...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM HST
WEDNESDAY...
* WHAT...Southwest winds to 25 knots. Seas around 10 feet.
* WHERE...Oahu Leeward Waters, Kaiwi Channel, Maui County Windward
Waters, Maui County Leeward Waters, Pailolo and Alenuihaha
Channel, Big Island Windward Waters and Big Island Leeward
Waters.
* WHEN...Until 6 AM HST Wednesday.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in these conditions.
&&
A facility near Mauna Loa used to train NASA scientists in a remote area that's among the closest to Martian terrain we have here on Earth is potentially in Pele's path... and that has scientists on edge.
HAWAII COUNTY, Hawaii (KITV4) -- With all eyes on the Big Island and the ongoing Mauna Loa eruption for the first time in almost 40 years, scientists are working to track the lava flow's path.
Currently, it's not expected to impact any homes or communities, but some are worried it could be in range of the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) project site.
Located on the slopes of Mauna Loa at around 8,000 feet elevation, the HI-SEAS habitat is home to a training center far removed from civilization where NASA and scientists learn and train in a climate and terrain similar to Mars or the moon.
UH professor and HI-SEAS investigator Kim Binsted says the models have HI-SEAS' structure in between two vents, which has them concerned.
"If the flow from vent 4 picks up then it will probably surround the habitat, hopefully not run over it," she said.
Binsted says thankfully they didn't have a mission going on at the time, so no one was there. But the quick nature of the eruption meant they also weren't able to remove any equipment.
She says even if the lava surrounds the structure but spares it, eventually that would make the terrain even more interesting for scientists to explore.
"The area is similar to the surface of a young Mars and the lava tubes for example, we expect to see lava tubes on Mars and on the moon for that matter. So a near-miss would actually be a positive for us," she said.
Assuming the structure survives, the next mission is scheduled for the middle of next year. If it were destroyed, they would have to potentially get funding from the state to relocate it.
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