CIVIL AIR PATROL

February 2013

Congratulations to all members of the 35th Composite

Squadron on receiving the
Quality Cadet Unit Award
for the 2nd year in a row.
This is a National Award that
recognizes any cadet unit
that displays a strong cadet program. This
award is purely objective and is based on 9
criteria, participation in AEX, 40% of cadets
have attained the Wright Brothers, 20% of cadets have participated in DDRx, 50% of cadets have completed encampment, unit has at
least 35 cadets, cadet roster increased by
10%, 60% of cadets have participated in at
least one flight, unit has at least 3 TLC qualified senior members and unit has retained
40% of first year cadets. Each unit needs to
meet at least 6 of the criteria and I am pleased
to share that we met 7 of the above criteria.
As you can see this is a true unit award because it takes everyone to meet these criteria
not just one or two. Please take a moment at
the next meeting to thank a member for their
part in this award!!
Respectfully submitted,
Maj. Cathie Spaulding

ME035

As you may know, our

squadron has grown and
shrank. Unfortunately we
have gotten to a point where
we have more staff than cadets. Recruitment is an important part of CAP, if anyone has someone they know
who might be interested in
our program youre encouraged to bring them to a
meeting and show them what
the Civil Air Patrol really is!
Our color guard is still going
strong and is preparing for
their first competition. We
are always in need of eligible cadets to join our color
guard, all you need to know
is the cadet oath and basic
drill and you may try-out for
the color guard.
C / 2 L t .
P o l a n d
ME035 Cadet Commander

C/CMSgt Damon Dow has been a part of CAP

since the summer of 2010, when he joined for the
advantages the program offers to those looking to
join the military. Cadet Dow says he has benefited
from CAP's drill and leadership training, and his record
proves it: squadron staff positions of flight sergeant, flight
commander, and deputy to the cadet commander, all in less
than three years. In addition, Dow has attended several Wing
- and Region-level events, from encampments to fly-ins to
the Wreaths Across America program, and he held staff positions at many of those activities.
Chief Dow is currently in high school, and plans to join the
army once he graduates, with the goal of becoming an army
pilot. He plans to promote to Cadet Second Lieutenant before
he joins, since the Mitchell Award lets those who enlist in the
military join as a higher grade than normal. He is not yet certain if he will return to CAP as a senior member or not.
Outside of school and CAP, Dow enjoys the outdoors. He
hunts, fishes, and loves riding his dirt bike.
~~Captain Alex Hall~~

On-line security and privacy is becoming an increasing issue in modern society. It

seems we can run almost our entire lives on tiny little computers we quaintly call
our phone. Public access to the INTERNET can be had from almost any fast food place, coffee shop or Library. As identify thieves tend to get most of their victims from these places, a
few suggestions to keep you safe.
Never access any financial institution from a public access point, particularly if a password is
not required for you to connect to the service.
Never access you email from a public access area.
Assume that when connected in a public place, someone may be looking over your shoulder.
Some people can get your password simple by reading your keystrokes as you type it in.A
study was made some time ago and discovered that fully 50% of all computer passwords were
the word password. Other common passwords were QWERTY 123456, QAZWSX. If
you look at your keyboard you can see why these would be attractive, but they are the first ones
an identity thief would use to try to get your personal information. Other common passwords to
shy away from are children's, grand-children's, pet's proper names. Children's birth dates should
also be avoided.

In an attempt to increase on-line security, CAP National is following the

lead of other secure websites and requiring User account password to be more difficult to crack.
Most Financial institutions, Government agencies, etc. require account passwords to be something other than a simple word. The password requirements vary from one institution to another.
CAP National will soon be requiring password changes regularly and the new passwords will
have to conform to the restrictions listed below.
Passwords will be a minimum of eight (8) characters in length
They will contain at least one (1) character from three (3) of the following categories:
Uppercase letter (A-Z)
Lowercase letter (a-z)
Digit (0-9)
Special character (~`!@#$%^&*()+=_-{}[]\|:;?/<>,.)
If you want to use a word that might be easier for you to remember, there are certain things you
can do to conform to the complexity standards. You can change the a to an @, Change
the o to a zero, i can become '1', 'e' can become 3. ~~continued on last page..~~

Civil Air Patrol Strategic Plan

2013-2014
As most of you are aware, CAP National fully implemented the new
governance structure at the beginning of the year and will now be implementing the organizations 2013-2014 strategic plan. This plan includes the following priorities: 1) obtain and sustain required CAP
funding, with the forecast of reduced DoD funding CAP National will
try to establish more diverse funding so that we may continue to meet
the three missions we have been tasked by Congress to accomplish.
Priority 2: Maximize CAP resources, State and local agencies will be
feeling the financial crunch as well giving CAP an opportunity to step
up and meet emerging mission areas. Priority 3, enhance awareness
of CAPs contributions and capabilities, for over 70 years we have remained one of this nations best kept secrets. It is everyones responsibility to change this. We need to start talking to people about what
we do and how we serve our community, state and nation. People
and organizations are more willing to financially support an organization that they know about. Priority 4, Develop dynamic Americans
and aerospace leaders through the Cadet Program. I am proud to say
that each of you are already playing a vital role in this priority. Priority 5, expand aerospace education /science, technology, engineering,
and math (STEM) education outreach initiatives to meet Americas
future national defense workforce requirements. The 35th Composite
Squadron is already working to expand this part of our program with
the help of our IT Officer, Lt. Mitchell; our Aerospace Officer, Maj.
Slininger; Capt Hall, Lt. Nesler, C/CMSgt Poland and Capt. Bruce
Wiersma. Priority 6: achieve institutional excellence. This is
achieved through training, continuing education and professional development. Thanks to the commitment of all of you, the 35th Composite squadron is well on its way to meeting the priorities of CAP
Nationals strategic plan.
~~Major Cathie Spaulding, ME035 Commander~~

Curiosity rover first robot to ever drill into Mars

Published February 21, 2013
|
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has beamed home photos confirming that it recovered samples from deep within a
Red Planet rock, cementing the robot's place in exploration history.
The Curiosity rover drilled 2.5 inches into a Martian outcrop on Feb. 8, and Wednesday mission scientists first set
eyes on images showing drill tailings sitting in Curiosity's scoop, waiting to be transferred to analytical instruments
on the robot's body.
The photos confirm that Curiosity has pulled off an historic achievement, scientists said.
"This is the first time any robot, fixed or mobile, has drilled into a rock to collect a sample on Mars," Louise Jandura, sample system chief engineer for Curiosity at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif.,
told reporters.
"In fact, this is the first time any rover has drilled into a rock to collect a sample anywhere but on Earth," Jandura
added. "In the five-decade history of the space age, this is indeed a rare event." [Curiosity's First Drilling on Mars
(Photos)]
Breaking open a time capsule
Curiosity landed inside Mars' huge Gale Crater on the night of Aug. 5, kicking off a two-year prime mission to
determine if the area has ever been capable of supporting microbial life.
Along with its 10 science instruments and 17 cameras, Curiosity's hammering drill is considered key to this quest,
for it allows scientists to peer deep into Martian rocks for evidence of past habitability something no other Red
Planet robot has been able to do.
The arm-mounted drill "allows us to go beyond the surface layer of the rock, unlocking a kind of time capsule of
evidence about the state of Mars going back three or four billion years," Jandura said.
The first drilling location is an intriguing time capsule indeed, scientists say. Curiosity bored into part of an outcrop called "John Klein," which is shot through with light-colored mineral veins and other evidence of long-ago
exposure to liquid water.
"All of these features tell us that the rocks in this area have a really rich geological history, and they have the potential to give us information about multiple interactions between water and rock at this location," said JPL's Joel
Hurowitz, sampling system scientist for Curiosity.
Mission scientists will learn more about that history when the drilled sample is transferred to two of Curiosity's key
instruments, CheMin (short for Chemistry and Mineralogy) and SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars).
"That'll play out over the next few days here," said JPL's Daniel Limonadi, lead systems engineer for Curiosity's
surface sampling and science system.
A few glitches
The recovered powder has already been used to clean out Curiosity's sample-handling system, to help ensure that
the system is scrubbed free of potential contaminants from Earth. A minor software glitch has delayed the delivery
of the sample to CheMin and SAM, but the team found a workaround, researchers said.
The Curiosity team has also become aware of another potential issue with the the sample-handling hardware. Engineers built two models of this hardware to run tests here on Earth, and the sieve which screens out particles
more than 0.006 inches (150 microns) wide has begun to detach on one of them.
But this only happened after extensive use, and the sieve remained functional, rover team members said. And they
stressed that there is no sign of any problem with the sample-handling gear Curiosity toted to Mars, though they'll
take some measures to lessen the sieve's workload on the Red Planet (such as sieving samples for 20 minutes rather
than 60 minutes, which Curiosity had done previously with soil samples).
"Based on the test results to date, and based on how we expect to use the hardware on Mars, we really have pretty
good confidence that we're going to be able to use this hardware through the prime mission and beyond," Limonadi
said.
http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/02/21/curiosity-rover-to-eat-mars-rock-dust/

Whether a snow storm, rain storm, wind storm, or hurricane, the following tips
can be used year-round.
(These are taken from the Bangor Hydro website)
Most power outages occur because power lines are brought down (shorted to
ground) by tree limbs or vehicle accidents. If you see a downed power line, stay
away! Don't touch it or attempt to move it. If a line falls on your car, stay put until
we make sure it is safe for you to get out.
Emergency Generators
If your home is equipped with an emergency generator, we urge you to ensure that
it is safely installed and operated. Improper installation and/or operation can create life-threatening hazards for our crews and for you, for which you can be held
liable.
Bangor Hydro has prepared a brochure on emergency generator safety. You can
download this brochure from our Generator Safety Page or call our Service Center
at 1-800-499-6600 to request a copy.
Be Prepared
Keep flashlights with fresh batteries for all home occupants.
Keep a battery-operated radio with fresh batteries handy.
If you are not connected to a public water supply, make sure you have a supply
of clean water available.
Keep some easy-to-make nonperishable food items in your home.
If you have a secondary heating system that is not dependent upon electricity,
make sure it is in good working order with an adequate fuel supply.
If you encounter downed power lines:
You must always maintain proper respect for downed wires even though some
may appear harmless. Electrical equipment requires the same respect, awareness
and caution you would accord a firearm - always "consider it loaded." In situations where no emergency exists and human life is not in any immediate danger,
wait for the local utility personnel to secure the area; they have the knowledge and
equipment to complete the job safely.
ALWAYS REMEMBER.SAFETY FIRST!
~~Major Susan Hall~~

...continued from page 5...

Most Secure websites have fairly sophisticated password requirements and unfortunately they
usual differ enough that on single password will not work for them all.
Writing Passwords down, especially some where close to you computer should be avoided. If
you must do this, scramble the word so it reminds you but only you know what is really supposed to be. The other alternative is a electronic password safe. My personal recommendation
is a product called Keypass. There are variations of this tool based on whether you are accessing it on your Windows computer, you MAC, your Iphone, Smartphone or tablet. The app secures a database of all you passwords in one location. The Database is usually held on one system, but can be accessed from multiple devices, but it takes some special configuration to set
up properly. If any one is interested in this, Please contact me at ME035.ITO@GMAIL.COM.
Lastly, As CAP members, we have all taken the OP_SEC training as part of Level 1, Please use
these same principles on-line as well. As convenient as social media is, Please refrain from TMI
(Too Much Information) and Please, Surf Safe.
~~2LT Michael Mitchell, Internet Technology Officer~~

A reminder that the Maine Wing Conference will be held at the Lewiston High School Culinary
Arts Center in Lewiston on March 23rd. I would encourage everyone to attend and participate
in the seminars that will concentrate on training and information to keep our skills and knowledge up to date for our missions for America, cadet activities and the banquet and awards ceremony where many deserving Maine Wing members will be recognized for their outstanding
contributions to this great organization. Officers, please submit your registration form to
Maine Wing HQ and notify me of your plan to attend. Cadets, please submit your registration
form through your chain of command. Scholarships are available for Officers and cadets.
~~Major Cathie Spaulding~~

Two very informative and important websites:

http://bangorbrewercap.org
http://mewg.cap.gov/