http://www.foxnews.com/science/2013/01/18/new-cold-war-us-leads-race-to-find-life-under-antarctica/

I came across this article and was hesitant to read it (considering the source) and just wanted to point out a couple things that may not be accurate.  Actually they just aren’t.  Most of the science and logistical information is relatively true.  I wanted to make it clear that this is not a war, this is not a race, there is no competition here.  Its just science.  There are no winners and there are no losers.  We are all in this together, the British, Americans and Russians.  We are friendly with both of the other crews attempting to access Antarctic sub glacial lakes and supportive of their successes and failures.

Shame on you Fox.  If you were a dog, you’d be in your crate.

Yesterday’s weather decided not to let us fly.  Instead we had a snow day.  We are scheduled for a Monday morning flight on an LC 130.  Hope for the best.  I guess I shouldn’t have thrown out my soap.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/science/wissard-project-seeks-signs-of-life-under-antarctica.html?ref=science&_r=0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott’s_Hut

Scott’s Hut is a building located on the north shore of Cape Evans on Ross Island in Antarctica. It was erected in 1911 by the British Antarctic Expedition of 1910–1913 (also known as the Terra Nova Expedition) led by Robert Falcon Scott. In selecting a base of operations for the 1910–1913 Expedition, Scott rejected the notion of re-occupying the hut he had built by McMurdo Sound during the Discovery Expedition of 1901–1904. This first hut was located at Hut Point, 20 km south of Cape Evans. Two factors influenced this decision. One was that the hut was extremely cold for living quarters and the other was that Scott’s ship, the Discovery, had been trapped by sea ice at Hut Point, a problem he hoped to avoid by establishing his new base further north.

Some confusion arises because Discovery Hut can technically be referred to as ‘Scott’s’ Hut, in that his expedition built it, and it was his base ashore during the 1901–1904 expedition, but the title ‘Scott’s Hut’ popularly belongs to the building erected in 1911 at Cape Evans.

This is rotting seal meat.

cot

These are crystals that were once lava and ejected out of Mt. Erebus.

This dude is from Oregon.

This quote was hanging up in the galley.  I like it.

The new drill camp.

Here is a small assembly I designed at the last minute in Lincoln before we came down.  Its purpose is to provide a place to clamp the ducting that protects the hose (not shown) from dirt and dust when we are drilling.  The U shaped brace clamps to the crescent using a grid of 16 soft tipped set screws and the tube is held using two heim joints so that it can pivot as the hose changes angles.

Heres another example of parts that I designed for the project.  This is a set of teflon rollers designed to prevent the hose from exceeding its minimum bend radius and kinking.  The hitch pins are there so that it can be removed easily and quickly.  I got to do the machining and fabrication on this stuff (not the rollers) in Lincoln.  Lathes and milling machines make me happy.

Heres a view looking down the hose as it travels into the container.  There is another roller assembly down there as well as a hose washing system that I designed in Lincoln this summer.   Ill get into that some other time.

Antarctic BBQ hosted by Mt. Erebus.

I added a new page so that I and anyone that is interested can see who else has been reading the blog.  Maybe theres one of those small world connections out there somewhere.  I know there are quite a few people that are following and Im just curious to know who you are.  No worries if you’d rather remain a ghost follower but Id love to hear from anyone thats following.  Just click on the Registry tab and follow the instructions there.

Last week I went to a presentation given a diver working with one of the seal teams.  He showed some incredible underwater videos that he has recorded this year and last.  Hes also an accomplished musician.  Henry Kaiser is his name.

Heres a link to some of his videos.

http://www.youtube.com/user/MellishB470

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8knTG2Bbz44

B470 is a seal research team.  Heres a link to their project:

This is the Mactown Hospital.  Its great motivation to stay healthy.