NASA is launching a spacecraft to visit an asteroid … and return to tell the tale.

OSIRIS-Rex is scheduled to blast off from Cape Canaveral on Sept. 8, 2016, on a mission to orbit, map and collect samples from the asteroid Bennu, and return to Earth seven years later.

Discovered in 1999 by the NASA-funded LINEAR asteroid survey, Bennu measures about 1650 feet across and weighs over 60 million tons. Imagine a boulder the height of the Empire State Building – that’s about the size of Bennu.

So, why Bennu? Because the asteroid is interesting due to its size and composition, and it is accessible to be sampled.

Bennu is a primitive and carbon-rich asteroid. Primitive asteroids contain material that has not changed significantly since they formed over 4.5 billion years ago.

The analysis of any organic material found on Bennu will give scientists an inventory of the materials present at the beginning of the solar system that may have had a role in the origin of life on earth, and potentially elsewhere.

Indeed, Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona, Principal Investigator on the OSIRIS-Rex mission said mapping and sampling the space rock “can potentially hold answers to the most fundamental questions human beings ask, like 'Where do we come from?'”

To get to Bennu, OSIRIS-Rex will perform a series of deep space maneuvers, first orbiting the sun for a year and then using Earth’s gravity to be slung towards Bennu.

The spacecraft will spend a year flying in close proximity to Bennu – its five instruments imaging the asteroid, documenting its lumpy shape, and surveying its chemical and physical properties.

In July 2020, OSIRIS-Rex will approach Bennu and execute its touch-and-go – or TAG – maneuver.

A mechanical arm that functions like a combination sample scoop and pogo stick will be extended from the spacecraft.

The spacecraft will slowly approach the asteroid until the sample head at the end of the arm gives a gentle “high five” to the surface.

The maneuver may be executed up to three times, and OSIRIS-Rex could leave Bennu with up to 4.4 pounds of sample material from the asteroid.

Researchers will be keen to learn about Bennu for another reason, too. Bennu orbits the sun between Venus and Mars so it crosses Earth's orbit frequently and comes close to Earth every six years.

In 2135, Bennu will make an especially close approach to Earth, just within the Moon’s orbit. This will change Bennu’s orbit, and it is more difficult to predict how much closer it may come to the Earth after that close encounter.

Lauretta said, “We need to learn as much as about Bennu as we can.”

Predicting a small asteroid like Bennu’s exact course is somewhat tricky, due to the Yarkovsky effect.

The dark asteroid absorbs sunlight and then gives it off as heat, which serves as a gentle thruster that gradually shifts its path.

Edward Beshore of the University of Arizona, Deputy Principal Investigator for OSIRIS-Rex said, “We'll get accurate measurements of the Yarkovsky effect on Bennu by precisely tracking OSIRIS-Rex as it orbits the asteroid.”

If all goes as planned, OSIRIS-Rex will fire its main engines in March 2021 and begin its journey back to Earth.

The samples will arrive in September 2023, when a capsule containing bits of Bennu will land at the Utah Test and Training Range.

From there, the capsule and its precious contents will travel to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where hands-on analysis of this ancient asteroid will begin by mission scientists and then by scientists from all over the world.

For updates on the mission to Bennu and back, go to www.asteroidmission.org .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has a number of big dogs – including friendly Labs – and smaller dogs this week who want to go to new homes.

This week's available dogs include mixes of boxer, dachshund, Doberman, husky, Labrador Retriever, Rottweiler, pit bull and terrier.

There also are several strays picked up from the Clayton fire area that are being held for 30 days in order to reunite them with their families.

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.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.

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”).

Male pit bull terrier mix

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

He's in kennel No. 5, ID No. 5997.

'Raider'

“Raider” is a male pit bull terrier mix.

He has a short black coat with white markings, and cropped ears.

He's in kennel No. 6, ID No. 5995.

Male husky mix

This tall, lanky male husky mix with a medium-length a tan and white coat, and brown eyes. He already has been neutered.

He's in kennel No. 8, ID No. 5923.

'Athena'

“Athena” is a female Doberman Pinscher with a short black and red coat.

She is in kennel No. 10, ID No. 5976.

Senior Labrador Retriever

This senior male Labrador Retriever mix is looking for a home where he can spend the rest of his days with love and comfort.

He's a very friendly fellow with a a short chocolate coat and some white markings.

He's in kennel No. 11, ID No. 6051.

Labrador Retriever mix

This male Labrador Retriever mix has a short black coat.

Shelter staff said he already has been neutered.

He's in kennel No. 14, ID No. 5948.

Chocolate Labrador Retriever

This male Labrador Retriever mix has a short chocolate-colored coat.

He already has been neutered.

Shelter staff said he has a lovely temperament and would make a great addition to the right home.

He is relaxed around cats and has no issues with food guarding, and has played well with the dogs – both male and female – that he's met at the shelter. “He seems to have a calming effect on other dogs,” shelter staff said.

He's in kennel No. 17, ID No. 5964.

Labrador Retriever mix pup

This young male Labrador Retriever mix has a short black coat with white markings.

He's in kennel No. 22, ID No. 6027.

Rottweiler mix

This female Rottweiler mix has a black coat with some brindle markings.

Shelter staff said she need some training and is manageable on a leash. They said she is a very nice dog and knows not to jump when excited. After proper introductions, she has gotten along with other dogs she has met, including off-leash play. She would do best in a home with no cats.

She's in kennel No. 25, ID No. 5947.

Boxer mix

This male boxer mix has a short brown brindle coat.

He is in kennel No. 29, ID No. 5949.

Female terrier-dachshund mix

This female terrier-dachshund mix is about 6 months old.

She has a medium-length brown and black coat, and floppy ears.

She's in kennel No. 32, ID No. 6037.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

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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LOWER LAKE, Calif. – When the Clayton fire tore through Lower Lake last month, it destroyed homes and businesses in a county already staggered by wildland fires.

After the firestorm had passed, one of the casualties of the fire was Habitat for Humanity Lake County's office on Main Street in downtown Lower Lake.

While the building was gutted, the organization's mission is still standing strong. It's relocated to new headquarters in Clearlake and is moving ahead with its plans to build new homes for wildland fire survivors while, at the same time, continuing its longtime mission of serving low-income Lake County families who need quality housing.

“We're in pretty good shape,” said Habitat for Humanity Lake County President Richard Birk. “Luckily, we found an office very quickly.”

The organization had rented its previous building, and now has moved to a new rental at 15312 Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake, behind Foods, Etc. and owned also by the supermarket's owner, Dennis Darling, according to Birk.

“We're probably going to be here for quite some time,” Birk said.

Along with getting a new office, Birk said Habitat has received assistance in furnishing it.

Westamerica Bank donated furniture and computers to Habitat from a Central Valley bank it had just purchased, he said.

“We're here and ready to serve people,” said Birk.

Most of the group's records were kept in the Internet cloud, but some more recent paperwork was lost in the fire, Birk said.

As a result, he asked that anyone who had come into the office to apply for Habitat programs in the six weeks before the fire contact the new office to make sure that they have the information on file.

On Aug. 11, just two days before the Clayton fire began, Habitat for Humanity broke ground on its 20th home in Lake County.

The groundbreaking at the home site in Clearlake where the Pantoja family's new home will be built included a blessing of the ground conducted by Pastor Father Bernard D'Sa of Queen of Peace Catholic Church.

Birk said that the property was in the Clayton fire evacuation area. Now, however, work is moving forward on the project, he said.

Beyond that, the organization has many other projects on its plate, including working to finalize a Rocky fire home replacement – in the form of a modular home to be installed in the Double Eagle Ranch subdivision east of Clearlake Oaks – plus plans to assist survivors of the Valley fire and now the Clayton fire, according to Birk.

Birk said Habitat for Humanity has a “long list” of Clayton fire families it plans to help.

Days after the fire, Habitat for Humanity joined the Clayton fire's Local Assistance Center in Lower Lake, where it began gathering information on families in need, Birk said.

He said Habitat also is still gathering information and applications from families impacted by the Valley fire.

Birk said Habitat has purchased a home in Clearlake has is being rehabilitated for a Valley fire survivor.

The group also is picking up donated lots in the Cobb area. Birk said they have title on two lots and may be getting another three, all of which can be used for new homes.

Habitat continues to get donations from individuals and organizations. Birk said Walmart also donated $25,000 to Habitat a few months ago.

In addition, Birk has Habitat has continued to receive support for its veterans assistance program from the Home Depot Foundation.

Since 2014, the foundation has given Habitat from $150,000 to $200,000 annually for that veterans program, with the repairs needed to be finished within a year, he said.

Birk said Habitat also is continuing its general home repair program for low-income community members.

There also have been donations particularly now in response to the Clayton fire, he said.

In August, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. gave Habitat for Humanity Lake County $25,000 to help with rebuild the local office, as Lake County News has reported.

For those wanting to help, donations may be made via PayPal at www.lakehabitat.org ; contact Savings Bank of Mendocino at 707-462-6613; or send a check to Habitat for Humanity at P.O. Box 1830, Lower Lake, CA 95457. 

Besides donations of money, Birk said Habitat continues to need volunteers to help with construction at work sites. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 707-994-1100, and follow Habitat for Humanity of Lake County on Facebook.

For those who want to apply for assistance, contact the organization through the email or phone number above.

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.

“As in nature, as in art, so in grace; it is rough treatment that gives souls, as well as stones, their luster.” – Thomas Guthrie

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – I have been blessed to live in Lake County for more than 40 years.

Like others who live here, I am drawn to the myriad of nuances in the landscape.

The light in Lake County has always been conducive to viewing life and nature in new ways each time you look.

It is a land of opposites, with the light and dark of shadow-play off the mountains: the Mayacamas, Cobb Mountain or Mount St. Helena.

The polarities of our seasons – fall and spring, the contrast of the rainy season to dry times, all serve to enhance this feeling of the energy in Lake County's lands.

Without Lake County's lush cloak of conifers, oaks, madrone and manzanita our relationship to the landscape is altered forever.

The waters of Lake County, be they streams, lakes or springs, still meet a psychological or metaphorical need for the language of the land.

The emergent boulders, stones, crags and crevices which have made themselves known – along with new plant growth, after the fires – all have brought about a new kind of awareness of a different kind of beauty.

The landscape, with its clouds, light and shadow, reflect new images of Lake County. We tentatively feel the pulse of this new landscape.

We are aware of new elements in this altered, austere land. We grieve for the devastating loss of homes, belongings and cherished lifetime memories which were lost in the flames. We mourn the loss of the staggeringly beautiful forests and rich habitat.

But, also like so many others, we hold hope for a bright, albeit different future of our close-knit communities.

Registered Professional Forester Greg Giusti answered some questions relating to the effects of the Valley fire of September 2015.

I asked, “Do you know how many trees have been sent to logging mills, and where the mills are located?”

Giusti replied, “ Logs have been harvested from both public (Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest) and private lands. The logging is not yet complete so we won’t have a final count until sometime next year after the Board of Equalization puts out a report. But at the height of the logging (June through July) Boggs Mountain alone was shipping 100 log trucks per day. They expect to remove between 45 to 50 million board feet of timber. Boggs is sending their logs to Mendocino Forest Products (Ukiah), Sierra Pacific Industries (Lincoln) and Collin’s Pine (Chester). Most of the private logs are being exported to China.”

When I inquired if the logging process, i.e., taking down the damaged trees is nearly complete, Giusti answered, “It’s winding down but there are still several trucks a day coming off of Boggs. However, there are thousands of acres that are not being logged across the fire area. I think we will see trees being cut for several years to come. By next year the standing trees will have little economic value so those that are not harvested this summer will probably not be merchantable. But cutting trees will continue to minimize liabilities and hazards.”

I asked him how many trees he believed Lake County lost in the Valley fire. Giusti replied, “Million!! A very conservative estimate of 100 trees per acre times 70,000 acres is seven million trees. I’m sure that number is woefully low. That’s just conifers, as many of the oaks, maples and other hardwoods were top-killed, but the organism survived and are now sprouting.”

When I inquired, “Do the landowners, or does the county see any monies from the logging?” Giusti answered, “Private landowners who commercially harvest trees, are paid for their logs. From those proceeds they must pay for the consultant (Registered Professional Forester, RPF) who put together the logging plan, the falling and logging of the trees and the transportation to the mill. The county will receive monies from the timber yield taxes that the landowner must also pay. The tax is paid to the Board of Equalization.”

I further inquired, “What do you see coming back in the Boggs Forest, Middletown Trailside Park and the Land Trust's Rabbit Hill?”

He replied, “The fire hit in a year with very low number of cones in the Ponderosa Pines. In the absence of reforestation efforts pines will be absent from these areas for many years (decades). Boggs is reforesting with pines, several landowners are also planning on reforesting their lands. However, several thousand acres will most likely become dominated with oaks that are sprouting following the fires.”

When asked if we are near the end of the drought, he said, “No! Not even close. We had an OK year but the lingering effects of the drought continue and water tables have not fully recharged. Some locations are better than others.”

I asked Giusti, “Are there any tree re-planting efforts going on now, or planned in the future, and may the public help?”

Giusti replied, that 100,000 seedlings are being grown for replanting efforts in 2017. More will be needed for future years.

Lake County Rising and the Local Rotary Clubs purchased the seedlings. The Lake County Resource Conservation District will administer the distribution of the seedlings later this year.

There is a desire to get groups involved in the replanting. Both the Cobb Mountain Elementary School and Middletown High School have expressed an interest in getting involved too, he said.

Further, “Many of the trees that burned were at least 90 years old. We will see saplings in 20 years. In 40 they will look like trees. In 90 we’ll be back to pre-fire conditions. Growing a forest is not like growing tomatoes, it will take time. But in time, things will start to look better.”

Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Fair's 2016 Junior Livestock Auction set a new sales record this year.

The event was held on the third day of the fair on Saturday, Sept. 3, in the Baldwin Pavilion at the fairgrounds in Lakeport.

Fair Chief Executive Officer Debbie Strickler said 381 animals were sold by 4-H and FFA students during the auction.

“This year’s auction brought in $563,441 in estimated sales, an increase of over $100,000 in sales from last year’s auction,” said Strickler. “It was the best year yet.”

The Junior Livestock Auction is the culmination of a year's work for young aspiring ranchers and farmers who select, purchase, feed and groom livestock to be judged, graded and sold at the fair.

Their projects include steers, lambs, hogs, meat goats, rabbits and poultry including turkeys.

As a learning and business venture for young men and women, the Lake County Fair Junior Livestock Auction is their market place.

The judges at the Lake County Fair select only the best animals to sell at the Junior Livestock Auction. Such quality demands a premium price, and this year was a banner year for auction sales, Strickler said.

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