Ka`u News Briefs Friday, July 3, 2015

      At the controls, André Borschberg landed safely in Kalaeloa, O`ahu at 5:55 a.m. after a perilous non-stop flight of five days and nights with speeds no greater than 50 miles per hour.

      Borschberg credited yoga and meditation for helping him during his record-breaking flight. “When I am stressed, it helps me to change my reaction,” he said. Regarding the Solar Impulse project, he said, “One side is aviation, but it is also discovery of a personal nature. It was like a retreat.”

      Borschberg said he could have gone longer and was kind of disappointed when the flight was over.

      “What André has achieved is extraordinary from the perspective of a pilot,” said fellow pilot Bertrand Piccard. “But furthermore, he has also led the technical team during the construction of this revolutionary prototype.
      “This oceanic flight to Hawai`i demonstrates that if technological solutions exist to fly a plane day and night without fuel, then there is potential for these same efficient technologies to be used in our daily lives and to achieve energy savings to reduce CO2 emissions.
      “We want to inspire our supporters to add their voice to the message on futureisclean.org: a website serving as a petition to convince governments around the globe to implement the necessary clean technology solutions and help ensure that the United Nations’ upcoming Conference on Climate Change is successful in renewing the Kyoto protocol this December in Paris.”
      See solarimpulse.com.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK has announced flight plans for July. Management of the park requires use of aircraft to monitor and research volcanic activity, conduct search-and-rescue missions and law enforcement operations, support management of natural and cultural resources and maintain backcountry facilities. 

• July 6 between 6:30 a.m. and 7 a.m. for petrel monitoring from the summit of Kilauea to Mauna Loa at about 9,000-ft. elevation; 
• July 7 and 13 between 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. for petrel monitoring from the summit of Kilauea to Mauna Loa at about 9,000-ft. elevation; 
• July 14 and 16 between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. to transport camp supplies and equipment between Hilina Pali and Kamo`oali`i for control of invasive fountain grass; 
• July 20-22 for ungulate surveys and control work in the Kamo`oali`i area near Hilina Pali, times to be determined; 
• July 24 between 6:30 a.m. and 7 a.m. for petrel monitoring from the summit of Kilauea to Mauna Loa at about 9,000-ft. elevation. 

      In a statement, the park said it regrets any noise impact to residents and park visitors. Dates and times are subject to change based on aircraft availability and weather.
      To comment on or like this story, go to facebook.com/kaucalendar.

INSPIRATION FOR THE CURRENT ISSUE of Volcano Watch comes from the skies over Ka`u. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists discuss volcanic activity on Venus in the article. 

      “The planet Venus has been especially prominent in the evening sky these past few weeks, joining Jupiter and a waxing moon in a sparkling, slow-motion dance of celestial bodies,” the article states. “On clear nights at the summit of Kilauea, this spectacle has complemented the other-worldly glow reflected by clouds above the lava lake in Halema`uma`u Crater.
      “Scientists who study Venus have demonstrated convincingly that the planet’s surface has been shaped by active tectonics and volcanic activity for much of its history. Using radar to penetrate the dense Venusian atmosphere, spacecraft flown since the 1980s have revealed an array of volcanic landforms such as lava flows, cones, massive shields, steep-sided lava domes and large rift zones. But no strong evidence of ongoing volcanic activity was found — until recently. 

      “In May 2015, a team of scientists from Germany, Russia, Ukraine and the United States published evidence that Venus may, in fact, be a location of modern volcanism. If true, Venus would join Earth and two of Jupiter’s moons, Io and Europa, in the growing club of celestial bodies in our Solar System known to host active volcanism.
      “The evidence comes from data acquired by the European Space Agency's Venus Express mission. Examining new imagery, the team detected regions of unusually high temperatures—some reaching more than 400 degrees Celsius (752 degrees Fahrenheit) above the planet’s already toasty average surface temperature of about 800 degrees Celsius (1,472 degrees Fahrenheit). The high temperature areas extended over regions ranging from one square kilometer (250 acres) to more than 200 square kilometers (77 square miles).
      “Remarkably, these high temperatures, recorded over several days of repeated observations, mysteriously disappeared in subsequent satellite passes. Based on a careful analysis of the data, mission scientists concluded that the spikes in temperature are best explained as transient heat from active lava flows. We see similar behavior at Kilauea Volcano, where active lava flows are seen as ‘hot spots’ in images from orbiting satellites. Days later, when lava flows have cooled, these spots fade away.
      “The areas of unusually high temperature on Venus occurred in a large rift zone structure – similar to a gigantic Kilauea East Rift Zone. The Venusian rift, called Ganiki Chasma, is located near two prominent volcanoes with the delightful names of Ozza Mons and Maat Mons. This striking geologic feature was identified as a young volcanic landform in data collected by the Soviet Venera missions of the 1980s and the U.S. Magellan mission in the 1990s.
      “Despite the excitement of this new evidence, there were already earlier hints of modern volcanism on Venus. In 2010, studies of the radar properties of one lava flow complex suggested increased subsurface temperatures consistent with cooling lavas. Also, in the late 1980s, and again in 2012, scientists reported temporary increases in sulfur dioxide in Venus’ upper atmosphere (Venusian vog!), another clue that volcanoes may have been recently active.

      “Venus has long been considered an analog for Earth. So, confirming ongoing volcanism there could have exciting implications for better understanding the evolution of our own planet.
      “Imagining actively erupting volcanoes on Earth’s neighbor is exciting to many volcanologists who began their professional careers looking at volcanic features on the moon and Mars. The challenge to confirm or deny the case for active volcanism on Venus and other planetary bodies will certainly inspire a whole new generation of planetary volcanologists.”

      See hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.

Will dragons return to Na`alehu Park tomorrow to celebrate the Fourth of July? Photo by Julia Neal