[naviga:h3]Speed may be factor in crash that killed 5[/naviga:h3]

MANORVILLE, N.Y. — Police are investigating whether speed was a factor in a multivehicle crash on a major Long Island road that killed five people including a former aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Suffolk County police said the crash happened Sunday morning on the Long Island Expressway, near Manorville.

Police said the driver of an eastbound Subaru Outback, Carmelo Pinales, 26, of Hicksville, apparently lost control of his vehicle, which crossed over the grassy median, went airborne and struck two vehicles, a BMW and a Honda, that were traveling west.

Among those killed was Scott Martella, 29, of Northport, a communications director for Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and a former aide to Cuomo. He was driving the Honda and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Pinales and his 27-year-old sister, Patricia Pinales, of Westbury, were killed. His 10-year-old son, Christopher, was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

A passenger in the BMW, Isidore Adelson, 81, of Westhampton, was taken to a hospital, where he died.

[naviga:h3]Mars simulation near end on island[/naviga:h3]

HILO, Hawaii — Six scientists are close to wrapping up a year of near isolation in a Mars simulation on a Hawaii mountain.

Kim Binsted, principal investigator for the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation, said this simulation is the second-longest of its kind after a mission that lasted 520 days in Russia.

Mauna Loa soil is similar to what would be found on Mars. The area’s high elevation means almost no plant growth. NASA funded the study.