STATE/NATION
Thursday, February 25, 2021
The ObserVer — 7A
NASA shares Mars landing video
By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer
CAPE CANAVERAL,
Fla — NASA on Monday,
Feb. 22, released the
first high-quality video
of a spacecraft landing
on Mars, a three-minute
trailer showing the enor-
mous orange and white
parachute hurtling open
and the red dust kicking
up as rocket engines low-
ered the rover to the
surface.
The footage was so
good — and the images so
breathtaking — that mem-
bers of the rover team said
they felt like they were
riding along.
“It gives me goose
bumps every time I see it,
just amazing,” said Dave
Gruel, head of the entry
and descent camera team.
The Perseverance rover
landed last Thursday near
an ancient river delta in
Jezero Crater to search for
signs of ancient micro-
scopic life. After spending
the weekend binge-
Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin
Scott Wyke, owner of Hammer Down Firearms in Bend, works on straightening a case of
guns Friday while working at his store on Friday, Feb. 19, 2021.
Oregon gun sales break records
By SUZANNE ROIG
The Bulletin
BEND — While Gun-
traders in Redmond sells
mostly collectible guns,
owner Jerry Koch said that
isn’t stopping customers
from flocking to his shop in
search of a firearm. They’re
coming out of fear, Koch
said. Customers are fearful
of the protests they’ve seen
on television, in Portland
and across the country.
“I pray for America,”
Koch said. “At the start of
the pandemic, they came
in and we were busy. They
were scared then, too. But
once the riots started, they
started climbing again.”
The pandemic and pro-
tests have made 2020 a
banner year for gun sales
in Oregon, according to the
National Instant Criminal
Background Check System,
which tracks criminal
background checks of gun
applicants.
Gun sales are not
tracked, but the back-
ground checks required
for most gun sales are.
Still, not every back-
ground check results in a
gun sale, and some sales
are made without going
through background
checks. For example, guns
sold between family mem-
bers do not require a back-
ground check, according to
federal guidelines.
In 2020, Oregon sold
more than 516,000 guns
and performed background
checks for those sales. In
the United States, 39.6
million gun background
checks were done in 2020,
compared to 23.1 million
in 2015.
With so many pur-
chases, the state, which
performs its own back-
ground checks, is back-
logged. In 2019, there were
276,912 background check
requests, compared to 2020
when there were 418,061
requests.
That backlog is mostly
due to near hits on the
National Instant Crim-
inal Background Check
System because of incor-
rect information, missing
information or invalid
government-issued
identification or missing
information, Capt.
Timothy Fox, an Oregon
State Police govern-
ment and media relations
officer, said in an email.
Jefferson County Dis-
trict Attorney Steven Ler-
iche said he was not aware
of increased crime being
associated with increased
firearm sales. But he did
say there is a correlation
between drug and alcohol
use and gun ownership and
serious crimes.
“Guns themselves are
generally not my worry,”
Leriche said. “The combina-
tion of drugs being plentiful
and guns being plentiful,
that’s a worry. We’ve had
five murders so far and at
least two involve a firearm.”
According to FBI data,
there was a 44% increase
in firearm background
checks in Oregon from
2019 to 2020 and an 86.9%
increase from 2015 to 2020.
NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP
This combination of images from NASA shows the de-
scent of the Mars Perseverance rover as it approaches
the surface of the planet on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021.
watching the descent and
landing video, the team at
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
in Pasadena, California,
shared the video at a news
conference.
“These videos and these
images are the stuff of our
dreams,” said Al Chen,
who was in charge of the
landing team.
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cameras were devoted
to entry, descent and
landing, looking up and
down from different per-
spectives. All but one
camera worked. The lone
microphone turned on
for landing failed, but
NASA got some snippets
of sound after touchdown:
the whirring of the rover’s
systems and wind gusts.
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How to stay connected with loved ones after
moving into an assisted living facility
Decisions surrounding assisted living facilities are
not always easy. Men and women may be reluctant
to leave their homes while family members may
be worried about how their aging loved ones will
adjust to life in an assisted living facility. Though
modern assisted living facilities cater to residents
with an array of needs and interests, the hesitation
about whether or not to move into such a facility is
understandable.
One of the concerns seniors and their families
may have about assisted living facilities is how to
remain in touch with loved ones. Thankfully, staying
connected is easier than ever before. That ease of
connection has been on full display throughout the
COVID-19 pandemic, during which aging men and
women have been urged to limit contact with people
outside their households in an effort to reduce their
risk of contracting the virus. When the pandemic is in
the rearview mirror, seniors can continue to employ
various strategies to stay connected with their
families after moving into an assisted living facility.
• Embrace technology. It’s understandable
that seniors are sometimes hesitant to utilize
technology. Having spent much of their lives without
smartphones and Zoom calls, it may seem like
adjusting to a world where such things are now
widely utilized will be incredibly difficult. However,
M
any people have been asking
modern technology is user-friendly, meaning seniors
won’t need much, if any, technical expertise or
experience to utilize an assortment of devices that
can help them stay in touch. Ask a relative to show
you the ropes of a new device or request that staff
at the facility teach residents the basics of using
devices to stay connected with family. Staff may help
set up Zoom calls or help residents learn the ropes of
texting.
• Make a weekly communication commitment.
Work with family members to set up a time each
week when you can communicate directly with them.
If family lives nearby, this might take the form of a
weekly family meal at a loved one’s home. If family
lives too far away for routine in-person meals, set up
a time each week for a family Zoom call.
• Continue to engage with your interests and fellow
hobbyists. If you were an avid reader who loved to
discuss and recommend books to your loved ones,
then continue to do so after moving into an assisted
living facility. Sports fans who bonded with their
loved ones over a shared passion for a favorite team
can keep following their team and discussing the
latest big game with their friends and family via
email, texts or video calls. Various studies have
discovered the positive effects that hobbies can
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have on long-term physical and mental health.
Staying engaged with your passions can keep lines
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Keeping the lines of communication with loved
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