Work continued on the drill this week and we will be moving out to another location about 10 miles away from McMurdo to where the ice is thick enough to drill some test holes. We finally got the reel container back this week (thats the building we designed and built in Lincoln this summer. The large steel frame shown below is built in two sections. The top section is designed to slide to the left relative to the lower section so that the crescents (the big aluminum things) can be extended out away from the container to drill. When we shipped all of this we had to weld the two structures together so they couldnt shift while being shipped around the world. In order to separate the structures again the tabs where ground off and removed.
McMurdo celebrates Thanksgiving on Saturday, which is today. Heres a picture of a Turkey wearing “Bunny Boots”. Bunny boots is a nickname for the extreme cold vapor barrier boots used by the US Armed Forces and the US Antarctic Program. I hear they are pretty popular in Alaska also. These were originally developed at the Navy Clothing and Textile Research Center in Natick, MA (10 minutes from my house in Massachusetts). They are rated to -65 F and weigh 54 oz (almost 3.5 lbs) each.
Another option for Antarctic footwear is the FDX boot made by Asics.
I opted for the Cabelas boots. They are equivalent to the FDX boots and Bunny boots but have the ability to breath a bit better than rubber and leather. The soles are super thick to provide insulation from the snow.
I cant talk about boots without mentioning Red Wings. On days that I know are going to be on the warmer side Ill wear my Red Wing 2412 boots. They’ve survived a season in Alaska and now have served me well in Antarctica too. The only drawback to them is that they have a steel toe which, on a cold day can transfer quite a bit of heat out of your toes. These boots are one my favorite possessions.
Anyways, Happy Thanksgiving
lemarctica 
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