moon is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which leverages the capabilities of industry partners to quickly deliver scientific instruments and technology demonstrations to the Moon.

As part of its award, Astrobotic is responsible for end-to-end services for delivery of VIPER, including integration with its Griffin lander, launch from Earth, and landing on the Moon.

During its 100-Earth-day mission, the approximately 1,000-pound VIPER rover will roam several miles and use its four science instruments to sample various soil environments. Versions of its three water-hunting instruments are flying to the Moon on earlier CLPS lander deliveries in 2021 and 2022 to help test their performance on the lunar surface prior to VIPER’s mission. The rover also will have a drill to bore approximately 3 feet into the lunar surface.

“CLPS is a totally creative way to advance lunar exploration,” said NASA’s Associate Administrator for Science Thomas Zurbuchen. “We’re doing something that’s never been done before – testing the instruments on the Moon as the rover is being developed. VIPER and the many payloads we will send to the lunar surface in the next few years are going to help us realize the Moon’s vast scientific potential.”

VIPER will collect data – including the location and concentration of ice – that will be used to inform the first global water resource maps of the Moon. Scientific data gathered by VIPER also will inform the selection of future landing sites for astronaut Artemis missions by helping to determine locations where water and other resources can be harvested to sustain humans during extended expeditions. Its science investigations will provide insights into the evolution of the Moon and the Earth-Moon system.

NASA has previously contracted with three companies to make CLPS deliveries to the Moon beginning in 2021. Astrobotic is scheduled to make its first delivery of other instruments to the lunar surface next year.

In April, the agency released a call for potential future lunar surface investigations and received more than 200 responses. CLPS is planned to provide a steady cadence of two delivery opportunities to the lunar surface each year.

“It is an enormous honor and responsibility to be chosen by NASA to deliver this mission of national importance,” said Astrobotic CEO John Thornton. “Astrobotic’s lunar logistics services were created to open a new era on the Moon. Delivering VIPER to look for water, and setting the stage for the first human crew since Apollo, embodies our mission as a company.”

VIPER is a collaboration between various NASA entities and agency partners. The spacecraft, lander and launch vehicle that will deliver VIPER to the surface of the Moon will be provided through NASA’s CLPS initiative as a partnership with industry for delivering science and technology payloads to and near the lunar surface.

CLPS is part of the Lunar Discovery and Exploration Program managed by the agency’s Science Mission Directorate, or SMD, at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

The VIPER mission is part of SMDs Planetary Science Division. NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley is managing the VIPER mission, as well as leading the mission’s science, systems engineering, real-time rover surface operations and flight software.

The rover hardware is being designed and built by NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and the instruments are provided by Ames, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and commercial partner Honeybee Robotics in Altadena, California.

For more information about VIPER, visit http://www.nasa.gov/viper .

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Written by: Lake County News reports

Published: 13 June 2020

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department said it has located a teenage girl who had been reported missing after last being seen on Friday evening.

Police said Saturday that Yessinia Michelle Rodriguez, 16, was found safe.

The agency had put out a Nixle alert shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday asking for the community’s help locating the girl.

The agency said several hours later that she was safely located.