17 November 2008 [Video] Wanting to play in the big leagues!

Journal

First thing this morning, I introduced "Doo" (the Rye Junior High robot) to ENDURANCE. Doo is thinking it's ready for the "big leagues!" TAT also met the big "Bot" today.

SCUBADOOBA DOO meets ENDURANCE!

A little size comparison!

I tried to explain to Doo that if it keeps working as well as it has been, it may be able to play in the big leagues someday!

TAT also got a chance to meet ENDURANCE

The ENDURANCE team starts their day with a morning meeting. Everyone discusses issues that may have come up as well as plans for the day. Everyone has their area of expertise, yet everyone helps out with any task that needs doing! If an issue arises that requires the expertise of a particular member, everyone listens intently to what that person has to say. The cooperation is seamless!

Bart and Peter discuss cable strength and stretch during morning meeting.

Bob, the teams electrical technician, works with a moc-up of the homing lights electrical board.

Vicky, the logistics manager and technician, works on the sonde deployment area of the robot.

We are waiting for a shipment of supplies to arrive before we can start assembling the weather haven that will be used to house the robot out at Lake Bonney; sort of like a garage, but it will be called "The Bothouse"! In the mean time, people are working on programming and planning for deployment at the lake. There was not much I could do here to help today, so I jumped at an invitation to go back to Cape Royds!

Jean, Dr. David Ainley, Karen, and I hopped on a couple snowmobiles and headed for Royds! This time I actually got to go INTO the colony! What a treat! Permission to enter is restricted to only personnel doing research. Dr. Ainley needed some assistance bringing supplies for their experiments into the colony, so Karen and I helped out (like anyone would have to twist our arms!). We brought in green fencing which will be used to enclose one section of the colony. The birds will be given access out of the colony via a "weighing bridge" that is actually a scale that will record their weight as they leave and return to their nests. Pretty clever!

I have added a few of my favorite pictures here; hope you like them!

Jean with the fencing that Karen and I got to take into the colony

The fencing will be connected to make a corral for the penguins.

Check out all the nests made out of rocks!

This one is keeping a couple eggs warm!

Time to rotate the eggs!

So cute!

These two Adelies are staring down a Skua. Skua's will steal penguin eggs for a snack.

Adelie egg. NO - I did NOT take this from a nest! It is a broken egg (actually the entire other side is missing - it's only half a shell!) that Jean brought over to show us.