13 December 2008 The Packing Continues

The first thing we did this morning was to check the floats. It appears that most of the foam sealant has cured. Bob then drilled a hole in each float. He then injected each float with ""Plastic Welder II" and then screwed the floats back onto the frame like it was before we started to fix SARA. Now we just have to wait for the "Plastic Welder II" to cure (that means dry and get real hard) and then we can put her in the water.

SARA looks a lot like she did when I left Virginia. She has had a few modifications but the general design and work is the same. She just looks a little more streamlined.

To be able to put SARA in the water it is first necessary to clean out the three test tanks. First we drain out the saltwater in the two large test tanks and the dirty fresh water in the smaller tank. Once almost all of the water is gone, then I used a wet vacuum cleaner to get the last little bit of water and any debris that had made its way into the test tank.

The object was to get the test tank dry and clean. The two larger test tanks each hold about 1500 gallons of water and the smaller test tank holds 300 gallons of water. The job took me a little while, but SARA is worth it.

It was another day of packing up the lab and getting ready to leave Antarctica. Every item has to be wrapped and/or boxed and then put into a container.

There are some containers that will go back home on an airplane and others will go by cargo ship. In addition, the items have to be sorted by whether they can freeze or not. The electronic items are very delicate and cannot be frozen or they will be ruined. The "Do Not Freeze" or DNF box has a really cute sticker.

This is the box that will go home on the airplane. It will take three to four weeks to reach Virginia. SARA will be placed in this box and flown home in style.

Today is also the last day that Francois will be in Antarctica. He has been here since the first week of October and it is obvious that he is looking forward to a well-deserved vacation. Francois is a charming young man that has a bright future ahead of him. I wish him all the best and want to say "Thank you" for making my time in Antarctica so very enjoyable.