After several days of missed connections and 10 hour layovers before "next available flights," I have landed back in NH! I must say that the dark nights are feeling a bit odd, but it is good to be home!
I wish to thank, one more time, Dr. Peter Doran for inviting me to join his team again this season, PolarTREC for selecting me as a representative teacher, ARCUS and NSF for funding and supporting the program, the Rye School District for its continued support, and all my family and friends for their support! It was an amazing season and I look forward to continued collaboration with Peter and continued sharing of the experience!
Don't forget, you can follow the remaining progress of ENDURANCE by tuning in to Shilpa's Blog at: http://sgulati.wordpress.com/
I will do my best to...
Storms in McMurdo, even mild ones can cause travel problems. I was re-scheduled to leave "The Ice” today. I have, indeed, made it to New Zealand! The plan (plans in Antarctica are always subject to change!) was for a C-17 to fly in from New Zealand, unload the new people arriving in Antarctica, then depart to do an air-drop of fuel to the AGAP project (Antarctica’s Gamburtsev Provence project which is quite close to South Pole), then return to McMurdo to pick-up those departing the continent and return to New Zealand. Weather could change that plan at any moment, and we had weather brewing! Those scheduled to depart had to watch the "transport monitor” all day. We were told to arrive at transport at 4:00 pm, but to watch the monitor closely because it could be changed to an earlier time...
I am still in McMurdo - this is not a bad place to be! Apparently there is bad weather somewhere because the C-17 that was supposed to land today is not coming due to weather. That means I get an extra day in "town."I walked down to the helo pad to say goodbye to the ENDURANCE team. Although it was sad to see them go, I am very excited to follow along with the project and know that they will have an amazing time out in the field! Everyone but Chris and Shilpa have headed to Lake Bonney. Chris and Shilpa have stayed in McMurdo in order to "escort" the robot out to Lake Bonney on Friday. It is nice to have them in town with me!
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The helo that will take the team to Lake Bonney.
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Cram in!
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Kristoff, Peter, and Bart...
Another phenomenal start to the day! A live chat held via the Internet with folks all over the country including a place special to my heart: Rye Junior High! It was wonderful to hear familiar voices and to "meet" some new folks! Thanks to PolarTREC for organizing the event, to Dr. Peter Doran and Dr. Stacy Kim for participating, to Cameo for being interested in doing a joint presentation, and to all those that "tuned in"! Everyone had great questions; we shared many smiles on this end! The research being done by Stacy and Peter is incredible!
ENDURANCE and I are about to part company, but hopefully our paths will cross again someday! I am scheduled to start heading north tomorrow just as the team heads to the field. I am honored to have gotten to know this team and...
The theme for the day: Packing! Everything must be packed up and ready to go to the field. The team leaves for the field Wednesday, but everything must basically be packed up today so we can organize helo loads. We also needed to break down the Bot House tent and flooring system so that it can be sent to the helo pad for shipping. The energy and excitement for getting to the field is increasing!
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Bob and Shilpa check over their packing list!
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Chris says he needs to start thinking outside the box!
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The outer tent cover, or blanket, came down much easier than it went up!
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Bob and Bill rolling up the tent cover.
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Kristoff is trying to look like the Tin Man!
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In Antarctica, things don't always go as planned! We had originally planned to breakdown the Bot House today and start packaging it up for shipment (via helicopter) to the Dry Valleys. But, the electricians need to do a bit more work on it, so it is not quite ready to be disassembled. In the mean time, the team focused on getting all the rest of their gear, and their personal items, a bit more organized and packed. Flights have already begun taking loads of gear to Lake Bonney!Since I was unable to assist the team with this part of the project - everything has specific places to be packed, I was given time to catch up on some of my UNH homework and edit some of the videos I have been making. The videos below are filmed by Steve Rupp, who is one of the "Dive Guys" here in McMurdo...
Now that the tent is assembled, we can hoist up the gantry, attach the winch system that will be used to raise and lower ENDURANCE out of the "moon pool," secure the safety railings and let the electricians do their thing! The team is getting ready to deploy to Lake Bonney, and since the big push to test build the tent was completed, we decided to divide and conquer. A small group headed back to the tent to work on the tasks mentioned above, while the rest of the team finished smaller projects with the robot.First, I helped attach the C-channel that will be used as a guidance track for the gantry. The gantry is basically a moveable frame that will assist in the hoisting and lowering of ENDURANCE.
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Me helping to secure the C-channel that will be used to...
There were a few moments today when I suspected if we just held on tight to the tent lines that the wind would allow the entire team to parasail over to Lake Bonney! Even though it was a relatively mild wind - at least by Antarctic standards, it was quite a challenge to get the tent covers (yep - that's plural... there are three cover layers!) put on the tent!
We started the day by assembling the frame for the tent cover, or "blanket" as it's called. We called the frame the ribcage because it looked quite a bit like a rack of ribs! The first several "ribs" were quite difficult to connect, but once we had a system going, we got into a groove.
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Shilpa gathers some "ribs" (tent frame sections!) to the work area for assembly!
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The first "rib" goes...
What a team! Today, we did a test build of the entire flooring assembly for "The Bothouse" which is the building that will house the robot - ENDURANCE - out at Lake Bonney. The flooring had already been built in Texas, but because of the shrinking and warping effects of wood due to weather and extreme conditions, we needed to be sure the entire system would still fit together after being exposed to the extreme cold. If anything needed to be rebuilt, adjusted, or re-drilled in order for bolts to line up properly with neighboring boards, we needed to know - and respond accordingly - while we are still in "town." Lake Bonney is a protected area, no major construction is allowed in the area, plus... it's easier to deal with problems in town when we have access to lots of...
This morning's activities included a check out dive on surface supply for Peter and Bill. We met up with Rob and Steve - the "dive guys" (who run the diving program in Antarctica), got suited up and headed out to the pier in front of McMurdo. Rob reviewed how the surface supply connections were set up, how the communications system works, safety procedures and rules, as well as what to do in case of a diving emergency. We always have a supply of oxygen available in case a diver gets decompression sickness, but it should never really be needed. Everyone dives very carefully and stays within the "no decompression" limits.Decompression sickness is a concern for divers. As divers go into deeper water, pressure builds up. As the pressure increases, more nitrogen can be...
The ENDURANCE team started their day with morning meeting. The big topic of discussion this morning was how best to overlay the grid coordinates between the existing topographic map (which is basically a rough estimate), the hand-held GPS markings from driving around the perimeter of the lake, and the most recent satellite imagery. There were slight discrepancies between each data set, and the team needed to figure out how best to handle that; no one wants to crash the robot into the face of the Taylor Glacier because of an error in topo calculations!
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Peter and the team discuss the variations in coordinates.
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Peter leads a discussion on complications that may be faced in the sampling sites near the shore line. The lake has never been accurately...
First thing this morning, I introduced "Doo" (the Rye Junior High robot) to ENDURANCE. Doo is thinking it's ready for the "big leagues!" TAT also met the big "Bot" today.
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SCUBADOOBA DOO meets ENDURANCE!
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A little size comparison!
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I tried to explain to Doo that if it keeps working as well as it has been, it may be able to play in the big leagues someday!
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TAT also got a chance to meet ENDURANCE
The ENDURANCE team starts their day with a morning meeting. Everyone discusses issues that may have come up as well as plans for the day. Everyone has their area of expertise, yet everyone helps out with any task that needs doing! If an issue arises that requires the expertise of a...
Today, Jean asked if I would launch ScubaDooba Doo in the Crary Lab aquarium tank so she could document the story for the "Exploratorium." I also wanted to perfect my driving skills a bit, so it seemed like a perfect idea! The large aquarium tanks are currently devoid of fish, so we asked if we would be allowed to launch the robot in one of the tanks. Permission was granted, so we took "Doo" (as I now call the robot for short!) to the tank! We played around with Doo for a bit and were joined by Bob Zook who works with Dr. Stacy Kim on Project SCINI (Submersible Capable of under Ice Navigation and Imaging). He helped design and build the SCINI robot that the team is using in Antarctica. Their robot is really neat! I will be talking more about it in upcoming journals,...
This puppy's got some "guts"! The flotation pieces, which are the orange outer shells you saw in the earlier pictures have been removed in order to get to the robot's innards. The batteries that Maciej charged up a few weeks ago were added to the robot and all the electrical and control connections are being re-connected and tested! Everyone on the team has a role and they are all working hard to get this robot up and running and ready for the field!
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The ENDURANCE without its floatation!
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The green cable is the Ethernet communications between the sonde (the scientific equipment package) and the robot.
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Each of these cables is a link to the sonar panels around the robot
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Chris begins to test the...
Two big events today!
One: ScubaDooba Doo, which is the robot 8th graders at Rye Junior High built performed flawlessly on its first Antarctic adventure! I am so proud of all the students that worked so hard to make it work - CONGRATUATIONS! Your robot swims, maneuvers, sends video out, and has a working light system in the frigid Antarctica waters! It sent Fantastic video clips back to the surface! We even flew the flag designed by Jiselle off the back! Check out the underwater footage! Everyone in the group was impressed with your efforts - they all send a big "congrats" and were VERY impressed! I wish you could have heard the cheers from everyone - it was so fun to see how enthusiastic everyone here was about this robot. How exciting!
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ScubaDooba Doo...
What a day! For years I have been waiting for this day. My friend Jean Pennycook, who works with the Adelie Penguin project (you met her in an earlier journal when I got to sort through penguin poop!) took me to the Cape Royds Adelie penguin colony. What a site! Those little creatures were busy! Building nests (which they make out of pebbles; pebbles that are often stolen from their neighbors nest!), flapping their wings to mark their territory, mating, sitting on eggs, and yacking up a storm! I could have just sat and watched for days - it was fascinating! What little characters they are! Check out the video below!
Before we went to the colony, we took a quick tour of the historic Cape Royds Hut. This is where Earnest Shackleton departed from in order to explore the inner reaches of...
The penguin colony trip has once again been postponed; although I am very disappointed, I am hopeful that the opportunity may come up again! Schedules are tricky here! We have to have two snowmobiles and two people trained in snowmobile and sea ice safety - neither of which I have and the classes are backed up with a waiting list. There were originally two drivers going, I was the third person in the party. But one driver got called out to Siple Dome, so we have to wait. The plan now is to go tomorrow; we'll see!But, the good news is that the ENDURANCE has finally arrived in Antarctica. This is the robot that Dr. Peter Doran is launching this year in Lake Bonney. Lake Bonney is in Taylor Valley which is one of the Dry Valleys in Antarctica. It is the same valley that Lake Hoare is in, but...
What a wonderful way to start my day - talking to folks back home and from around the country! Thanks to everyone for taking the time to say hello and participate in the LIVE From IPY event! You all had great questions! It was so nice to hear familiar voices; I must admit, it made me a bit homesick! But I'll be home soon enough! We spent the day cleaning up and packing the rest of our gear. The first sling load picked up most of our gear at about 1:30 this afternoon. We are scheduled for the 9 pm flight back to Scott Base, and then I will catch a ride back over to McMurdo Station. We are all a bit anxious about the katabatic winds which are blowing. We waited until late in the day before we took down our tents - just in case flights are cancelled due to wind.... which could still happen...
What a busy day! First, Aslan dove to take some more light readings with a light sensor, to take some pictures of the experiment, and to retrieve Hal. We are packing up to head back to town. The experiment, so far, is a great success! Everything is working and buttoned up nicely. Ian attached the solar panel today, so the instruments will have power during spring, summer, and fall months!
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The solar panel that will be left out on the lake as a power supply
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Hal, with lift bag attached, ready to return to the surface
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The Shade Screens
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Two of the light arrays and one of the light sensors
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The three light arrays!
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Another view of the light arrays and sensors
Hilke spent...
First, let me offer a penguin update. The penguin, now known as Addie, has wondered off and no one has seen him/her. The research team was unable to come and rescue him/her. In my mind, he took a left turn, headed back to the ocean and has been re-united with the colony.... ☺!Today started with Aslan diving and "stealing" the light sensor that was attached to Hal. Hal no longer needed it for what he is doing at the bottom of the lake, and we needed it for the light sensors that are going under the light array. Aslan had to take a box cutter diving with him in order to slice off the duct tape that we used to hold the light sensor cables to Hal's other cables; box cutters and dry suits with clumsy dry suit gloves are never a good combination! He managed to free the light sensor...
Today, we collected some more mat and water samples and deployed all three light arrays and two of the sensors for the light arrays. Now, this might sound like an "easy" task.... not so! First, as we stand on the surface ice, we have to determine exactly where the experiment is set up underwater. We do not have an underwater GPS, and compasses do not work too well down here, so we have to use more "old fashion" methods. During one of the last dives, we had the diver swim towards the experiment so that the people on the surface could get the proper angle away from the dive hole; basically, we look to see which direction the umbilical cord is exiting the dive hole and we choose a landmark on shore to line up with! We also had the diver swim a rope to the top of the...
The sun was shining brightly this morning, so I made the first dive in order to take some underwater pictures of Hal, the shade screens, and an experiment that had been set out several years ago. The algae is quite interesting to look at; it makes amazing patterns!
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Me - ready to get in! (That's for you Jillian and Flagstaff!)
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Going in!
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Self-portrait underwater!
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Algae growing on an experiment that was put in the lake several years ago - doesn't it have interesting patterns? Ian wonders if the white spots are a virus.
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Hal - ready to collect some data! The probe is attached on the right hand side; it's coming down from the white holder.
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Looking down on one of the shade screens....
Just before Ian was about to go into the water, he looked up across the lake and said "penguin!" Sure enough, there was an Adelie penguin trying to make his way across the lake! He climbed up onto the ice ledges and hobbled down onto the smooth ice areas. Then he made his way over to camp.
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This little Adelie seemed to be thankful for a nice warm rock on which to rest!
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He certainly seemed to be on a mission; albeit a bit confused!
Now, as exciting and adorable as this is, Lake Hoare is NOT the place you really want to see a penguin. They are quite a ways from the ocean here and typically are unable to find their way back out of the valley. There is nothing for them to eat here, the lakes are frozen, so there is no readily...
What a spectacular day, the sun was shining all day today! It never ceases to amaze me how much of a difference a little sunshine can make! Things warmed up today. It was only 3 °F, but it felt like a balmy day! We got the compressor running again - after sticking it into the tent for a couple hours with a kerosene heater on it!
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We got the compressor running again; more air is on the way!
Aslan dove to release the control on Hal that allows him to move laterally. We do not yet want that to happen automatically, so Aslan went down to do it by hand! Thanks to his terrific communication skills, we knew just what he was doing and were able to position Hal into the proper position for that next data run.
Communication is key! Listen to the audio file I have attached (...
It was cold this morning! We all headed to the dive hole at about 9:30 this morning. There was no sun and a slight snow was falling. Everything was freezing that we needed to use: regulators, batteries, Hal's motor parts, etc. We went through some hot thermos water today! We poured the hot water on the frozen parts to thaw things out. The most difficult part is being outside in our dry suits standing on the lake ice. The suits are warm enough, but standing on the ice in thin rubber boots is quite cold on the feet. Once our feet get cold, everything starts to cool down. I had a good case of the shivers - I think we all did! Of course, we ran into minor glitches along the way with the parts to things freezing. This just prolonged our time on the ice.After a very cold start, Ian dove to re-...
