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Americas’ financial desperation can be seen in the soaring demand for food assistance. AP Photo/John Minchillo

As Congress prepares another injection of COVID-19 aid for businesses and individuals, there’s been debate about whether it’s necessary on top of the US$3.5 trillion spent so far.

President Joe Biden had initially hoped to get bipartisan support for his $1.9 trillion proposal, but the only counteroffer from Republicans was a $600 billion bill, with many in the GOP suggesting more money wasn’t needed. And some economists have expressed concern that giving Americans too much right now could overheat the economy.

We are public opinion scholars at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In cooperation with our partners at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and National Public Radio, we conducted a survey in July and August of last year to try to understand how the first round of aid had affected American families in need. What we found shocked us then and feels relevant now as the government negotiates its next steps.

Despite trillions of dollars in government assistance, about two-thirds of families that suffered job losses or reduced wages during the pandemic still reported facing serious financial hardship.

Many people were struggling – and still are – just to pay for basic necessities, like food and rent.

The first round of pandemic aid

Congress passed most of the initial relief in March, including direct payments to qualifying families, expanded unemployment benefits and loans to small businesses that turned into grants if they kept workers on their payroll.

By July 1, when we began our survey, most Americans entitled to a direct check should have received it, and unemployed adults were still receiving supplemental aid of $600 a week on top of state benefits.

We wanted to understand the financial burdens experienced by American families that were economically harmed by the coronavirus pandemic. And we wanted to see whether the government aid was helping the people who needed it most.

Using a nationally representative, randomized survey design, we contacted 3,454 adults and asked them about the financial problems facing their households. We focused on the 46% who said they or other adults in their household either lost a job, had to close a business, were furloughed or had their wages or hours reduced since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. We published our findings in the economic affairs journal Challenge in January.

Serious financial problems

While it seems like a no-brainer that Americans weren’t ready for the unexpected employment disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it was surprising to us that federal aid and charitable assistance seemed to be doing so little to support the people it was intended to help.

We found that the aid didn’t put much of a dent in the financial problems faced by families earning less than $100,000, whether because relief was delayed or wasn’t spent, the amount wasn’t adequate or the funds never made it to the intended recipients.

Among households with employment or wage losses during the pandemic, 87% of those earning less than $30,000 a year and 68% of those earning $30,000 to $99,999 told us they were still facing serious financial problems. And more than half of households in these income brackets reported they had already used up all or most of their savings – or they didn’t have savings to begin with. That share jumped to over three-quarters for people with incomes under $30,000.

Savings take years or decades to accumulate, so it’s likely these households are in even worse trouble now. What’s more, significantly less aid has been provided from the federal government since we conducted our survey.

Many Americans still need a lifeboat

Our findings suggest there is a definite need for further government aid on a large scale for tens of millions of families.

A useful way to think about this is how the government provides relief after a natural disaster. In disasters, cash payments are often sent directly to those in need, like lifeboats launched to rescue people at risk of drowning.

And in fact, the pandemic has been an economic disaster for some – particularly low-income and Black and Latino households – more than others. They still need a lifeboat to get them through the storm.

[Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend. Sign up for our weekly newsletter.]The Conversation

Mary G. Findling, Research Associate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University; John M. Benson, Senior Research Scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, and Robert J. Blendon, Richard L. Menschel Professor of Public Health and Professor of Health Policy and Political Analysis, Emeritus, Harvard University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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As the impact of the coronavirus pandemic surged, women in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, crowded in a line to get aid. The pandemic caused devastating loss of income and food insecurity in Bangladesh and eight other countries in the global south, according to new research co-authored at the University of California, Berkeley. (Photo: UN Women/Fahad Abdullah Kaizer | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year led to a devastating loss of jobs and income across the global south, threatening hundreds of millions of people with hunger and lost savings and raising an array of risks for children, according to new research co-authored at the University of California, Berkeley.

The research, published Friday, Feb. 5, in the journal Science Advances, found “staggering” income losses after the pandemic emerged last year, with a median 70 percent of households across nine countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America reporting financial losses.

By April last year, roughly 50 percent or more of those surveyed in several countries were forced to eat smaller meals or skip meals altogether, a number that reached 87 percent for rural households in the West African country of Sierra Leone.

“In the early months of the pandemic, the economic downturn in low- and middle-income countries was almost certainly worse than any other recent global economic crisis that we know of, whether the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s, the Great Recession that started in 2008, or the more recent Ebola crisis,” said UC Berkeley economist Edward Miguel, a co-author of the study. “The economic costs were just severe, absolutely severe.”

The pandemic has produced some hopeful innovations, including a partnership between the government of Togo in West Africa and UC Berkeley’s Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) on a system to provide relief payments via digital networks.

But such gains are, so far, isolated.

The new study — the first of its kind globally — reports that after two decades of growth in many low- and middle-income countries, the economic crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic threatens profound long-term impact: Reduced childhood nutrition could have health consequences later in life.

Closed schools may lead to delayed development for some students, while others may simply drop out. When families use their savings to eat, rather than invest in fertilizer or farm improvements, crop yields can decline.

“Such effects can slow economic development in a country or a region, which can lead to political instability, diminished growth or migration,” said Miguel, a co-director at CEGA.

A troubling picture of life during the pandemic

The study was launched in spring 2020, as China, Europe and the U.S. led global efforts to check spread of the virus through ambitious lockdowns of business, schools and transit. Three independent research teams, including CEGA, joined to conduct surveys in the countries where they already worked.

Between April and early July 2020, they connected with 30,000 households, including over 100,000 people, in nine countries with a combined population of 500 million: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda and Sierra Leone in Africa; Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines in Asia; and Colombia in South America. The surveys were conducted by telephone.

Reports early in the pandemic suggested that developing countries might be less vulnerable because their populations are so much younger than those in Europe and North America.

But the research teams found that, within weeks after governments imposed lockdowns and other measures to control the virus’s spread, the pandemic was having a pervasive economic impact:

Income fell broadly. In Colombia, 87 percent of respondents nationwide reported lost income in the early phase of the pandemic. Such losses were reported by more than 80% of people nationwide in Rwanda and Ghana.

People struggled to find food. In the Philippines, 77 percent of respondents nationwide said they faced difficulty purchasing food because stores were closed, transport was shut down or food supplies were inadequate. Similar reports came from 68 percent of Colombians and 64% of respondents in Sierra Leone; rates were similar for some communities within other countries.

Food insecurity rose sharply. While the impact was worst in rural Sierra Leone, other communities were hard hit: In Bangladesh, 69 percent of landless agricultural households reported that they were forced to eat less, along with 48 percent of households in rural Kenya.

Children faced increased risk. With schools closed, the risk of educational setbacks rose. Many respondents reported delaying health care, including prenatal care and vaccinations. Some communities reported rising levels of domestic violence.

“The combination of a lengthy period of undernutrition, closed schools, and limited health care may be particularly damaging in the long run for children from poorer households who do not have alternative resources,” the authors wrote.

Miguel’s recent research has focused on economic conditions for poor people in Kenya, and he said people there scrambled to cope with the crisis.

“People moved in with relatives,” he said. “People moved back to their home areas in rural places where there was food. Other people were just relying on the generosity of friends and relatives and co-workers to get by. When you're living on only a couple of dollars a day, and you don't get that money, it's a desperate situation.”

Wealthier countries are also gripped by crisis, but co-author Susan Athey, an economist at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, said they’re better able to cope.

“COVID-19 and its economic shock present a stark threat to residents of low- and middle-income countries — where most of the world’s population resides — which lack the social safety nets that exist in rich countries,” Athey said. “The evidence we’ve collected shows dire economic consequences … which, if left unchecked, could thrust millions of vulnerable households into poverty.”

A model of positive, high-impact international partnership

In fact, Miguel said, governments everywhere have struggled to address the health and economic dimensions of the pandemic. In both rich and poor nations, he said, governments have used the pandemic as a reason to crack down on political opponents.

But the crisis has also produced hopeful engagements. The CEGA initiative to support Togolese leaders in developing a system for digital relief payments could be a model for international partnerships.

Under that project, CEGA co-Director Joshua Blumenstock has worked closely with top government officials in Togo to develop an advanced data-driven system for identifying people in need and delivering financial aid. The system uses new computational technologies, with data from satellite imagery, mobile phones and traditional surveys to identify people or communities in economic distress.

CEGA and the GiveDirectly aid organization have just won a $1.2 million grant under the data.org Inclusive Growth and Recovery Challenge to allow further work on the project.

“Over 550,000 Togolese individuals have received cash transfers of roughly $20 a month,” said Lauren Russell, CEGA director of operations. “The grant should allow for the project to be scaled and evaluated even further, with the hope that the methods might be well-suited for adoption by other low- and middle-income countries.”

Global crises require global solutions

Still, Miguel said the disparities between rich and poor nations have been “disheartening.” In North America and Europe, nations may be struggling with vaccination plans, but vaccines have barely arrived in most low-income countries, he said.

“We will not recover in the rich countries until the whole world gets the vaccine and until the crisis is dealt with globally,” he said. “As long as there's active pandemic in parts of the world that's affecting travel and tourism and trade, our economy and our society is going to suffer. If we can spread the wealth in terms of pandemic relief assistance and vaccine distribution, we're all going to get out of this hole faster.”

Edward Lempinen writes for the UC Berkeley News Center.
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Austin Anthony Schweitzer, 28, of Lakeport, California, was arrested twice in two days, first for drug possession and being under the influence and then on charges for stealing a vehicle and credit cards. Lake County Jail photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Teamwork between the county’s two police departments led to the arrest of a Lakeport man who had been released a day earlier from the Lake County Jail.

The Clearlake Police Department said it arrested Austin Anthony Schweitzer, 28, on Feb. 17 for possession of a large quantity of suspected methamphetamine and for being under the influence of narcotics. He was booked into the Lake County Jail but soon released.

On Feb. 18, after Schweitzer’s release from custody, police said he is believed to have stolen a vehicle that was left running to warm up in Lakeport. The vehicle contained several credit cards in the vehicle owner’s name.

Police said Schweitzer then drove the vehicle to Clearlake and parked it. He attempted to use the stolen victim’s credit cards at a gas station but was unsuccessful.

Lakeport Police officers learned of the credit card usage and alerted Clearlake Police officers of the situation, according to the report.

Police said the vehicle was quickly located near the gas station by a community service officer along with evidence linking Schweitzer to the vehicle. The vehicle was returned to the owner.

A short time later, police said Schweitzer returned to the gas station where an employee spotted him, but now associated with another vehicle, and notified police.

An alert Clearlake Police officer spotted the vehicle at Walmart and Schweitzer was taken into custody without incident, authorities said.

Police said Schweitzer was found to be in possession of the stolen credit cards, the stolen vehicle’s keys and other property from the stolen vehicle.

He was transported and booked back into the Lake County Jail, where he remains in custody on misdemeanors related to the credit card theft, and felonies for taking the vehicle, being in possession of a stolen vehicle and first-degree burglary.

“We are grateful for the collaboration between the agencies and the community that resulted in the return of the vehicle and apprehension of the suspect,” the Clearlake Police Department said.
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Tea is more than an ancient and ubiquitous drink. It can add interest and unique flavor to a variety of foods, both sweet and savory. Photo by Esther Oertel.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – There is just something so comforting about a cup of tea, and February, with its occasional formidable weather, is a perfect month to indulge.

I’m absolutely fascinated by tea, whether white, green, fermented, smoked or otherwise. When herbal and floral tisanes are factored in, imbibing becomes a multi-faceted journey, one that can – for me – border on an obsession.

Tea has long been a pleasure of mine, but perhaps my stronger interest in it was birthed when, once upon a time, I taught a culinary class at a local tea shop, one that specialized in floral teas and flowery herbal tisanes.

Creating recipes with their inspired selection of brews stretched my awareness of what tea can be to cuisine. It doesn’t have to be relegated to the role of accompaniment; it can be the star of a meal, with flavor combinations limited only by your imagination.

All types of tea, however packaged, can be used in this way – loose leaves, tea in bags, powdered teas such as matcha, tea leaves ground at home (a dedicated coffee grinder or mortar and pestle are good for this), specialty teas like genmaicha (which includes puffed grains), smoked teas, tea blends and all manner of herbal tisanes can be fodder for your experimentation.

A favorite tea of mine is the floral blend sold at the Holy Assumption Monastery in Calistoga. While making a purchase there some years ago, I heard for the first time the term tea docent (as in, “our tea docent creates these blends”). I was immediately struck by the thought of such a blissful career.

Perhaps, if only for today, I can consider myself your tea-in-cuisine docent by providing some ideas as a starting point for you. Please read on, be inspired, and make your kitchen a place of experimentation for your own brand of tea-infused creations.

Today’s recipe is also below, a vegetable stir-fry with green tea layered throughout via infusion into the sauce as well as the rice served with it.

A Chinese proverb says, “Drinking a daily cup of tea will surely starve the apothecary.” Perhaps that’s also true if we eat our daily cup.

Bake with tea

Floral and fruity Earl Grey or warm chai spices marry well with baked goods like pound cake, shortbread, or sugar cookies. Their mild sweetness provides a perfect backdrop for the flavor of tea. Other teas work well, too, such as green matcha, black tea, or tea flavored with flowers, like rose, jasmine or lavender.

Powdered tea, whether purchased in that form like matcha or ground at home, is perfect for this purpose. You can forego the vanilla and replace with the tea or, if using a strongly flavored tea, keep the vanilla for added flavor.

Experiment with strength when adding to the dough. Start with a teaspoon and increase – or not – to taste. Powdered tea sugar can be made to roll cookies in prior to baking; use ½ teaspoon tea powder to ½ cup sugar for this.

Infuse tea in dairy

Tea can be infused into milk or cream for a variety of applications. Add the tea (there’s no need to grind as whole leaves can be used) to the liquid and slowly heat to just below boiling. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool, then strain before using.

All manner of desserts can be made with tea-infused dairy, from panna cotta to bread pudding to cheesecake.

Sencha, a Japanese steamed green tea with vegetal, grassy notes, can add savory earthiness to a cream sauce, black tea can add unexpected bold flavor to crème brulee, and floral tisanes are lovely in ice cream or whipped cream toppings.

Flavor a stir-fry with tea

Green tea, black tea and ginger tea are popular additions to Asian-inspired stir fry dishes. Brewed tea can be used as a component in a sauce, or dry tea can be added like a spice directly to the pan.

Genmaicha, a Japanese green tea with the addition of puffed rice and corn, can add a nutty, earthy component to stir-fries.

To use, add to the pan first so the leaves and grains have a chance to get toasty; set aside and add back later when things are almost cooked through. For layering of flavors, try serving your stir-fry over rice or another grain cooked in tea.

Add tea to a rub for meat

Strongly flavored black tea leaves can be added to regular rub components like salt, brown sugar, and garlic. It adds a mystery flavor – a sort of “mmmmm, that’s good but what is it?” factor to the meat. Smoky lapsang souchong (a favorite tea of mine) is perfect for this.

Flavor and color pasta with tea

Adding green tea powder to pasta dough gives it a pretty pale green color and an earthy, herbaceous flavor.

Add to noodle soups – whether Asian-inspired or otherwise – or make a green-themed pasta dish with it by adding pesto and green vegetables.

Make tea butter

Add tea to room temperature butter (it needs to be soft and pliable) and mix until well blended. Roll the butter into a log and wrap well with plastic wrap. Store in the fridge (or freeze for long-term storage).

Butter medallions cut from the log can be used to baste meat, flavor vegetables (try adding to veggies when roasting) or to slather on toast.

For those of us who prefer plant-based eating, this can also be done with coconut oil.

Tea-infused butter or coconut oil can be used for cooking, too. (Note that powdered tea will change the color of the butter, while whole leaves will add streaky designs.)

Substitute tea for stock

Tea can be subbed wherever stock is used, such as in soups or stews or for cooking grains.

It was summertime when I taught the culinary class at the tea shop, so I created a cold peach soup using hibiscus tea.

Try rooibos tea with pumpkin soup or barley cooked in green tea. Adding black tea to a mushroom-wild rice soup adds an intensely interesting flavor.

Use tea as a marinade

Tea can be used alone as a marinade or added to other ingredients. I ran across a recipe for a chicken-eggplant stir-fry where the chicken was first marinated in black tea. If other flavors are used in the dish – such as hoisin sauce and soy sauce in this one – it’s important that the tea is strong enough to stand up to them and shine through.

I once tried a recipe for grilled green beans tossed with cocoa nibs – and now I’m envisioning how wonderful the flavor combination of cocoa and tea would be if the beans were marinated with black tea and balsamic vinegar first.

Use tea straight from the bag in place of spice

I made blueberry pancakes this morning, and in hindsight I realize that adding a light floral tea to the batter would have added an interesting complementary flavor.

Mint tea from the bag sprinkled into yogurt can make a quick and easy condiment for Indian or Middle Eastern dishes.

Chai tea would be wonderful sprinkled on roasted butternut squash or into a winter fruit salad.

Use tea as a poaching liquid

This can be used in sweet or savory ways – think pears poached in rooibos or chai tea or green tea poached fish or chicken.

Make simple syrup with tea

Flavorful simple syrup can be made by mixing equal parts brewed tea and sugar and reducing it on the stove to a syrupy consistency. Imagine the delight of lemonade sweetened with ginger tea-infused simple syrup or iced green tea with a fruity tea syrup like peach or raspberry.

A few months back I visited the Calistoga Farmers’ Market and happened upon a booth stacked high with locally made teas by the Napa Valley Tea Co.

I fell in love with their Divinitea, a naturally sweet blend of white and green teas with eight different fruits, making it perfect for this application. I’m looking forward to trying a bubbly tea soda with Divinitea syrup and sparkling water.

Add tea to smoothies

Add liquid or powdered tea to your morning smoothie for added antioxidants and flavor.

As mentioned, below is today’s recipe, a hearty and healthy vegetable stir-fry with tofu as the protein. If preferred, chicken may be substituted. Beef or pork might overshadow the subtle flavor of green tea.

Garlic and Ginger Green Tea Stir Fry

Ingredients:

4 green tea bags, brewed with 4 cups water
1 ½ cups jasmine rice
1 package extra firm tofu
1 yellow or purple onion
1 red pepper
1 carrot
3 stalks broccoli
½ pound mushrooms
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
2 tablespoons brown sugar (honey or agave nectar also work well)
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions:

Prepare vegetables: Dice the onion, slice the pepper into strips, cut the carrot into matchsticks, cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces and slice mushrooms.

Prepare the sauce: Combine ¼ cup of the brewed green tea, soy sauce, vinegar, ¼ cup of the vegetable oil, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl.

Cook the rice according to package directions, substituting three cups of green tea for the water. Add ½ teaspoon salt, if desired.

Cut tofu into bite-sized cubes and heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown tofu cubes on each side and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate.

In the same skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil and add the onions and carrots and cook for two minutes. Add the red pepper, broccoli, and mushrooms and cook, stirring constantly, for an additional five minutes. Vegetables should be barely tender.

Whisk the sauce and pour over vegetables. Add browned tofu to the pan and cook all, stirring constantly, another two to three minutes until vegetables are tender-crisp and the sauce has thickened slightly.

Serve over the green tea-infused jasmine rice. Makes six average or four large servings.

Recipe inspired by Jamie of “Love Bakes Good Cakes” and adapted by Esther Oertel.

Esther Oertel is a writer and passionate home cook from a family of chefs. She grew up in a restaurant, where she began creating recipes from a young age. She’s taught culinary classes in a variety of venues in Lake County and previously wrote “The Veggie Girl” column for Lake County News. Most recently she’s taught culinary classes at Sur La Table in Santa Rosa. She lives in Middletown.
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The chromosphere, photographed during the 1999 total solar eclipse. The red and pink hues – light emitted by hydrogen – earned it the name chromosphere, from the Greek “chrôma” meaning color. Credits: Luc Viatour.

For decades after its discovery, observers could only see the solar chromosphere for a few fleeting moments: during a total solar eclipse, when a bright red glow ringed the Moon’s silhouette.

More than a hundred years later, the chromosphere remains the most mysterious of the Sun’s atmospheric layers. Sandwiched between the bright surface and the ethereal solar corona, the Sun’s outer atmosphere, the chromosphere is a place of rapid change, where temperature rises and magnetic fields begin to dominate the Sun’s behavior.

Now, for the first time, a triad of NASA missions have peered into the chromosphere to return multi-height measurements of its magnetic field. The observations – captured by two satellites and the Chromospheric Layer Spectropolarimeter 2, or CLASP2 mission, aboard a small suborbital rocket – help reveal how magnetic fields on the Sun’s surface give rise to the brilliant eruptions in its outer atmosphere. The paper was published today in Science Advances.

A major goal of heliophysics – the science of the Sun’s influence on space, including planetary atmospheres – is to predict space weather, which often begins on the Sun but can rapidly spread through space to cause disruptions near Earth.

Driving these solar eruptions is the Sun’s magnetic field, the invisible lines of force stretching from the solar surface to space well past Earth. This magnetic field is difficult to see – it can only be observed indirectly, by light from the plasma, or super-heated gas, that traces out its lines like car headlights traveling a distant highway. Yet how those magnetic lines arrange themselves – whether slack and straight or tight and tangled – makes all the difference between a quiet Sun and a solar eruption.

“The Sun is both beautiful and mysterious, with constant activity triggered by its magnetic fields,” said Ryohko Ishikawa, solar physicist at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan in Tokyo and lead author of the paper.

Ideally, researchers could read out the magnetic field lines in the corona, where solar eruptions take place, but the plasma is way too sparse for accurate readings. (The corona is far less than a billionth as dense as air at sea level.)

Instead, scientists measure the more densely packed photosphere – the Sun’s visible surface – two layers below. They then use mathematical models to propagate that field upwards into the corona. This approach skips measuring the chromosphere, which lies between the two, instead, hoping to simulate its behavior.

Unfortunately the chromosphere has turned out to be a wildcard, where magnetic field lines rearrange in ways that are hard to anticipate. The models struggle to capture this complexity.

“The chromosphere is a hot, hot mess,” said Laurel Rachmeler, former NASA project scientist for CLASP2, now at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. “We make simplifying assumptions of the physics in the photosphere, and separate assumptions in the corona. But in the chromosphere, most of those assumptions break down.”

Institutions in the U.S., Japan, Spain and France worked together to develop a novel approach to measure the chromosphere’s magnetic field despite its messiness. Modifying an instrument that flew in 2015, they mounted their solar observatory on a sounding rocket, so named for the nautical term “to sound” meaning to measure. Sounding rockets launch into space for brief, few-minute observations before falling back to Earth. More affordable and quicker to build and fly than larger satellite missions, they’re also an ideal stage to test out new ideas and innovative techniques.

Launching from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the rocket shot to an altitude of 170 miles for a view of the Sun from above Earth’s atmosphere, which otherwise blocks certain wavelengths of light. They set their sights on a plage, the edge of an “active region” on the Sun where the magnetic field strength was strong, ideal for their sensors.

As CLASP2 peered at the Sun, NASA’s Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph or IRIS and the JAXA/NASA Hinode satellite, both watching the Sun from Earth orbit, adjusted their telescopes to look at the same location. In coordination, the three missions focused on the same part of the Sun, but peered to different depths.

Hinode focused on the photosphere, looking for spectral lines from neutral iron formed there. CLASP2 targeted three different heights within the chromosphere, locking onto spectral lines from ionized magnesium and manganese. Meanwhile, IRIS measured the magnesium lines in higher resolution, to calibrate the CLASP2 data. Together, the missions monitored four different layers within and surrounding the chromosphere.

Eventually the results were in: The first multi-height map of the chromosphere’s magnetic field.

“When Ryohko first showed me these results, I just couldn't stay in my seat,” said David McKenzie, CLASP2 principal investigator at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “I know it sounds esoteric – but you've just showed the magnetic field at four heights at the same time. Nobody does that!”

The most striking aspect of the data was just how varied the chromosphere turned out to be. Both along the portion of the Sun they studied and at different heights within it, the magnetic field varied significantly.

“At the Sun’s surface we see magnetic fields changing over short distances; higher up those variations are much more smeared out. In some places, the magnetic field didn't reach all the way up to the highest point we measured whereas in other places, it was still at full strength.”

The team hopes to use this technique for multi-height magnetic measurements to map the entire chromosphere’s magnetic field. Not only would this help with our ability to predict space weather, it will tell us key information about the atmosphere around our star.

“I'm a coronal physicist – I'm really interested in the magnetic fields up there,” Rachmeler said. “Being able to raise our measurement boundary to the top of the chromosphere would help us understand so much more, help us predict so much more – it would be a huge step forward in solar physics.”

They’ll have a chance to take that step forward soon: A re-flight of the mission was just greenlit by NASA. Though the launch date isn’t yet set, the team plans to use the same instrument but with a new technique to measure a much broader swath of the Sun.

“Instead of just measuring the magnetic fields along the very narrow strip, we want to scan it across the target and make a two-dimensional map,” McKenzie said.

Measuring magnetic fields

To measure magnetic field strength, the team took advantage of the Zeeman effect, a century-old technique. (The first application of the Zeeman effect to the Sun, by astronomer George Ellery Hale in 1908, is how we learned that the Sun was magnetic.) The Zeeman effect refers to the fact that spectral lines, in the presence of strong magnetic fields, splinter into multiples. The farther apart they split, the stronger the magnetic field.

The chaotic chromosphere, however, tends to “smear” spectral lines, making it difficult to tell just how far apart they split – that’s why previous missions had trouble measuring it. CLASP2’s novelty was in working around this limitation by measuring “circular polarization,” a subtle shift in the light’s orientation that happens as part of the Zeeman effect.

By carefully measuring the degree of circular polarization, the CLASP2 team could discern how far apart those smeared lines must have split, and thereby how strong the magnetic field was.

Miles Hatfield works for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
The chromosphere lies between the photosphere, or bright surface of the Sun that emits visible light, and the super-heated corona, or outer atmosphere of the Sun at the source of solar eruptions. The chromosphere is a key link between these two regions and a missing variable determining the Sun’s magnetic structure. Credits: Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
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California Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Friday announced the sentencing of Alex Morales III, a former California Department of Transportation employee who received payment in exchange for awarding contracts for projects that required some form of Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.

Morales pleaded guilty in December to two counts of felony bribery and was sentenced on Friday to four years in prison, which is suspended pending successful completion of a two-year probation term.

The terms of probation include one year of home detention with electronic monitoring and monthly $500 restitution payments to Caltrans.

Morales will also forfeit any CalPERS benefits he accrued between August 2010 and January 2015, when the crimes were committed.

“When you violate the public’s trust, you will be held accountable,” said Becerra. “As public servants, we are held to a higher standard. There is no place for this kind of criminal behavior in our state or state government. At the California Department of Justice, we’re always ready to go to bat for the people of California.”

Morales was employed as an Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, coordinator for Caltrans, a role which involves making Caltrans systems, including bridges and public walkways, ADA compliant.

The California Department of Justice arrested Morales in 2015 after a nine-month investigation. Following a preliminary hearing in 2017, a judge held Morales to answer on 39 counts of bribery.

At trial in 2019, the jury acquitted Morales on two counts and deadlocked on the remaining counts.

A new trial was scheduled for 2021, but Morales pleaded guilty in December 2020 to accepting multiple bribes over the course of approximately five years.

The bribes were made in cash payments ranging from $1,875 to $12,000 and included the acceptance of a new white Ford Expedition.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – During its meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 23, the Lake County Board of Supervisors will read a Proclamation, “Promoting Tolerance, Respect, Equity and Inclusion in Lake County.”

The proclamation is timed for 11 a.m.

The presentation will be broadcast live on the county of Lake’s YouTube and Facebook channels.

Members of the public interested in commenting on this item are encouraged to participate via Zoom. The link and other details are available at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx.

Tuesday’s proclamation was proposed as one of numerous actions in response to the widely publicized and horrific deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020.

An effort to form a local response self-organized into a group called A Community Call to Action: A loving response to systemic racism in America, or CCA. The group met monthly and meetings included a series of guest speakers, prioritization of areas for response and learning more about efforts in other communities across the nation.

The final proclamation is the result of a collaborative effort that began with a survey of CCA participants. The language was then refined through feedback from various community members, including members of the Board of Supervisors and county staff.

This historic proclamation notes in part: the duties, protections and laws of varying levels of government; the acknowledgment that protections are not afforded everyone equally; and a declaration that now is the time to answer these calls of reckoning together as a community.

Also included in the proclamation is an action commitment by the Board of Supervisors to host a community visioning session with the intention of developing recommendations for various related issues, including: meaningful actions and activities that foster tolerance, respect, equity and inclusion; and directing resources toward underlying causes and conditions that lead to inequitable distribution of resources and carriage of justice.

“Each one of us can contribute to ushering in the tolerant, respectful, equitable and inclusive Lake County we wish to see,” said District 4 Supervisor Tina Scott. “Showing up, and voicing your support for Tuesday’s proclamation is a great way to start.”
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Cache Creek Canyon in Northern California. Photo by Dr. Glen Holstein.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – In the early 20th century, grand theories like relativity and quantum mechanics triumphed and came to define science so much that plant ecology felt it needed one of its own to be taken seriously as science.

Frederic Clements helpfully provided one.

His monoclimax theory claimed all vegetation in a climate zone converged to a particular kind called the climatic climax. It seemed to make sense because in its natural state eastern North America it was largely covered by forests from Quebec to Florida and from the Atlantic to eastern Oklahoma.

In the theory, exceptions like abandoned farms, wetlands and rock outcrops were constantly pushed by succession to be covered by forest as well: the region’s climatic climax.

Further west, in a drier climate, a band of nearly treeless grassland that extended from Canada south well into Mexico was the site of dramatic history as cattle were driven north through it from Texas to railroads in Kansas, and eventually to new pastures in Montana as described in “Lonesome Dove.”

Much of what we know as the wild west took place there in the single 1870’s decade from Wyatt Earp’s taming Dodge City to Custer’s defeat at the Little Big Horn. It’s climatic monoclimax, of course, was grassland.

When Clements saw California’s Central Valley, its plains reminded him so much of those in his Nebraska home state, he concluded it must have the same climate.

Consequently, in his climatic climax map, that valley is colored the same yellow as the great plains. And since his theory demanded the same plants in the same climate, he found a few bunch grasses in California related to those in Nebraska and declared them the valley’s original vegetation his theory demanded; even though John Muir 50 years earlier found the still largely undisturbed valley covered with spring and fall wildflowers and very little grass. Despite that, Clements’ bunch grass theory was widely and dogmatically believed until quite recently.

Another plant ecologist W. S. Cooper knew the Central Valley’s climate was nothing like Nebraska but still believed fervently in monoclimaxes. He decided California’s unique climate deserved its own unique climax vegetation and found it in uniquely Californian chaparral shrublands.

Carrizo Plain. Photo by Dr. Glen Holstein.

And good theorist that he was, Cooper believed chaparral had to be the monoclimax that covered all of California’s distinctive climate zone including the Central Valley, even though no one who had actually been there had ever found anything like that.

But despite scant evidence for Clements’ conclusion about central California and none for Cooper’s, both had their advocates in academic plant ecology throughout the twentieth century since it often practiced what jurists call stare decisis, standing by what’s decided.

Monoclimax was never accepted much in Europe or the rest of the world outside the United States and for good reason. For one, climate is among the least stable of environmental features; hardly one likely to drag vegetation on more stable things like rocks to a monoclimax.

Still, it was significant 50 years ago at UC Davis when a young and soon to be great plant ecology professor Mike Barbour, who tragically passed away late last year, chose the text An Island Called California by an observant amateur Elna Bakker for his classes rather than one by an academic.

Unobstructed by stare decisis Bakker described a previously unnoticed elephant in the room: California has no single “monoclimax” but is a mosaic of many kinds of vegetation that shifts across landscapes as environmental conditions change.

The reason for this mosaic is quite simple but little discussed or noticed. In California’s Mediterranean type climate rain falls when it’s too cold for much plant growth so water is stored underground for a few months until temperatures warm.

Those months cause underground conditions to be much more important here than east of the Rockies, where monoclimax theory was invented and rain falls when plants are ready to grow.

The greater dependence of vegetation in California on its diverse soils and geology during the months they store water increases its botanical diversity and may even increase its resilience to climate change.

This tale is dedicated to Dr. Michael Barbour, friend and mentor who will be remembered always.

Dr. Glen Holstein is a retired senior scientist from Zentner and Zentner, a Northern California biological consulting company and the Chapter Botanist for the Sacramento Valley Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. He is also on the Board of Tuleyome, a Woodland based nonprofit conservation organization.
The hills in Solano County, California, in May. Photo by Dr. Glen Holstein.
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Dennis‌ ‌Fordham.‌ ‌Courtesy‌ ‌photo.‌ ‌

Married clients in second marriages with prior children often have to balance the future wellbeing of their spouse with that of their own children.

In California, a community property state, a resident can bequeath (leave) one-hundred percent of their separate property assets and one-half of their community property assets.

A resident may only bequeath the entirety of a community property asset to someone other than their spouse with their spouse’s consent or acquiescence.

Let’s discuss.

First, does the client’s spouse even need support? Sometimes not. If not, then the client usually leaves his or separate property assets directly to his or her own children.

Nonetheless, as the surviving spouse remains an heir of the client, the client’s will and/or trust must acknowledge the marriage and say that that the spouse is not inheriting.

Otherwise, the surviving spouse as heir may be entitled either to a one-half or one-third share in the decedent’s separate property and all of the couple’s community property assets.

The surviving spouse would inherit if the client died intestate (with no will or trust) or the client died with an old trust or will she signed prior to the marriage that omitted her spouse.

If the spouse needs support then then consider the assets and family relationships involved. Are the client’s assets her separate property either from prior to marriage or from inheritance while married? Do the client’s spouse and children get along? Are the spouse and client’s children close in age? Is it possible for the beneficiaries to inherit separate assets?

If the client's spouse and children often disagree and/or are close in age, and separate assets can go to each party, then perhaps they should inherit separate assets outright and part ways.

Otherwise entanglement occurs when the spouse is the lifetime beneficiary and children are death beneficiaries of a trust. Perhaps the client’s house goes to her children and her retirement plan goes to her spouse (who takes required minimum distributions over his lifetime).

If it is neither possible nor necessary to disentangle the spouse and children then consider making the spouse a lifetime beneficiary of a trust that owns some or all of the client’s assets. Such a trust requires careful drafting.

When and to what extent is the spouse allowed to invade the trust principal (in addition to receiving the income)? Is the spouse only allowed if the spouse’s own income and resources are first exhausted? Who will be the trustee that balances the competing interests of the spouse and children?

Next, do the children need support? If so, what support? Do the children receive SSI or Medi-Cal? Are the children able to manage an outright inheritance? Perhaps either a special needs or a support trust is needed and appropriate. Alternatively, consider delayed gifting using an annuity to prolong the benefits.

Next, what if the client wants to leave her home to her children but the community property estate has an interest in the residence? That is, perhaps community property money was used to pay down the mortgage.

For example, the client owned a home prior to marriage and continued paying off the mortgage with her own earnings while married. If so, the community property estate receives an ownership interest in the home to the extent either spouse’s earnings while married paid off the mortgage or improved the home.

Nevertheless, the client’s estate plan may still leave the home to her children but offsetting assets (like brokerage accounts) to compensate the spouse for his interest in the home. This is a “forced election”: Either the surviving spouse enforces their community property rights (in the home) or the spouse receives other assets (brokerage accounts) left him or her by the deceased spouse.

The foregoing is a brief and limited foray into a much broader and more complex subject. It is no substitute for consulting a competent estate planning attorney.

Dennis A. Fordham, attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, Calif. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and 707-263-3235.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has five dogs waiting to be adopted this week.

Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of border collie, pit bull and Rottweiler.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).

Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm for information on visiting or adopting.

“Jack” is a young male Rottweiler mix in kennel No. 22, ID No. 14328. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Jack’

“Jack” is a young male Rottweiler mix.

He has a short red and black coat and a docked tail.

He is in kennel No. 22, ID No. 14328.

This male border collie mix is in kennel No. 25, ID No. 14355. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Border collie mix

This male border collie mix has a medium-length black coat with white markings.

He is in kennel No. 25, ID No. 14355.

This male pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 26, ID No. 14339. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Male pit bull terrier

This male pit bull terrier has a short brindle and white coat.

He is in kennel No. 26, ID No. 14339.

“Sargent Chunk” is a young male Rottweiler in kennel No. 28, ID No. 14303. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Sargent Chunk’

“Sargent Chunk” is a young male Rottweiler with a short red and black coat.

He is in kennel No. 28, ID No. 14303.

This male pit bull terrier mix is in kennel No. 30, ID No. 14338. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Male pit bull terrier

This male pit bull terrier mix has a short black and white coat.

He is in kennel No. 30, ID No. 14338.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As local case rates appear to be going down, Lake County Public Health reported that severe weather in the Eastern United States continues to delay shipments of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Lake County.

Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace said that as of Thursday afternoon, the state reported most orders of Moderna vaccine placed “since mid to late last week [had] not yet shipped.”

This is due to severe weather disrupting work at a key distribution hub. A “back log of orders,” has resulted, “that will need to get out once weather conditions improve,” officials reported.

Pace said most shipments are expected to arrive next week.

He said the county had used up the last of its vaccine supply by Friday afternoon, after completing the second doses administered this week.

Until the county receives a shipment, Pace said all further clinics will be cancelled.

Once the vaccine arrives, the county will set up the next clinics as soon as possible, and post links for appointment scheduling at http://health.co.lake.ca.us/Coronavirus/Vaccines.htm. If you, or someone connected to you, is eligible to be vaccinated, Pace said to visit this webpage often to see if appointments are available. Information on who is eligible is also posted there.

“Once we receive our shipments of vaccine, we are anticipating ramping up our numbers significantly, so we can get back on track,” Pace said.

While the issues with the vaccine rollout continues, Pace said there continue to be positive signs new COVID-19 infections are diminishing in Lake County.

But he cautioned, “It is important to remember, though, COVID-19 remains widespread in Lake County’s communities, and many of our friends and neighbors are highly vulnerable to severe complications. In just the past week, four Lake County residents have died of COVID-related illness, bringing our total to 40. Each of these is a tragic reminder we must remain vigilant to continue recent positive trends, and keep our communities safe.”

Pace said the county’s testing positivity rate is 6.9 percent. “In the last fully reported period, ending Jan. 31, we documented 88 new infections. This is remarkably down from our peak of 292, in the weekly period ending Jan. 3.”

Lake County’s daily case rate now sits at 20 per 100,000. Pace said the county’s data must meet all criteria for the red tier – with a daily case rate from 4.0 to 7.0 per 100,000 and testing positivity of 8 percent or lower – for two consecutive weeks prior to advancing to the less restrictive red tier. That would enable reintroduction of some business services, including limited indoor dining at restaurants.

“Considering recent trends, this can be achievable in the relatively near-term,” said Pace.


Actualización de COVID-19: Continúan las demoras en el envío de la vacuna Moderna debido al clima severo

Para obtener información sobre vacunas, visite http://health.co.lake.ca.us/Coronavirus/Vaccines.htm

Condado de Lake, CA (Febrero 19, 2021) - Sigue habiendo señales positivas de que las nuevas infecciones por COVID-19 están disminuyendo en el condado de Lake. Nuestra tasa de positividad de las pruebas es del 6,9%. En el último período informado en su totalidad, que finalizó el 31 de enero, documentamos 88 nuevas infecciones. Esto está notablemente por debajo de nuestro pico de 292, en el período semanal que finalizó el 3 de enero.

La tasa diaria de casos del condado de Lake ahora se sitúa en 20 / 100.000. Nuestros datos deben cumplir con todos los criterios para el nivel rojo (tasa diaria de casos de 4.0 a 7.0 / 100,000 Y prueba de positividad del 8% o menos) durante dos semanas consecutivas antes de avanzar al nivel rojo menos restrictivo. Eso permitiría la reintroducción de algunos servicios comerciales, incluido el comedor interior limitado en los restaurantes. Teniendo en cuenta las tendencias recientes, esto se puede lograr en un plazo relativamente cercano.

Sin embargo, es importante recordar que COVID-19 sigue estando muy extendido en las comunidades del condado de Lake y muchos de nuestros amigos y vecinos son muy vulnerables a complicaciones graves. En la última semana, 4 residentes del condado de Lake han muerto de enfermedades relacionadas con COVID, lo que eleva nuestro total a 40. Cada uno de estos es un recordatorio trágico de que debemos permanecer alerta para continuar las tendencias positivas recientes y mantener seguras nuestras comunidades.

Actualización de distribución de vacunas

Hasta ayer por la tarde, el Estado informó que la mayoría de los pedidos de la vacuna Moderna realizados "desde mediados o finales de la semana pasada aún no se habían enviado". Esto se debe al clima severo que interrumpe el trabajo en un centro de distribución clave. Un "registro de pedidos atrasados", ha resultado, "que deberán salir una vez que mejoren las condiciones climáticas". Se espera que la mayoría de los envíos lleguen la próxima semana.

Habremos agotado lo último de nuestro suministro de vacunas para el viernes por la tarde, después de completar las segundas dosis administradas esta semana.

Hasta que recibamos un envío, todas las clínicas adicionales serán canceladas. Una vez que llegue la vacuna, estableceremos las próximas clínicas lo antes posible y publicaremos enlaces para registrar citas en http://health.co.lake.ca.us/Coronavirus/Vaccines.htm. Si usted o alguien relacionado con usted es elegible para vacunarse, visite esta página web con frecuencia para ver si hay citas disponibles. La información sobre quién es elegible también se publica allí.

Una vez que recibamos nuestros envíos de vacunas, estamos anticipando un aumento significativo en nuestros números, para que podamos volver a encarrilarnos. ¡Estamos listos!
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The Perseverance Rover’s first image sent back to NASA from Mars shows the surface of the Jezero crater. NASA/JPL

Editor’s note: On Feb. 18, NASA’s Mars 2020 mission arrived at the red planet and successfully landed the Perseverance Rover on the surface. Jim Bell is a professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University and has worked on a number of Mars missions. He is the primary investigator leading a team in charge of one of the camera systems on Perseverance. We spoke with him in late January for The Conversation’s new podcast, The Conversation Weekly.

Below are excerpts from our conversation that have been edited for length and clarity.

What’s the goal of this mission?

What we’re looking for is evidence of past life, either direct chemical or organic signs in the composition and the chemistry of rocks, or textural evidence in the rock record. The environment of Mars is extremely harsh compared to the Earth, so we’re not really looking for evidence of current life. Unless something actually gets up and walks in front of the cameras, we’re really not going to find that.

A topographic, top down photo with colors showing the ancient river delta in the Jezero Crater
This color–enhanced photo shows the ancient river delta in the Jezero Crater where Perseverance will look for signs of life. NASA/JPL/JHU-APL/MSSS/Brown University


Where is the Perseverance Rover landing to look for ancient life?

There was a three- or four-year process that involved the entire global community of Mars and planetary science researchers to figure out where to send this rover. We chose a crater called Jezero. Jezero has a beautiful river delta in it, preserved from an ancient river that flowed down into that crater and deposited sediments. This is kind of like the delta at the end of the Mississippi River in Louisiana which is depositing sediments very gently into the Gulf of Mexico.

On Earth, this shallow water is a very gentle environment where organic molecules and fossils can actually be gently buried and preserved in very fine-grained mudstones. If a Martian delta operates the same way, then it’s a great environment for preserving evidence of things that were flowing in that water that came from the ancient highlands above the crater.

There’s lots of things we don’t know, but there was liquid water there. There were heat sources – there were active volcanoes 2, 3, 4 billion years ago on Mars – and there are impact craters from asteroids and comets dumping lots of heat into the ground as well as organic molecules. It’s a very short list of places in the solar system that meet those constraints, and Jezero is one of those places. It’s one of the best places that we think to go to do this search for life.

The Perseverance Rover in a NASA lab on earth.
The Perseverance Rover is 90% spare parts from the Curiosity Rover but has a few new tools on board. NASA/JPL-Caltech


What scientific tools is Perseverance carrying?

The Perseverance Rover looks a lot like Curiosity on the outside because it’s made from something like 90% spare parts from Curiosity – that’s how NASA could afford this mission. Curiosity has a pair of cameras – one wide angle, one telephoto.

The Mastcam-Z cameras side by side. They are cylindrical, copper colored tubes with square lenses.
The Mastcam-Z includes two cameras with zoom lenses allowing researchers to create three-dimensional images of the Martian landscape. MSSS/ASU

In Perseverance, we’re sending similar cameras, but with zoom technology so we can zoom from wide angle to telephoto with both cameras – the “Z” in Mastcam-Z stands for zoom. This allows us to get great stereo images. Just like our left eye and our right eye build a three-dimensional image in our brain, the zoom cameras on Perserverance are a left eye and a right eye. With this, we can build a three-dimensional image back on Earth when we get those images.

3D images allow us to do a whole range of things scientifically. We want to understand the topography of Mars in much more detail than we’ve been able to in the past. We want to put the pieces of the delta geology story together not just with two-dimensional, spatial information, but with height as well as texture. And we want to make 3D maps of the landing site.

Our engineering and driving colleagues really need that information too. These 3D images will help them decide where to drive by helping to identify obstacles and slopes and trenches and rocks and stuff like that, allowing them to drive the rover much deeper into places than they would have been able to otherwise.

And finally, we’re going to make really cool 3D views of our landing site to share with the public, including movies and flyovers.

A diagram showing the sample collection tubes which are made from titanium and include a sealing mechanism.
The sample tubes are specially built to store the rock and soil cores for future pickup. NASA/JPL-Caltech


What else is different about this mission?

Perseverance is intended to be the first part of a robotic sample return mission from Mars. So instead of just drilling into the surface like the Curiosity Rover does, Perseverance will drill and core into the surface and cache those little cores into tubes about the size of a dry-erase marker. It will then put those tubes onto the surface for a future mission later this decade to pick up and then bring back to the Earth.

Perseverance won’t come back to the Earth, but the plan is to bring the samples that we collect back.

In the meantime, we’ll be doing all of the science that any great rover mission would do. We are going to characterize the site, explore the geology and measure the atmospheric and weather properties.

[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.]

How will you get those samples back to Earth?

This is where it gets a little less certain, because these are all ideas and missions in the works. NASA and the European Space Agency are collaborating on a concept to build and launch a lander that will send a little fetch rover that goes and gets the little tubes, picks them up and brings them back to the lander. Waiting on the lander would be a small rocket called a Mars Ascent Vehicle, or MAV. Once the samples are loaded into the MAV, it launches them into Mars orbit.

Then you’ve got this grapefruit- to soccer-ball-sized canister up there, and NASA and the Europeans are collaborating on an orbiter that will search for that canister, capture it and then rocket it back to the Earth, where it will land in the Utah desert. What could possibly go wrong?

If successful, that’ll be the first time we’ve done that from Mars. The scientific tools on the rovers are good, but nothing like the labs back on Earth. Bringing those samples back is going to be absolutely critical to getting the most out of the samples.

This is an updated version of an article originally published on Feb. 4. The editor’s note was updated to reflect the successful landing of the Perseverance Rover on Mars.The Conversation

Jim Bell, Professor of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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