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Space News: Evidence mounts for ice in Shackleton Crater
According to data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), ice may make up as much as 22 percent of the surface material in Shackleton Crater at the Moon's south pole.
The huge crater, named after the Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton, is two miles deep and more than 12 miles wide.
The small tilt of the lunar spin axis means Shackleton's interior is permanently dark and very cold. Researchers have long thought that ice might collect there.
When a team of NASA and university scientists used LRO's laser altimeter to examine the floor of Shackleton crater, they found it to be brighter than the floors of other nearby craters around the South Pole.
This is consistent with the presence of small amounts of reflective ice preserved by cold and darkness. The findings are published in today's edition of the journal Nature.
In addition to the possible evidence of ice, the group's map of Shackleton revealed a remarkably preserved crater that has remained relatively unscathed since its formation more than three billion years ago.
The crater's floor is itself pocked with several small craters, which may have formed as part of the collision that created Shackleton.
"The crater's interior is extremely rugged," said Maria Zuber, the team's lead investigator from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge in Mass. "It would not be easy to crawl around in there."
While the crater's floor was relatively bright, Zuber and her colleagues observed that its walls were even brighter.
The finding was at first puzzling. Scientists had thought that if ice were anywhere in a crater, it would be on the floor, where no direct sunlight penetrates. The upper walls of Shackleton Crater are occasionally illuminated, which could evaporate any ice that accumulates.
"The brightness measurements have been puzzling us since two summers ago," said Gregory Neumann of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., a co-author on the paper.
A theory offered by the team to explain the puzzle is that "moonquakes" – seismic shaking brought on by meteorite impacts or gravitational tides from Earth – may have caused Shackleton's walls to slough off older, darker soil, revealing newer, brighter soil underneath.
Zuber's team's ultra-high-resolution map provides strong evidence for ice on both the crater's floor and walls.
"There may be multiple explanations for the observed brightness throughout the crater," said Zuber. "For example, newer material may be exposed along its walls, while ice may be mixed in with its floor."
For more information on LRO and the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter, visit http://lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov .
Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Clearlake man suffers broken leg in late night crash
THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH THE CONDITION OF THE MOTORCYCLIST.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A motorcyclist had his leg broken and had to be flown to an out-of-county trauma center following a late Thursday night crash in Clearlake.
Edward Montellier, 28, suffered a compound fracture to his leg after his motorcycle was hit by a pickup just before 11:30 p.m. Thursday, according to police.
Clearlake Police Sgt. Tim Hobbs said Montellier was riding his motorcycle eastbound on Arrowhead Road approaching Fresno Street.
Tyler Gillam, 19, also of Clearlake, was stopped at the Fresno and Arrowhead intersection in his 1996 GMC pickup, Hobbs said.
Gillam didn't see Montellier and pulled into Arrowhead, colliding with Montellier's motorcycle, according to Hobbs.
Radio reports late Thursday indicated a landing zone was set up at Austin Park, with REACH 1 air ambulance picking Montellier up from there shortly after midnight early Friday.
Hobbs said Montellier was transported to Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa, but later transported to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.
UC Davis Medical Center confirmed to Lake County News that Montellier was at that hospital, but his condition status was not available mid-afternoon Friday, as he was still being assessed by a physician.
Later Friday evening the hospital reported Montellier was in fair condition.
Hobbs said Gillam was not cited for the crash.
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Bicyclist injured in early morning crash
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake man was injured early Thursday morning when he hit a portion of a culvert.
Orlando Franklin, 55, suffered moderate injuries in the crash, according to Sgt. Martin Snyder of the Clearlake Police Department.
Shortly before 2:30 a.m. Franklin was riding his bicycle and turning onto Risher Drive when he hit a portion of a culvert tube.
Franklin's front light may have been underpowered, causing him not to see the object, Snyder said.
When his bike hit the culvert tube Franklin was thrown over the handlebars and into a nearby ditch, according to Snyder.
Snyder said Franklin suffered severe facial injuries.
Radio reports indicated that Franklin was picked up by a REACH air ambulance at a landing zone at Ray's Food Place and flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
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Overflight discovers Middletown marijuana grow
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A marijuana grow in the Middletown area was located on Monday during an overflight mission conducted by the Lake County Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force.
The purpose of the overflights is to seek out probable illicit marijuana growing operations, according to Sgt. Steve Brooks.
Brooks said detectives observed a grow site located in the area of 20000 Big Canyon Road in Middletown, which appeared to contain more than 100 marijuana plants. Detectives also observed a travel trailer parked in close proximity of the marijuana.
On Tuesday, narcotics detectives and members of Lake County Code Enforcement responded to the grow site to determine if the marijuana grow was within compliance, Brooks said.
At the site they contacted Gregory Ceda and Cheryl Danforth, who claimed ownership of the marijuana grow, according to Brooks.
Narcotics detectives located 62 growing marijuana plants. Brooks said they also located approximately 50 additional plants which had just been harvested in a light deprivation type grow.
Brooks said Ceda and Danforth were in possession of approximately 25 pounds of processed marijuana. Danforth advised they were not harvesting the grow, but were cutting it down to be in compliance.
Both Danforth and Ceda relinquished all of the marijuana on site to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office for destruction. Brooks said no criminal charges are pending.
Lake County Code Enforcement “red tagged” the property due to improper electrical wiring to a well, Brooks said. Code Enforcement also “red tagged” the travel trailer due to fluids leaking from the trailer into a creek.
The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be reached through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.
