Saturday, December 29, 2007
Strange Press
Today I open my inbox at work to find a link to this article, which is about a science group we support out of McMurdo. Apparently they got a bit turned around in the field and had forgotten to bring the GPS coordinates with them but were able to call one guy's girlfriend with their satellite phone. The woman in the US googled the coordinates needed for the group to get back on track with their GPS unit.That link was sent out to my co-workers which another email with another link to check out. I guess I realized that "we" (meaning Antarctica, I guess) were getting lots of publicity this season. I just had no idea how much until this article came out about how two guys got in a fight at the South Pole and were sent home.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
You Know She's a Little Bit Dangerous...
We are always told that Antarctica can be a dangerous place to live. I have had friends medavaced and sent back to the US because of accidents at work and injuries from recreational activities. These things could've happened anywhere, but were they more likely to happen here? Who knows! There have been a few major events this season that have made me think that maybe it really is dangerous living here...Earlier this season, a mattrack (like the vehicle I drove out to a seal camp) started on fire on the sea ice. Someone posted a photo taken from a helo on the I:drive within hours of it. I have the photo somewhere, and if I remember I'll post it later.
Then on the 20th of this month, the Basler aircraft flown by Kenn Borek Air had an "incident" about 600+ miles from McMurdo. There were 10 passengers on board, but luckily no major injuries were sustained. Here is a link to a blog written by someone who was on board. I'm also including a link to an article written for Canadian Content.
Just this morning, we had a dumptruck take out to power line poles and cut electricity to many different buildings on station including two facilities where experiments were being conducted. Luckily, it did not affect the Crary Lab itself.
It's an amazing stroke of luck, but nobody was seriously hurt in any of these accidents!
Happy Holidays!
These three beautiful ladies are my roommates: Melanie, Bamma (yes that's her real name), Cindy, and then me on the right. We had this picture taken the other day at Christmas dinner in the Galley. I'll include another posting soon of how I spent my two days off for the holiday!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
LDB = Long Duration Balloon
I've helped with three balloon launches in two seasons, but they've been small balloons that burst after 2 hours or so. Right now is the critical launch season for LDB, an acronym for Long-Duration Balloon. This project has already launched 2 of the 3 HUGE balloons they are sending up into the atmostphere. There are many different groups working on this project, and today's launch is supported by BESS. This link shows the path the balloon is taking. For more information, click here.
**UPDATE** As of today, 12/27/07 all 3 balloons have been launched. Last night I attended a science lecture on the BESS balloon and it's purpose to study antimatter. A lot of the astrophysics went right over this girl's head, but I did learn that the balloon and payload all together total about 1000 feet long when it launches, and as the balloon ascends higher into the atmosphere it widens and gets shorter so it's approximately 400 and some feet wide by 350 or so feet tall. It is HUGE!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Saying Goodbye Already?
No, I'm not leaving early. But I have been saying goodbye to some amazing people in the last 2 weeks. As it gets warmer, the routes on the sea ice close which bring an end to a lot of the biology groups' studies. Just this week alone, we've sent 74 grantees home most of whom have been here since early October. Last year I really only had to say goodbye to people in February when it was time for all of us worker bees to migrate north. Working in Crary means I get to know people who are here for short field seasons of 3 weeks to the entire Mainbody season. And I hate goodbyes.Thursday, December 13, 2007
Emperors... from October
I did a little cropping on this one. Just thought I'd post it for fun. If you click on it, you can get a larger version.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Two of My Favorite Things
Two of my favorite things are in this picture. One: my sunglasses. I bought these babies for $5 back in 2002 for a pub crawl with my friend Biegs, and they've been on the move ever since. They've made many appearances including one involving a vacuum cleaner backpack and a prom dress in Atlanta. I took them to the Netherlands when I studied there. The lenses are so scratched you can barely see out of them, but they are still super fun to wear.
My other favorite thing in this photo is Erin. From the moment I stepped back on to station in early October, Erin has been there. Along with my friend Roxanne, she greeted me with a sign that said "Welcome Back, Katie! Get a real job - Be a janitor!" I think we actually spent waaaaay too much time together at first. We started making plans for each other... "oh, by the way... we're meeting up with Paul tonight." But then the season picked up, and I again overloaded my schedule with volleyball, the Crary bowling team, pinsetting, Biggest Losers, travelogues, science lectures, open mic nights (my first one tonight), and everything else I get involved in down here. So I don't see Erin that much these days. We still check in to see if we're on for our weekly Sunday night Burger Bar date, and this past Saturday when neither of us felt like going out we hung out in the Craft Room and crafted and chatted. During the summer we were both able to visit and/or meet each other's family, and her mom actually requested a picture of her since she hasn't posted many this season on Life on Ice.