How to resolve AdBlock issue? Space News: Devil is in details in selfie taken by NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover
NASA’s Perseverance took this selfie on May 10, 2025. The small dark hole in the rock in front of the rover is the borehole made when Perseverance collected its latest sample. The small puff of dust left of center and below the horizon line is a dust devil. Photo credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS.
A Martian dust devil photobombed NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover as it took a selfie on May 10 to mark its 1,500th sol (Martian day) exploring the Red Planet. At the time, the six-wheeled rover was parked in an area nicknamed “Witch Hazel Hill,” an area on Jezero Crater’s rim that the rover has been exploring over the past five months.
“The rover self-portrait at the Witch Hazel Hill area gives us a great view of the terrain and the rover hardware,” said Justin Maki, Perseverance imaging lead at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which manages the mission. “The well-illuminated scene and relatively clear atmosphere allowed us to capture a dust devil located 3 miles to the north in Neretva Vallis.”
The selfie also gives the engineering teams a chance to view and assess the state of the rover, its instruments, and the overall dust accumulation as Perseverance reached the 1,500-sol milestone. (A day on Mars is 24.6 hours, so 1,500 sols equals 1,541 Earth days.)
The bright light illuminating the scene is courtesy of the high angle of the Sun at the time the images composing the selfie were taken, lighting up Perseverance’s deck and casting its shadow below and behind the chassis. Immediately in front of the rover is the “Bell Island” borehole, the latest sampling location in the Witch Hazel Hill area.
How Perseverance did it
This newest selfie, Perseverance’s fifth since the mission began, was stitched together on Earth from a series of 59 images collected by the WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering) camera at the end of the robotic arm. It shows the rover’s remote sensing mast looking into the camera. To generate the version of the selfie with the mast looking at the borehole, WATSON took three additional images, concentrating on the reoriented mast.
“To get that selfie look, each WATSON image has to have its own unique field of view,” said Megan Wu, a Perseverance imaging scientist from Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego. “That means we had to make 62 precision movements of the robotic arm. The whole process takes about an hour, but it’s worth it. Having the dust devil in the background makes it a classic. This is a great shot.”
The dust covering the rover is visual evidence of the rover’s journey on Mars: By the time the image was captured, Perseverance had abraded and analyzed a total of 37 rocks and boulders with its science instruments, collected 26 rock cores (25 sealed and 1 left unsealed), and traveled more than 22 miles (36 kilometers).
“After 1,500 sols, we may be a bit dusty, but our beauty is more than skin deep,” said Art Thompson, Perseverance project manager at JPL. “Our multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator is giving us all the power we need. All our systems and subsystems are in the green and clicking along, and our amazing instruments continue to provide data that will feed scientific discoveries for years to come.”
The rover is currently exploring along the western rim of Jezero Crater, at a location the science team calls “Krokodillen.”
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- Written by: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Ely Carriage House Hoedown to raise funds for Historical Society project
A previous event at the Ely Stage Stop in Kelseyville, California. Courtesy photo.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — An upcoming event will raise funds for the Lake County Historical Society’s Ely Stage Stop Carriage House project.
The Ely Carriage House Hoedown will take place from 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 7.
Step back into the 1880s for a big tri-tip dinner, an evening of music and dancing, yard games, hay rides, silent auction, raffle baskets, and a chance to see many of Lake County's historic carriages.
Join a party for a good cause. Lake County's biggest collection of historic horse-drawn wagons and carriages need a home so the public can enjoy them.
The Hoedown Party will raise funds for the construction of a new carriage house on the grounds of the Ely Stage Stop Museum located at 9921 Soda Bay Road, just north of Kitt's Corner off Highway 29.
The Ely Museum's Oak Grove will be the place for a tri-tip dinner by Smokin S BBQ (vegetarian option available), music by the Fargo Brothers, blacksmith demonstrations and much more.
A mail carriage at the Ely Stage Stop. Courtesy photo.
Tickets are $80/person and can be purchased online at Carriage House Hoedown, or in person at the Ely Museum.
To sponsor a table and receive eight tickets (depending on the level), fill out the form here.
The Ely Stage Stop is an all-volunteer, all-donation run public museum operated by the Lake County Historical Society since 2011.
The grounds contain the 1860s Jamison and Ely Family ranch house and stage stop, two display barns, the restored 1890s Kelseyville jail, a 1906 San Francisco Cable Car, displays of historic Lake County farm machinery, tractors and much more.
For more information visit the Hoedown Fundraiser Dinner event page or call Event Committee Chair Bill Lane at 707-349-3453.
One of the historic carriages at the Ely Stage Stop. Courtesy photo.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
Seat belts save lives: CHP ramps up holiday roadway patrols ahead of Memorial Day weekend
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — As Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial beginning of summer, the California Highway Patrol urges drivers and passengers to prioritize safety by buckling up before each trip.The CHP began its annual statewide Memorial Day Holiday Enforcement Period, or HEP, on Friday, May 23, at 6:01 p.m. It will continue through Monday, May 26, at 11:59 p.m.
To help maintain safety on California’s roadways, CHP officers will be vigilant for impaired and reckless drivers and motorists who fail to buckle up.
“Our top priority is keeping the public safe, not just during the holidays but daily,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “Buckling up is one of the easiest and most effective ways to protect yourself and your passengers in a crash. Our officers will be out in force to help everyone arrive at their destination safely.”
In addition to CHP officers driving traditional black-and-white patrol vehicles, motorists are reminded that they may encounter the CHP’s new generation of low-profile specially marked patrol vehicles on the roadway.
These fully marked patrol vehicles blend into traffic just enough to observe the most reckless and dangerous driving behaviors without immediate detection.
Last year, 42 people lost their lives in crashes across California during Memorial Day weekend.
Tragically, nearly half of all vehicle occupants killed in a crash within CHP jurisdiction were not wearing seatbelts.
CHP officers also made more than 1,100 arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
California law mandates that all drivers and passengers aged eight and older must wear seatbelts. Children under eight need to be properly secured in an appropriate child passenger safety seat or booster seat situated in the back seat of the vehicle. Children under two must also ride in a rear-facing car seat unless they weigh more than 40 pounds or are taller than 40 inches.
This year, the CHP’s holiday enforcement effort coincides with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s designation of May 19 to June 1 as the national “Click it or Ticket” mobilization campaign.
Throughout this awareness initiative, CHP personnel will concentrate their enforcement efforts on seat belt and child safety seat violations.
As always, the CHP urges everyone to make smart choices behind the wheel: Buckle up. Drive sober. Stay alert. If you plan to drink or use drugs, arrange for a safe ride home before heading out. Your safety and the safety of others depend on it.
“Let’s work together to make this Memorial Day weekend safe for all Californians,” the CHP said.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
Clearlake Animal Control: ‘Caesar’ and the dogs
Caesar. Courtesy photo.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Clearlake Animal Control has a varied group of canines waiting for homes.
The shelter has 54 adoptable dogs listed on its website.
This week’s dogs include “Caesar,” a big fluffy Great Pyrenees/Saint Bernard mix.
The shelter is located at 6820 Old Highway 53. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
For more information, call the shelter at 707-762-6227, email
This week’s adoptable dogs are featured below.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Estate Planning: On being a representative payee
Dennis Fordham. Courtesy photo.
An incapacitated adult or minor person who is unable to manage their bill paying often has a representative payee appointed by the Social Security Administration to manage their receipt of Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Income, as relevant.
Each year, the representative payee must report to and account to the Social Security Administration for the use of the Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, and Social Security Disability Income, or SSDI, monies.
An SSI recipient may sometimes also be a beneficiary of a special needs trust established, with inheritance or settlement proceeds, to preserve their SSI and other needs-based government benefits, such as food stamps.
It is important that the representative payee and the SNT trustee, if not the same person, coordinate their separate spending of monies for the beneficiary.
The representative payee of a SSI recipient must use SSI monies to pay for the recipient’s basic living expenses — food, shelter, utilities and medical expenses not covered by Medi-Cal.
If any SSI money remains, which is unlikely, it must be kept for future expenses, less perhaps a possible discretionary spending allowance.
Typically, the representative payee is a close family member or friend with close contact to the SSI beneficiary. One reason for this is that, except for certain approved organizations, a representative payee is not entitled to any compensation.
Nevertheless, an uncompensated representative payee is still subject to duties and to liabilities imposed by the Social Security Administration, or SSA.
Specifically, the representative payee has a duty to report any changes in circumstances (such as changes in the recipient’s assets and in income) that would affect the SSI recipient’s eligibility to receive, or the amount of, their SSI benefits.
If the SSA makes an overpayment in SSI benefits that should have been avoided had the personal representative reported relevant changes, then the SSA may proceed against the personal representative personally.
In addition, if the representative payee misuses the SSI recipient’s SSI money or, even worse yet embezzles the SSI money, then not only may the SSA go after the representative for reimbursement but any embezzlement is a felony that can result in incarceration.
The trustee of a special needs trust, on the other hand, is typically compensated (by the trust) and may be a professional (such as a private fiduciary or a pooled special needs trust). Such trustees are much better equipped to deal with government regulations and oversight.
Given that distributions from special needs trusts for the basic necessities of life count against the beneficiary’s right to receive SSI, it is important that the representative payee and the trustee work closely together and keep each other informed.
Otherwise, the SSA may make SSI overpayments that have negative consequences to the recipient’s right to additional SSI benefits and to the representative payee in terms of his liability for SSI overpayments (which do accumulate).
Typically, the trustee of the special needs trust first makes distributions for the benefit of the beneficiary to improve the quality (comforts) of the SSI beneficiary by purchasing items that are not covered by SSI benefits. That is, the trust monies may be used to purchase travel, entertainment, and services excluding food, shelter, and utilities that are first paid with SSI monies.
Nonetheless, given the high cost of basic living and the small amount of SSI checks, special needs trusts often authorize payments for such necessities.
Such direct payments by anyone other than the SSI recipient from their SSI income is treated as “in kind, support and maintenance,” or ISM, and counts as unearned income to the SSI recipient. This negatively affects his or her right to receive SSI.
Fortunately, ISM payments reduce but do not usually wholly eliminate a recipient’s right to receive SSI entirely. That is, ISM payments reduce the SSI check up to a presumed maximum value and no more (currently around $264).
So long as at least $1 of SSI remains after subtracting for the ISM, the SSI beneficiary also remains categorically eligible to receive Medi-Cal health care benefits, sometimes more important than the SSI benefits.
In sum, being a representative payee on behalf of an SSI or SSDI recipient is serious business. Know SSA’s rules, keep good book keeping, keep the money in a bank account in the recipient’s name, and, if the recipient receives other sources of income and assets make sure to notify SSA and know how such income and assets affects eligibility, as relevant.
The foregoing is not legal advice. Consult a qualified estate planning attorney for guidance.
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
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- Written by: Dennis Fordham
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