Village Times Herald

Arthur Grollman. Photo courtesy Grollman Family

Prepared by the Grollman Family

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Dr. Arthur Grollman, a man whose life was a testament to the pursuit of knowledge and the betterment of humanity. A Renaissance man in every sense, Dr. Grollman’s dedication to justice, science, medical care, and his family was evident in every facet of his remarkable journey.

Dr. Grollman’s academic odyssey commenced with a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley in 1955, followed by a Doctor of Medicine degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1959. His postgraduate years were marked by an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Hopkins and significant research contributions at the National Institutes of Health.

His illustrious career saw him join the Albert Einstein College of Medicine as Professor of Medicine, Pharmacology, and Molecular Biology, where he also served as Associate Dean for Scientific Affairs. In 1974, he became the Founding Chair of the Department of Pharmacological Sciences at Stony Brook University’s School of Medicine, leading the department to new heights and shaping the future of medical research and education.

Dr. Grollman’s scholarly output was prolific, with over 200 papers that advanced our understanding of molecular biology and cancer research. His work on the biological consequences of DNA damage and the antitumor agent bleomycin was groundbreaking, as were his studies on the three-dimensional structures of DNA enzymes.

A recognized authority on the clinical pharmacology of herbal medicines, Dr. Grollman’s expertise was sought by the White House Commission on Alternative and Complementary Health Policy and Governor George Pataki’s Task Force on Life and Law. His academic influence extended globally, with visiting professorships at prestigious institutions around the world.

In 2003, his contributions were honored with the title of Distinguished Professor of Pharmacological Sciences at Stony Brook. His pioneering work earned him numerous accolades, including an American Cancer Society Scholarship Award and a MERIT award from the National Cancer Institute. The Environmental Mutagen Society recognized his vital research on environmental mutagenesis and his insights into DNA repair mechanisms.

As the world grappled with COVID-19, Dr. Grollman rose to the challenge, dedicating himself to the fight against the pandemic with unwavering commitment.

In 2011, the Environmental Mutagen Society bestowed upon him a prestigious recognition award for his research in environmental mutagenesis, which brought to light the public health crisis of aristolochic acid-induced kidney failure and urothelial cancer. This award also honored his seminal work in elucidating the molecular mechanisms by which DNA repair proteins process oxidative DNA damage.

During the tumultuous times of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Grollman’s indefatigable spirit shone brightly as he led a consortium of top medical and scientific minds from an off-university chemistry lab. Together, they revisited a drug he had worked on in the 1960s—emetine—and studied its effectiveness and toxicity. His dedication persisted until his final days, culminating in the shipment of newly manufactured pills for the first clinical trial against Covid. His team’s research also demonstrated emetine’s efficacy as an antiviral agent against Zika, Ebola, and herpesviruses.

Dr. Grollman’s investigative prowess was pivotal in discovering the cause of Balkan Endemic Nephropathy, a previously fatal kidney disease. His relentless research and collaboration across nations revealed that the herb Aristolochia, intermingled with wheat crops in the Balkans, was the culprit. His findings led to changes in farming and milling methods that halted the disease’s spread. Moreover, he identified the use of this herb in Traditional Chinese Medicine as the cause of Taiwan’s high rate of urothelial cancer, leading to a cessation in its use and a subsequent decline in kidney failure and cancer cases in the region.

An adventurer at heart, Dr. Grollman’s curiosity extended beyond the realms of science and medicine. He traversed all continents except Antarctica, scaling peaks such as Mt. Whitney and  Mt. Kilimanjaro, as well as the Alps, the Andes, and Mt. Kellas. His journeys took him to Base Camp 3 on Everest and through the Karakoram Mountains, where he and his guide charted a new route. His profound connection with the Himalayas led to a friendship with the Dalai Lama, whom he invited to Stony Brook to receive an honorary degree. Dr. Grollman also established a program at Stony Brook University to support a Tibetan student annually, typically in pursuit of a degree in Public Health.

A champion of justice, Dr. Grollman’s actions consistently reflected his commitment to protecting and supporting those treated unfairly. His leadership and mentorship touched countless lives, leaving an indelible mark on those who had the privilege of knowing him and benefiting from his work. Dr. Grollman’s passing leaves a void in the hearts of many, but his enduring impact on science, medicine, and humanity will forever be cherished and remembered.

John Avlon

By Aidan Johnson

As the primary elections move closer, New York’s 1st Congressional District has experienced some shakeups within the Democratic race. Three candidates, Craig Herskowitz, Kyle Hill and James Gaughran, have exited. 

Herskowitz left the race to instead pursue the New York State Senate 2nd District, saying, “In the meantime, I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work electing Nancy Goroff as our next representative in Congress for District 1.”

In a press release, Hill announced that he was suspending his campaign, stating that he encourages “Suffolk Democrats to maintain their focus on flipping NY-1 because this election is entirely up for grabs.”

Gaughran is no longer running due to the redistricting of the congressional districts. Despite still living inside the new district, and therefore being qualified to run, he feels that his Democratic base has been gutted, saying in an interview that “the redistricting took away all of the large Democratic communities in the Town of Huntington that I represented in the state Senate and gave them to [U.S. Rep.] Tom Suozzi [D-NY3].” Since leaving the race, Gaughran has endorsed the newest candidate, John Avlon.

Owning homes in Sag Harbor and Manhattan, Avlon announced his bid for the congressional seat on Feb. 21, saying in a video posted to social media platform X: “This election is not a drill. It’s up to all of us to step up and get off the sidelines.” He is currently facing off against fellow Democrat Goroff.

Avlon has previously served as a CNN contributor and editor of The Daily Beast. Additionally, he helped found No Labels, a centrist political organization. However, Avlon has since condemned the organization’s attempt to run a third-party presidential candidate in the upcoming election, saying he “hasn’t had anything to do with the organization in more than a decade.” 

Avlon is married to Margaret Hoover, host of the PBS public affairs program “Firing Line.” She is a great-granddaughter of Herbert Hoover, the 31st U.S. president. They have two children.

In a phone interview, Avlon detailed how he first became involved in politics, explaining that his grandparents were immigrants “and like a lot of immigrant families, we grew up really patriotic.”

“My grandfather would talk about Abe Lincoln (R) or Harry Truman (D) like they were present in our lives, and that really inspired me and just got me interested,” he said.

Avlon went on to volunteer for both of Bill Clinton’s (D) campaigns, saying his “third-way approach to politics made a lot of sense to me.”

The new candidate decided to run for Congress after feeling frustrated that the seat wasn’t considered a national priority. 

“I’ve voted here for years, it’s my home,” he said. “It’s a community I love and it’s a district that I have watched with some frustration knowing that it’s a swing seat, knowing the Democrats can compete here.”

Avlon believes that Democrats need to “play offense, not defense,” saying that it was necessary to not just reach out to the Democratic Party, but to independent voters and Republicans who are against Donald Trump (R).

“I deeply believe that hyperpartisanship and polarization is a danger to American democracy and that we need to come up with new solutions, commonsense solutions that can help us reunite as a nation,” he said.

Avlon described one of his fundamental issues as strengthening the middle class in the United States as a whole and Long Island in particular.

He believes that a way to combat the affordability crisis is to “restore state and local tax deductions as they were. If they’re restored, which they will be if Democrats control Congress, that’s real money in people’s pockets.”

Avlon also said that the child tax credit should be expanded again, citing the near 50% decline in childhood poverty rates that the expansion led to during the pandemic. 

While he feels that things are moving in the right direction to address affordability concerns, he said that they are not going fast enough, citing statutes such as the CHIPS and Science Act as “huge opportunities that could be transformative for the middle class, but they’re going to take time to be fully felt.”

“[We have] less inflation than most industrialized nations and a faster recovery from the pandemic, but it can’t come fast enough,” he said.

Avlon stressed working with the communities to build affordable housing that is being built should be “consistent with the character of the communities.”

Additionally, Avlon noted the impact that climate change has had on Long Island’s coastal communities, saying that the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee of Transportation & Infrastructure, which former CD1 Congressman Tim Bishop (D) served on, would be “a perfect place to deal with some of these issues.” 

In a phone interview Goroff, who is now the only other Democratic candidate for the congressional seat, said, “I believe that the voters should decide who will represent them, and that includes primary voters deciding who the candidate should be, and so I welcome anyone who wants to join this fight.”

The Democratic primary is on June 25.

Tadanori Koga is the third from the right, Maya Endoh is the fourth from the right (all in the front row). Photo courtesy Elena Stephanie.

By Daniel Dunaief

Hoping to take a page out of nature’s playbook, a married couple in the Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering at Stony Brook University is studying a structure that could prevent the spread of pathogens on the surface.

Before the pandemic started, Research Professor Maya Endoh and Associate Professor Tadanori Koga were exploring how anti microbial coatings controlled pathogens on the molecular scale. With the pandemic, they became more focused on ways to prevent pathogens from causing infections after people came into contact with contaminated surfaces.

Working with researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, the team received $12 million over three years as a part of the Department of Energy’s Biopreparedness Research Virtual Experiment initiative, which supports multidisciplinary research efforts designed to strengthen precautionary measures against infectious disease outbreaks. Koga and Endoh received a subcontract of $1.2 million from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory which runs until December 2026.

This kind of study, along with other funded research on the spread of pathogens, could be “important to prevent the next pandemic,” said Endoh. She added that this kind of work could not only help reduce the danger from another potential pandemic, but could also help cut down infections from other common health threats.

The research plans to explore the physical and chemical interactions that occur when bacteria come in contact with a material surface.

To develop surface coatings that might resist the spread of disease-carrying pathogens, Koga and Endoh are turning to an insect that will be even more abundant than usual this year. For the first time since 1803, the 13-year and 17-year cicadas will emerge at the same time.

Koga and Endoh, however, are less focused on their prevalence or their loud noises than they are on their wings, which resist bacteria and may also provide protection against viruses and fungi, as something about their nanostructure disables these pathogens.

“We want to learn from nature,” said Endoh. “As material scientists, we want to mimic this structure.”

Their method of killing bacteria is to facilitate bacterial attachment to nanopattern surfaces. They are targeting surfaces that are constantly and directly exposed to pathogens, such as medical devices, tools and sensors.

Their computational results suggest that a nanopatterned surface can puncture a bacterial outer membrane. These scientists can not specify the time range clearly, which is something they are pursuing with the awarded project.

“We are targeting the surfaces which are constantly and directly exposed to pathogens, such as medical devices, tools and sensors,” Koga and Endoh explained in an email.

Structural defense

The structure of the cicada wings have nanopillars that are about 100 nanometers tall and that are separated by about 100 nanometers from each other. The nanopillars they plan to use have a height of 10 nanometers, a diameter of 50 nanometers and a space between adjacent cylinders of 70 nanometers.

By creating a similar structure with polymers, the Stony Brook scientists will attempt to manufacture materials that provide the same resistance.

They will optimize the geometric parameters of the nanostructure, especially its height and interpillar spacing, to create different nano topographies, including nanopillars, nanowalls, nanospikes and nanodomes.

They are starting their work with the bacteria E. coli and will use computational approaches to optimize surface geometric parameters, bacteria-substrate interactions and bacterial wall stiffness to create a robust structure-guided antimicrobial surface.

They will use polystyrene block polymers and are planning to use different ingredients such as biopolymers. They believe the ingredients can be varied.

According to their recent molecular dynamics simulations mimicking experimental conditions, attractive interactions promote additional membrane attachment, pulling the membrane taut against the pillars and creating tension that ruptures the cell wall. The rupture occurs at the high curvature regions near the edge of the pillars.

Surfaces coated by polymers would likely require periodic coating applications. The scientists treat those polymers with a three-dimensional link to improve the mechanical property. They also apply atomic-thin scale metal layers to make the surface more durable.

In collaboration with Brookhaven National Laboratory, they are trying to determine how to make this kind of pattern with different substances.

“We don’t know what shape is the best [for various pathogens], what size is the best and what spacing is the best,” said Koga.

Benefits of collaboration

Koga and Endoh appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with a range of talented scientists at other institutions.

“Luckily, we have a lot of collaborators,” Endoh said.

Koga and Endoh became a part of a bigger collaboration when they worked with Jan-Michael Carrillo and Bobby Sumpter at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, who started this project.

“This is a nice step, but it’s not the end,” said Koga. The next step is to “create a real material.”

Lifelong collaboration

Koga and Endoh met in their native Japan. Koga is from Kyushu, while Endoh grew up in Sendai, which was the epicenter of the Tōhoku earthquake in 2011, which created the tsunami at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

They came to the United States when Koga wanted to become a postdoctoral researcher for a two year assignment at Stony Brook. Over 27 years, and four children later, they are still at Stony Brook.

Over the years, Endoh juggled motherhood and a postponed PhD, which she eventually received from Kyoto University.

Koga enjoys watching Japanese players in Major League Baseball and is a fan of Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani. A “soccer mom,” Endoh enjoys cooking and playing the violin. The couple hikes in the summer and skis in the winter.

As for their own protective measures during the pandemic, Koga and Endoh regularly washed their hands, although they didn’t use Purell or other special wipes to clean any surfaces. 

Photo by Michael Boren

STANDING THEIR GROUND

Michael Boren of Setauket spied this flock of wild turkeys ‘lurking’ around his neighborhood on March 4 and got closer to snap a photo. He writes, “They just stood their ground. Not sure if they’re brave or just too lazy to run!”

Send your Photo of the Week to [email protected]

Town Supervisor Dan Panico at a Town Board meeting. Photo from TOB

At a recent Town of Brookhaven board meeting, the board voted unanimously to approve a resolution with the intent of the board to assume the duties of the Planning Board. The action was taken to streamline applications, save time, save money and eliminate the “red tape” commonly associated with the process of obtaining a community-supported planning approval. The new law is now in effect. 

On Long Island, government entities have many layers and as the largest town of 10 towns in Suffolk County, comprising a third of the entire population, Brookhaven plans to lead by example. Since being elected in 2023, Supervisor Dan Panico (R) and the Town Board have moved away from older methodology and are becoming far more involved in the site plan aspects traditionally under the purview of the Planning Board. 

When it comes to the architecture, landscaping, fencing, lighting, signage, etc., the Town Board members and the Planning Department are far more thoughtful and thorough than in decades past. Therefore, it makes little sense to have an applicant come forward with a community-supported redevelopment to the Town Board with roughly 80% of the site plan completed and ready for the approval of a change of zone, to then be sent to the Planning Board for the completion of the last 20% and a possible year-long delay.

In discussing the change, Panico said, “We cannot and should not simply do things just because it is the way it has always been done. It’s time to lead and while there will be more work for the Town Board, the times demand it.”

The result of the change in the Town Code is that the applicant and the community will now have the ability to give input directly to their elected council representative and the supervisor as opposed to an appointed board member. Panico said, “It should be noted that these reforms are in no way reflective of the work ethic or work product of the members of the Planning Board. These members have served the town dutifully in their roles, but we must make these changes because the times demand it.”

“In my inaugural address earlier this year, I meant every word I spoke, and it should be noted that I am doing exactly what I said I would do as Brookhaven Town supervisor. We are going to move this town forward to a brighter future and meet the needs of our residents and our region’s economy. This is only the beginning of the changes that will come,” Panico concluded.

For more information about the Town of Brookhaven, go to www.brookhavenny.gov.

Historian Kate Strong as a young girl with her dog on the steps of her home on Strong’s Neck. Photo courtesy Beverly C. Tyler

By Beverly C. Tyler

She was baptized Martha Tunstall on July 2, 1652, daughter of Henry Tunstall of Putney, County of Surrey, England. She moved with her family to Tangier, Africa where she married William Smith. From her marriage on Nov. 26, 1675, until her death in Setauket in 1709 at the age of 57, Martha led a life dedicated to her husband, family, business interests and community. 

She gave birth to 13 children and buried seven of them; journeyed — in a time of discomfiting and perilous travel — from Tangier, back to England, to Ireland for the birth of a child, and finally to America. She raised her family in, at first, primitive conditions, and assisted her husband in his businesses which often involved his traveling from home over long periods of time. Throughout all this time she became well respected and loved as Lady of the Manor and was eventually widowed at the age of 52,  successfully continuing her husband’s business interests including off-shore whaling and was an acknowledged community leader.

Madam Martha Smith, as historian Kate Strong referred to her, or Lady Martha Smith, as she is referred to in many documents, is not listed in “The Encyclopedia of Women’s History in America”, nor is she mentioned in “Long Island Women: Activists and Innovators”, both excellent books on history’s neglected gender. However, she was a woman of wealth and stature on Long Island and especially in the communities of Setauket and Mastic where she and her husband maintained their residences.

Col. William “Tangier” Smith was born in February of 1654, in Higham-Ferrers, Northamptonshire, England.

Tangier, which had been ceded to England as part of Queen Charlotte’s dowry, was an important port, or so it was thought, until abandoned and burned by England in 1683, after both Spain and Portugal refused to take it off England’s hands. As detailed by Chester Osborne, William went to the crown city of Tangier, Africa when he was 20-years old. A year later he married Martha Tunstall. He was elected to the post of mayor on Nov. 11, 1682. The young couple returned to England in 1683, and in 1686, sailed from Ireland for America with three children.

William and Martha arrived in New York in the fall of 1686 with two children, 7-year-old Henry and 5-year-old Martha. Another child, Hibernia, had been born in Cork, Ireland in June before they left for America on the ship ‘Thomas’, but she died at the end of August while they were still at sea. Hibernia was the couple’s eighth child and the sixth to die. Three of their children, Elizabeth, John and William, Jr. died in Tangier. Two of their children died in London in 1684.

During their time in New York, Martha gave birth to a daughter Jeane on Dec. 8, 1687. William very quickly purchased land in Setauket, ‘Ye Little Neck’ and on the South Shore as well. By 1689, William and Martha had moved permanently to the young settlement of Setauket. In March, Martha gave birth to William Henry. In June 1690, their daughter Gloryana was born. Eighteen months later another daughter, Theodocia, was born on Dec. 14 and died on Dec. 29. Two years later, on Dec. 20, 1693, Martha gave birth to the couple’s last child Charles Jeffery.

During these early years in Setauket, William and Martha moved from their first house near the Woodhull homestead to the Neck where they built a larger house that became known as St. George’s Manor. While Martha kept busy at home, William worked to increase his land holdings as well as his family. On Oct. 9, 1693, he received a patent from Governor Fletcher that included all the land “bounded roughly By Carmen’s River and Forge River [then called Connecticut River and Mastic River respectively] between Middle Country Road and the Atlantic Ocean.” This, combined with his previous purchase, created the Manor of St. George. In 1697, William added another portion of land, running to the western boundaries of the Towns of Southampton and Southold. He then built a second Manor House on Smith’s Point in Mastic. Here the family spent summers, returning to the Manor house in Setauket for the rest of the year.

With the acquisition of the patent land in 1693, William and Martha became the Lord and Lady of the Manor, Lady Martha and Lord William “Tangier” Smith. 

Stay tuned for part two of Beverly C. Tyler’s History Close at Hand column in the coming weeks.

Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico attended the Three Village Civic Meeting on March 4. Photo by Mallie Jane Kim

Town board aims to cut red tape and enhance transparency in development processes 

By Mallie Jane Kim

Two months into his term as town supervisor, Dan Panico (R) is shaking things up in Brookhaven, removing a layer of bureaucracy from those seeking development permits or looking to add legal accessory apartments to their homes. 

Panico promoted the changes at a March 4 meeting of the Three Village Civic Association, where he repeated his campaign position that government should be efficient and perform the functions it is supposed to perform. “We all know on Long Island, everything takes too long to do,” he said. “We have layer after layer of government.”

Under the new changes, the appointed planning board and accessory apartment review board will be dissolved. Town board members will deal with planning requests directly, and the building department will process accessory apartment applications administratively. 

Civic association member George Hoffman praised the changes, saying they should lead to more transparency and accountability in town planning because residents can express concerns to their elected councilmembers, who will have more control in the process. He called Panico an expert on land use and a defender of low-density suburban communities. 

“That’s exciting also because we’re a civic association that puts a lot of effort into trying to keep our quality of life like it is,” Hoffman said.

Shoreline, wind energy and lithium batteries

Panico also got a warm welcome from Suffolk County Legislator Steve Englebright (D-Setauket), who called Panico “on top of the game” on the issues, and said his openness to working together “reinforced the sense of optimism for our town.” 

Englebright followed up on New York State’s Environmental Bond Act, which Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced in December would provide $479 million in climate change mitigation projects including shoreline restoration and water quality improvement. He asked Panico if he’d welcome involvement from the civic association as well as residents who live within the Setauket Harbor watershed to identify priorities for preservation.

“Absolutely,” Panico told him, touting his record of preserving open space during his years as a town councilman representing part of Brookhaven’s South Shore. “I’d love to work with you to get as much of that money down into Brookhaven for worthwhile properties as we can,” he said.

Panico also addressed lithium battery storage for upcoming wind energy projects that are part of the state’s climate goals — other Long Island towns have put moratoriums on licensing and construction of battery storage systems, but Brookhaven has not. Panico said the town board sees wind energy as a wave of the future, but also a matter of consistency in position. 

“You can’t support wind energy without supporting batteries,” he said. “You need the storage somewhere.”

Setauket resident Janet Sklar raised concerns at the meeting about a proposed location of the battery storage — near North Bellport. She related it to the existing landfill not far from there, which is nearing its capacity and scheduled to wind down to closure over the next few years. 

“These are things that are necessary,” she acknowledged. “But they’re showing up in areas that are poorer than their surrounding neighborhoods” and in communities of color, she added.

Panico said he is working to serve people in that area of town and pointed to his recent success securing a $4.5 million grant from the state for downtown revitalization of North Bellport.

“Whatever your background is doesn’t mean that you should bear the ills that are associated with anything, whether it be traffic or whether it be a landfill,” Panico said. “I care about the people of North Bellport.”

Brookhaven landfill

The landfill, which has been in its location since 1974, stopped accepting solid waste in the late ‘80s and is scheduled to stop accepting construction and demolition waste by the end of 2024. It will, however, continue to accept ash from burned trash for another few years, which has caught some communities off guard as the site was expected to be closed completely by this year.

At the civic meeting, Panico said that the plan to continue accepting ash from incinerated household garbage until the landfill reaches capacity is not new. “It’s the same course that’s been in place when Ed Romaine (R) was the supervisor, for almost two years,” he explained, adding that the plan “gives this region time to deal with the looming issue of what we’re going to do with our waste.”

Panico suggested more rail is necessary as a solution to ship garbage off Long Island, but also acknowledged electrification of the Port Jefferson Branch line is not likely anytime soon. “The town has been supporting electrification for as long as my memory,” he said, explaining that a meeting with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority last year left him with the impression that any such changes will be slow in coming due to other pressing financial priorities closer to the city. 

“New York State has climate action goals, right?” Panico said. “Yet we’re still rolling around on diesel trains. That’s sort of ironic.”

Daylight Saving Time. METRO photo

Get ready to lose an hour of sleep, but gain an extra hour of daylight! Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 10. That’s when you’ll move your clocks forward by one hour and “spring forward.” The annual event is also a good time to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Daylight Saving Time ends on Nov. 3 this year.

The Nova-C Class IM-1 Odysseus in preparation for launch. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

By Daniel Dunaief

The stars aligned for a group of engineers and scientists in Washington D.C. recently, as a meeting brought these experts together at exactly the same time NASA was landing a vehicle on the moon for the first time since the finale of the Apollo missions, over 50 years ago.

The Nova-C Class IM-1 Odysseus in preparation for launch. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

“I happened to be in DC for [NASA’s] annual Moon to Mars Architecture workshop on the day that the Intuitive Machines Odysseus spacecraft landed,” said Tim Glotch, Professor in the Department of Geosciences at Stony Brook University and the Science Chair of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group, or LEAG. “The whole group I was with watched the live stream with excitement and nervousness.”

Attendees at the conference knew when NASA was supposed to receive a signal from the spacecraft. As they waited, Glotch said he could “feel people starting to think, ‘Uh oh, it started to happen again,’” raising the possibility of a problem with the landing. “A few minutes after the planned touchdown, everyone was relieved and overjoyed when the flight manager confirmed that they had a signal from the spacecraft,” he said.

Indeed, on February 22, the Odysseus lunar lander touched down about 185 miles from the moon’s south pole and within a mile of its target near the Malapert A crater. Glotch and the other scientists and engineers learned the next day at a press conference about some of the issues the spacecraft had when it landed, including the fact that it tipped over.

“From the standpoint of getting a soft touchdown on the moon in very challenging terrain near the south pole, this has to be considered a success,” he added.

Over the last few years, many attempts by companies and governments have demonstrated the challenges of landing on the moon, which is about 238,855 miles away, or the equivalent of over 9.5 times around the circumference of the Earth at the equator. Through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, private companies are trying to do what only a few governments had done, at considerably lower cost. 

“With every attempt, NASA’s commercial partners are learning the best ways to accomplish their goals of landing safely on the moon and successfully delivering NASA’s and other commercial partners’ payloads,” Glotch said. The Stony Brook professor described the overlap between the meeting and the landing as a “fun coincidence,” which created a “pretty big cheering section.”

Reflecting on the landing, Glotch shared his sense of pride in the space program, which is preparing to send people back to the moon through Artemis missions over the next five years.

“The fact that NASA was able to work with private corporations to develop the technology, not quite from scratch [but] to redevelop this capability is really impressive,” Glotch said. “It’s a great demonstration of ingenuity, determination and drive.” Engineers likely put in long days and nights making sure everything was ready, testing and retesting systems for this launch and landing, he said.

Lunar meeting

As for the gathering, Glotch said this second annual meeting provided an opportunity for scientists and engineers to discuss the future of travel to the moon and, potentially further in the future, a trip to Mars. 

The auditorium of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine building where Tim Glotch and the other engineers and scientists were watching the landing attempt. Photo by Tim Glitch

A group of scientists and engineers are working together to learn to do the things on the moon that it will eventually do on the Red Planet. The team is focusing on a few bigger items that will matter in a relatively shorter term. After the meeting last year, Glotch said he “really got the sense that the architecture team [at NASA] had been listening to input from scientists.”

One of the bigger questions involves the amount of samples astronauts will bring back from the moon. Researchers expect some of these samples to contain volatiles like water and ice in them.

The scientific community has urged NASA to develop a plan to bring those rocks back frozen in their natural state. When the ice melts, it can cause chemical reactions to occur that make it more challenging to analyze them.

“If they are changing on the way back, we can’t be sure we’re getting the right answer” about where the water originated, he said.

Still, Glotch suggested that examining these defrosted rocks would provide considerable information.

NASA isn’t going to be able to keep the rocks under cold conditions for the first manned American mission that will return people to the Earth, aboard Artemis 3, which is scheduled to launch in September of 2026.

Starting with Artemis 5, in September of 2029, NASA, however, intends to include freezers to keep samples in pristine shape.

As the Science Chair for LEAG, Glotch brought up the need for a new lunar orbiter to characterize the surface at higher spatial resolution. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been in space since 2009, has six or seven years of fuel left.

“Given that time frame, we need to develop a spacecraft and what type of instruments go on it,” said Glotch. NASA “really needs to think hard about funding a follow on orbiter.”

As for a manned journey to Mars, NASA plans to launch such a mission in the 2030s, according to the space agency’s website.

A scene from the 2023 Huntington St. Patrick's Day Parade. Photo by Media Origin

By Heidi Sutton

Whether or not your ancestors hail from the Emerald Isle, everyone is guaranteed to enjoy a family-friendly (and dog-friendly) St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Here are the ones on the North Shore this year over the next few weeks. And don’t forget to wear green!

Center Moriches

Moriches Chamber of Commerce’s 20th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will take place on Sunday, March 10 at 2 p.m. The parade begins on Lake Avenue and ends at Railroad Avenue. This year’s Grand Marshal is George Keller. For more information, visit www.moricheschamber.org. 

Farmingdale

Farmingdale presents its 10th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday, March 10 at 2 p.m. The parade steps off at Northside School and proceeds down Main Street to the Village Green. This year’s Grand Marshal is Patrick J. Ryder. Call 516-286-7800 for more information.

Huntington

The Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) invites the community to its 90th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Huntington on Sunday, March 10 from 2 to 3 p.m. Grand Marshal Monsignor Steven Camp will lead the procession down New York Avenue to Main Street. Long Island’s oldest and largest, the parade will feature dozens of pipe bands. For more information, visit www.huntingtonhibernian.com.

Miller Place-Rocky Point

The Friends of St. Patrick will host the  72nd annual  Miller Place-Rocky Point St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday, March 10 at 1 p.m. sharp. The 2.8-mile parade starts at Harrison Avenue and Route 25A in Miller Place and then finishes at Broadway in Rocky Point. This year’s Grand Marshal is Vincent Worthington. For further information, visit www.friendsofstpatrick.com or call 631-473-5100.

Ronkonkoma

The 35th annual Ronkonkoma St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be held on Sunday, March 24 at 2 p.m.Grand Marshal Greg Plante will lead the parade from Hawkins Avenue at School Street, south down Hawkins Ave ending at Thorne Street. Call 631-304-6303 or visit www.ronkonkomaparade.org.

St. James

St. James Chamber of Commerce presents the 40th annual St. James St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday, March 9 from 1 to 2 p.m. The parade will step off along Lake Avenue from Woodlawn Avenue to the viewing stand in front of the gazebo ending just before St James Elementary School, rain or shine. Featuring scouts, dance troupes, pipe bands, school bands, floats, fire trucks and more. The grand marshal will be Peter Scully. 631-584-8510.