Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, October 8, 2016

THE WORLD AROUND US

10

Mountain Views-News Saturday, October 8, 2016 


FINAL DESCENT IMAGE FROM ROSETTA SPACECRAFT


Rosetta’s mission is over: After the last signal on 
Sept. 30, 2016, the spacecraft was crash-landed 
on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, taking 
measurements and sending them to Earth right 
until the very end. 

 The final descent image of the comet was taken 
from the European Space Agency (ESA) Rosetta 
spacecraft moments before its controlled impact 
into the comet’s surface. Confirmation of the end 
of the mission arrived at ESA’s European Space 
Operations Center in Darmstadt, Germany, at 4:19 
a.m. PDT (7:19 a.m. EDT / 1:19 p.m. CEST) with 
the loss of signal upon impact.

 The final descent gave Rosetta the opportunity 
to study the comet’s gas, dust and plasma 
environment very close to its surface, as well as 
taking very high-resolution images.

 The final image was taken from an altitude of 167 
feet above the comet’s surface by the spacecraft’s 
OSIRIS wide-angle camera. The image scale is 
about two-tenths of an inch (5 millimeters) per 
pixel. The image measures about 9 feet across.

 The decision to end the mission on the surface 
is a result of Rosetta and the comet heading out 
beyond the orbit of Jupiter again. Farther from 
the Sun than Rosetta had ever journeyed before, 
there would be little power available to operate 
the craft. Mission operators were also faced with 
an imminent month-long period when the Sun 
is close to the line-of-sight between Earth and 
Rosetta, meaning communications with the craft 
would have become increasingly more difficult.

 The European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission 
was launched in 2004 and arrived at comet 67P/
Churyumov-Gerasimenko on Aug. 6, 2014. It is the 
first mission in history to rendezvous with a comet 
and escort it as it orbits the Sun. On Nov. 4, 2014, a 
small lander name Philae, which had been deployed 
from the Rosetta mothership, touched down on 
the comet and bounced several times before finally 
alighting on the surface. Philae obtained the first 
images taken from a comet’s surface and sent back 
valuable scientific data for several days.

 The spectacular mission has now come to an end, 
with Rosetta undergoing a controlled crash on “its” 
comet. As the comet moves away from the Sun, the 
energy available to the solar-powered spacecraft 
was decreasing. Consequently, ESA decided to 
crash-land the spacecraft on the comet. Rosetta 
therefore followed its landing probe “Philae” and 
now still circles the Sun in its “final resting place.”

 Rosetta’s mission took twelve years including 
notable firsts like the first orbit of a comet and, for 
the first time, placing a lander on a comet surface. 
The Rosetta spacecraft has already made history.

 Comets are time capsules containing primitive 
material left over from the epoch when the Sun and 
its planets formed. Rosetta is the first spacecraft to 
witness at close proximity how a comet changes 
as it is subjected to the increasing intensity of the 
Sun’s radiation. Observations will help scientists 
learn more about the origin and evolution of our 
solar system and the role comets may have played 
in the formation of planets.

 

 You can contact Bob Eklund at: b.eklund@
MtnViewsNews.com.


OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder

CHRISTOPHER Nyerges

PLANT OF THE WEEK:

THE GARLIC AND ONION FAMILY

GET ME TO THE AIRPORT ON TIME

I was off to the airport on 
another trip. I started out 
early, arrived at the airport 
on time, but when I arrived the plane had 
canceled and I had to apply for another plane. 
The next plane headed for my destination was 
about two hours away. This would, in fact, make 
me miss my connecting flight.

 I suppose I ought to be grateful that I was able 
to catch a later flight. It gave me some time to sit 
in the airport with nothing to do but think. Talk 
about a boring afternoon!

 One of the things I thought about was never 
flying again. But, necessity is the mother of 
inconvenience, or something like that.

 While I was thinking in the airport, I thought 
of a wise old man who, waxing philosophical, 
once said, “Time waits for no man.” I know he 
was wise because he did not include women in 
his observation. Although time will wait for no 
man, it has a different approach to women.

Usually speaking, a man welcomes the passing 
of time. Proudly he displays those wrinkles and 
calluses as marks of manhood. Until recently, 
gray hair was a crown of authority. Even 
Solomon, the wisest man said, “The hoary [gray] 
head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way 
of righteousness” (Proverbs 16:31 KJV).

 The grayer the head, the wiser the man. 
Although, I must confess I have seen my share of 
intelligence-challenged gray-headed men.

 A woman, however, has an altogether different 
philosophy when it comes to time. As a man 
with gray hair, I do not fully understand their 
philosophy.

 I suppose there are some men who would like 
to be 25 again. Most men, however, are happy to 
be as old as they are. Women are different. They 
live upon the concept of ageless beauty. Who am 
I, as a man, to counter that philosophy?

 I discovered this many years ago. A woman 
casually asked me how old I thought she was. 
I have long since discovered that this is no 
casual question and she is not looking for exact 
information. I, at the time, took it as a challenge 
and tried to guess her age.

 Wrong!

 I have since learned that the correct response 
to this question is, “Why, you don’t look a day 
over 25.” I do not know exactly what that means, 
but I have often gotten smiles from this response. 
No matter how old the woman is, in her mind 
she is still 25.

 The man has a different idea.

 “I’m 60,” he will boast to whoever will listen, 
“and I can still do a whole day’s work.” Then he 
will go out and throw his back out just to prove 
it.

 Time has a different effect upon a man as it 
does upon a woman.

 There is nothing wrong with trying to look 
younger. I suppose it is an easier task to do if you 
are a woman than if you are a man.

 Every morning before I leave the house I try 
to make myself as non-scary to the public as I 
possibly can. I will scrape my face, pat down 
my hair, and douse myself with aftershave and 
in 10 minutes, I am done and ready for the 
world.

 I have noticed that the Gracious Mistress of 
the Parsonage takes a lot longer than 10 minutes 
to get ready to face the world. I must admit she 
does a very good job of it, but I also must admit 
it takes a long time and it seems each year it gets 
longer.

 I do not want to call attention to myself. I 
just want to get through the day and back home 
again. I know I am not as young as I used to 
be but I take consolation in the fact that I am 
older than I used to be. And hand in hand with 
good old Father Time, I have walked down the 
wonderful timeline.

 For me personally, I like to celebrate each 
birthday as a once-in-a-lifetime celebration. My 
goal in life is to get as old as I possibly can and 
with the good help of Father Time, I am well 
on my way. Time has not stood still for me, for 
which I am most thankful.

 Just like getting to the airport on time for 
my flight, I want to be on time for everything 
happening in my life. I do not want to miss a 
thing. Too often people look backward, stumble 
over today, find themselves in tomorrow and do 
not know how they got there. I want to enjoy 
the time I have in real time.

 There is no time like the present to enjoy. 
Memories are wonderful. Aspirations are 
delightful. But, nothing can take the place of 
right now.

 The Bible has a lot to say about time. We are 
in a timeline established by God and it will not 
slow down until we come to the end. The apostle 
Paul understood this when he wrote, “And that, 
knowing the time, that now it is high time to 
awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation 
nearer than when we believed” (Romans 13:11 
KJV).

 There is no time like the present and as 
someone said, “This is the first day of the rest of 
my life.” I am going to celebrate my “Now” with 
all the energy I have.

Dr. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of 
God Fellowship, Ocala, FL 34483, where he 
lives with his wife. Call him at 1-866-552-2543 
or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net. His web site is 
www.jamessnyderministries.com.


[Nyerges is the author 
of “Guide to Wild Foods 
and Useful Plants.” He 
has been leading outdoor 
plant walks since 1974. For more information, go 
to www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com.]

 

THE GARLIC AND ONION FAMILY

If you already enjoy garlic, onions, and other 
members of this family, you should also know 
that garlic is good for your health too.

 The consumption of garlic and onions is 
believed to be a contributory factor in helping 
hypertension. In a variety of tests, garlics and 
onions (and members of that family) have been 
shown to reduce cholesterol, reduce high blood 
pressure, and reduce the incidence of flu.

 For example, Dr. Alan Tsai, PhD with the 
Michigan School of Health, has tested rats and 
humans for the effects of garlic on cholesterol 
levels. He fed test groups high cholesterol diets, 
with one group receiving garlic. Those who 
included garlic had cholesterol levels that rose 
about four percent, as opposed to those without 
garlic whose cholesterol levels rose 23%. Dr. 
Tsai noted that the incidence of cardiovascular 
and other diseases is lower in countries whose 
populations consume large amounts of garlic, 
though he was reluctant to attribute this effect 
solely to garlic.

 Various studies reported in the Indian Journal 
of Nutrition and Dietetics concluded that both 
onions and garlic in the diet lowered blood 
cholesterol levels. Studies in Germany and in the 
U.S. have produced similar results.

 Cholesterol builds up in fatty plaques on the 
artery walls, and so it is believed to be a major 
factor in the onset of heart disease. Anything 
that reduces high cholesterol levels helps to keep 
the heart healthy.

 Dr. Truswell, professor at the Queen Elizabeth 
College of London University conducted 
research by feeding human subjects high fat 
meals with and without onions. He found 
that blood platelets stuck together faster after 
the high fat, no onion meal, whereas the effect 
was neutralized when onions were included. 
Platelets are a compound in the blood which are 
an important aid in coagulation, but when they 
“malfunction,” they form clots which can lead to 
thromboses in the arteries to the heart and brain, 
which can result in strokes and heart attacks. 
Dr. Truswell believes that by simply including 
onions in the diet, the chances of having a stroke 
or heart attack are reduced.

 Though there are countless studies pertaining 
to the effects of garlic and onions on the human 
body, it may still be sometime before doctors 
make conclusive statements such as eating garlic 
will prevent high blood pressure. Again, this is 
due to the complexity of “high blood pressure,” 
its various causes, and the fact that no two people 
are alike. 

 Still, we eat garlic just about every day, and 
we also put it in our pets’ food. Russian folk 
healers and herbalists the world over have been 
suggesting that garlic be used to reduce high 
blood pressure, and a host of ailments, for 
centuries. 

 We do know that garlic contains small 
amounts of selenium and germanium. Selenium 
is believed to prevent abnormal blood clotting, 
to normalize blood pressure, and to prevent 
infections. Germanium is being investigated for 
its reputed ability to retard or prevent the growth 
of some cancers. Garlic also contains a number 
of biochemical compounds, such as allicin 
(considered to have antifungal and antibiotic 
properties), alliinase, allyls, allithiamine (this 
makes vitamin B1 more effective), and alliin 
(this makes proteins easier to digest). Allicin, 
left alone, turns into a substance that some 
researchers have called “ajoene,” believed to be 
responsible for garlic’s ability to inhibit blood 
clotting effectively as aspirin.

 Enough books and research papers have been 
written about garlic, onions, shallots, leeks, and 
that entire Allium genus to fill a small library.


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