Local Posting Day and Time- 1-27-08 9:40 AM Central Standard Posting Day and Time- 1-26-08 2:40 PM
Today's WATIZIT
Our First Full Day At WAIS
We are here to repair 5 weather stations and to install a new one. When we arrived it was late in the evening so we unload our gear (go to the galley and eat some dessert)
The cook always has dessert available in the Galley
The next day the Twin OtterA highly maneuverable utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada. It can be flown slowly and in tight circles, and is designed for 20 passengers, short takeoffs and landings, and often used for cargo, passengers, and as a science platform. airplane that is being sent out for us, is due to arrive in the afternoon and we would probably fly out to some stations once it gets here. So we packed our equipment and get ready to go into the field (after eating some dessert at the Galley). Once the plane arrives we go to the Galley with Jim and Louie, the pilot and copilot, they tell us (while we are eating some dessert) that they have been flying for awhile today and so we would wait until morning to fly out to any weather stations. One of the stations, Kominko-Slade, that needs some work, is located about a half mile away from camp.
Kominko-Slade AWS is one of the specks on the horizon, to the right of the Arch
The temperature is about 0 F to 5 below, with a chill factor of about 15 - 20 below. George and I walk out across the wind blown snow (quite a chore when you are wearing bunny boots and all of our heavy ECW(abbreviation) Extreme Cold Weather clothing) to check it out. George checks out the electronics of the station and decides that we need to take the electronics back to camp so he can work on them. We hike back to camp (stopping at the Galley for some dessert) to get some tools and a sled, hike back to the station, unbolt it and then drag it back to camp. While it is warming up in the Science tent, we go over to the Galley (for some dessert). Fog rolls in and we gather outside to look at the sun dogs.
Sundog Spectators
George does his magic on the weather station electronics using his toothbrush and some rubbing alcohol he got from the medic.
George repairing the Kominko-Slade AWS in the Science Tent at WAIS
We drag the weather station back out to the tower and hook it back up. Soon it is transmitting data to the satellites, we trudge back to camp exhausted and ready for bed. I crawl into my tent and sleeping bag (after some dessert). You need lots of calories to keep warm here, somewhere I read that a person needs over 5000 calories a day in Antarctica.
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