Hello All,
Wanted to let you know that I will not be posting to this blog for the rest of the season, until Feb, 2009. Instead I will posting a new blog each week through the NASA Cryospheric Sciences branch website. For those of you who do not already know I am now a NASA employee. I love my new job but was only physically in the office for 2 weeks before heading off to Greenland. Please check out the blog and remember that I have e-mail here at Summit so please send me updates as well.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Thursday, November 06, 2008
The Dramatic Entry
Hello Friends and Family,
I am posting a quick blog before the rumors start flying about my trip to Greenland.
I had quite a dramatic entry into Denmark. During my flight from Washington DC to Copenhagen On Oct 30, I got quite ill. I was vomiting and was getting quite dehydrated throughout the 8 hour flight. By the time I got to Copenhagen I was feeling horrible. They took my from the plane to the hospital to replace some fluids which is very important when traveling to the very dry ice sheet environment. The hospital trip made me miss the Air Greenland flight to Kangerlussaq which only flys every 3 days. Russ, the chief mechanic who was headed up to Summit for turn-over week, was nice enough to stay behind me with me though this ordeal, and I got to stay in Coppenhagen until Nov 3. The doctors believed the illness was caused by food poisoning. I spent a day recovering and then a day walking around coppenhgen which was very nice.
On Nov 2 Russ and I were joined by Kat and Kathy who had also had complications in there travel logistics. On the 3rd we flew into Kanger, packed our cold weather gear and prepared for the flight to Summit on the 4th.
On the 4th we loaded into a twin otter for the 3 hour flight to Summit. It was a beautiful flight and it felt good to be back on the ice. The sun was already setting when we arrived Summit around 12:30 pm local time. The ice was glowing pink. The current crew in Camp unloaded the plane and took us to the Big house for the in briefing. Since we are at altitude we take the first day quite easy to make sure our bodies adjust well. (The first week here is called turn-over week, where there are 12 of us in Camp. This is a training period where we shadow the people who sere here before us to make sure the transition between crews is smooth.)
During my relaxing afternoon, I turned on my computer to check the early US presidential elections results and had an interesting e-mail in my inbox from Johnson Space Center. They were asking for my phone number. I had sent in an astronaut application last summer but figured it was quite a long shot chance. I sent Johnson my phone number and the camp phone rung an hour later. I got a radio call to come to the Big House for a call. I walked through the dark from the Greenhouse to the Big House already shaking, from excitement not cold. The message at the big house told me that I need to call Johnson back. I did and was asked to come out for the first round of astronaut interviews. My application had made it through to 120 applicants invited out for a 3 day initial interview. The last interview would be held Jan 26th. I am scheduled to leave Summit mid-feb. This was exciting and sad news.
I have been on quite the emotional rollercoaster from screaming in happiness to crying. I am so happy to have some good friends up here to share in this with me. So tomorrow I will call Johnson back and thank them for the interview but decline because I am already helping to carry out NASA research here in Greenland and beg for so preference in the next astronaut call a few years from now. My dream of being an astronaut will not die, it will just be postponed while I live out my ice sheet dreams for now.
The winds are blowing the snow around and you can barely see the light on the Big House from the Green House. The wind are swirling and creating huge wind drifts. What a harsh, bueatiful and wonderful place. Let the winter begin.
More soon after the turn-over week is completed and I have a bit more time. Miss you all.
I am posting a quick blog before the rumors start flying about my trip to Greenland.
I had quite a dramatic entry into Denmark. During my flight from Washington DC to Copenhagen On Oct 30, I got quite ill. I was vomiting and was getting quite dehydrated throughout the 8 hour flight. By the time I got to Copenhagen I was feeling horrible. They took my from the plane to the hospital to replace some fluids which is very important when traveling to the very dry ice sheet environment. The hospital trip made me miss the Air Greenland flight to Kangerlussaq which only flys every 3 days. Russ, the chief mechanic who was headed up to Summit for turn-over week, was nice enough to stay behind me with me though this ordeal, and I got to stay in Coppenhagen until Nov 3. The doctors believed the illness was caused by food poisoning. I spent a day recovering and then a day walking around coppenhgen which was very nice.
On Nov 2 Russ and I were joined by Kat and Kathy who had also had complications in there travel logistics. On the 3rd we flew into Kanger, packed our cold weather gear and prepared for the flight to Summit on the 4th.
On the 4th we loaded into a twin otter for the 3 hour flight to Summit. It was a beautiful flight and it felt good to be back on the ice. The sun was already setting when we arrived Summit around 12:30 pm local time. The ice was glowing pink. The current crew in Camp unloaded the plane and took us to the Big house for the in briefing. Since we are at altitude we take the first day quite easy to make sure our bodies adjust well. (The first week here is called turn-over week, where there are 12 of us in Camp. This is a training period where we shadow the people who sere here before us to make sure the transition between crews is smooth.)
During my relaxing afternoon, I turned on my computer to check the early US presidential elections results and had an interesting e-mail in my inbox from Johnson Space Center. They were asking for my phone number. I had sent in an astronaut application last summer but figured it was quite a long shot chance. I sent Johnson my phone number and the camp phone rung an hour later. I got a radio call to come to the Big House for a call. I walked through the dark from the Greenhouse to the Big House already shaking, from excitement not cold. The message at the big house told me that I need to call Johnson back. I did and was asked to come out for the first round of astronaut interviews. My application had made it through to 120 applicants invited out for a 3 day initial interview. The last interview would be held Jan 26th. I am scheduled to leave Summit mid-feb. This was exciting and sad news.
I have been on quite the emotional rollercoaster from screaming in happiness to crying. I am so happy to have some good friends up here to share in this with me. So tomorrow I will call Johnson back and thank them for the interview but decline because I am already helping to carry out NASA research here in Greenland and beg for so preference in the next astronaut call a few years from now. My dream of being an astronaut will not die, it will just be postponed while I live out my ice sheet dreams for now.
The winds are blowing the snow around and you can barely see the light on the Big House from the Green House. The wind are swirling and creating huge wind drifts. What a harsh, bueatiful and wonderful place. Let the winter begin.
More soon after the turn-over week is completed and I have a bit more time. Miss you all.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Last Blog for Awhile
Well here is the final blog for my Greenland 2007 Season. There have not been many blogs this season and the final one is being writen from my warm office back in Seattle.
With all the complications I had little time, or energy, to do much outreach. I have added two links for outreach blogs that were done while I was at Summit. They are excellent Blogs. The Greenland Photochemistry Blog, by Jack Dibb’s group, sums up all the science and happenings at Summit Station. The Voyaging Teacher Blog, by Mike Pastirik, tells of Mikes first experiences in Greenland as a high school science teacher. Mike also was a great help to our Nitrate sampling experiment. He helped monitor the misters and bubblers while I was completing other science, so I will slip a quick thank you to Mike in here. These Blogs cover all the science and happenings at Summit while I was there.
During my time at Summit were we able to get atmospheric nitrate sampling up and running. This equipment will continue to run until mid August. Here is a picture of the misters and bubblers which are sampling the HN03 and NO2
I was able to complete my radar studies. I used a new luneberg lens technique in two 2-meter snow pits to get extinction length measurements at 37 GHz. Here is a picture of one of the pits where I am placing a snow saw at a specific snow layer. I also took multiple radar traverse lines to characterize layer variability over 100 meter traverse lines. Robin, one of the Summit mechanics, came along during the traverses to help lift the radar, the mount system is too high for me to lift the radar, and drive the snowmobile while I monitored the radar from the sled.
I took 48 snow samples for a soot study Steve Warren and Tom Grenfell are completing. This was a fun assignment because we had to get away from camp to get clean snow. Steve, the science tech, Sarah Wheller, a writer, and I took the snowmobiles out 40 km to do two 1-meter pits and gather snow samples. It was a beautiful ride with fresh sparkling snow on the ground and the sun shining.
Well here are a few things I learned this season: Things Break but there is generally someone who can fix it, Never have a non-automated 24 hour sampling method and There is always someone around to help. Which brings me to a few Thanks You’s. This season had many unexpected circumstances. When Dan left I was all alone trying to complete a job for two. Lots of people around camp helped fill in for Dan so I could complete our science goals. Special thanks go out to Kathy, Steve, Lance, Mike, Jack, Katrine, Barry, Robin, Bella, Brad, Jake, Robin, Sparky and Tyler. I couldn’t have done it without all your help.
With all the complications I had little time, or energy, to do much outreach. I have added two links for outreach blogs that were done while I was at Summit. They are excellent Blogs. The Greenland Photochemistry Blog, by Jack Dibb’s group, sums up all the science and happenings at Summit Station. The Voyaging Teacher Blog, by Mike Pastirik, tells of Mikes first experiences in Greenland as a high school science teacher. Mike also was a great help to our Nitrate sampling experiment. He helped monitor the misters and bubblers while I was completing other science, so I will slip a quick thank you to Mike in here. These Blogs cover all the science and happenings at Summit while I was there.
During my time at Summit were we able to get atmospheric nitrate sampling up and running. This equipment will continue to run until mid August. Here is a picture of the misters and bubblers which are sampling the HN03 and NO2
I was able to complete my radar studies. I used a new luneberg lens technique in two 2-meter snow pits to get extinction length measurements at 37 GHz. Here is a picture of one of the pits where I am placing a snow saw at a specific snow layer. I also took multiple radar traverse lines to characterize layer variability over 100 meter traverse lines. Robin, one of the Summit mechanics, came along during the traverses to help lift the radar, the mount system is too high for me to lift the radar, and drive the snowmobile while I monitored the radar from the sled.
I took 48 snow samples for a soot study Steve Warren and Tom Grenfell are completing. This was a fun assignment because we had to get away from camp to get clean snow. Steve, the science tech, Sarah Wheller, a writer, and I took the snowmobiles out 40 km to do two 1-meter pits and gather snow samples. It was a beautiful ride with fresh sparkling snow on the ground and the sun shining.
Well here are a few things I learned this season: Things Break but there is generally someone who can fix it, Never have a non-automated 24 hour sampling method and There is always someone around to help. Which brings me to a few Thanks You’s. This season had many unexpected circumstances. When Dan left I was all alone trying to complete a job for two. Lots of people around camp helped fill in for Dan so I could complete our science goals. Special thanks go out to Kathy, Steve, Lance, Mike, Jack, Katrine, Barry, Robin, Bella, Brad, Jake, Robin, Sparky and Tyler. I couldn’t have done it without all your help.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Heat Wave
I peaked out of my tent today expecting to see a white out. I was pleasantly surprised to see the sun. The wind was still blowing but had calmed down from last night. I had to put my earplugs in last night in order to sleep; the wind was rattling the tent walls so much it was impossible to sleep. Since the wind was still blowing today I decided not to do my radar pit and to take my turn as the House Mouse. The House Mouse is the person who does the camp dishes, helps the cooks, cleans the bathrooms, vacuums the dinning room, makes coffee, etc. Everyone at Summit has one day when they have to do the House Mouse choirs. I did mine today since the weather in the morning was not ideal to have the radar electronic out in. Mousing also gave me another day to rest a bit and be indoors with warm hands from the dishwater. Here is a picture of the Big house where you House Mouse.
Didn’t really need to be warmed up much today. The temps hit –5 C or 25 F. This is really warm for Summit. The sun stayed out all day and the winds quit around noon. It was a beautiful day. After I had finished my choirs for the day I went for a ski. Here is a picture.
I will sleep well tonight and dig a two-meter pit in the morning. I set the radar sled up this afternoon, so it is all ready to go. I am excited to finally be starting on my science. I got an update from Dan today. He is feeling better and will leave Thule on a flight for the US on Friday.
The cooks made some incredible peanut butter pie for dessert tonight. It was so good I just had another piece to keep me warm tonight though I doubt I will need it with all the sun.
Didn’t really need to be warmed up much today. The temps hit –5 C or 25 F. This is really warm for Summit. The sun stayed out all day and the winds quit around noon. It was a beautiful day. After I had finished my choirs for the day I went for a ski. Here is a picture.
I will sleep well tonight and dig a two-meter pit in the morning. I set the radar sled up this afternoon, so it is all ready to go. I am excited to finally be starting on my science. I got an update from Dan today. He is feeling better and will leave Thule on a flight for the US on Friday.
The cooks made some incredible peanut butter pie for dessert tonight. It was so good I just had another piece to keep me warm tonight though I doubt I will need it with all the sun.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Oh The Drama
Well it has been quite dramatic here on the ice sheet the last few days. On June 7th, Dan and I were able to get the nitrate sampling up equipment up and running. We waited to turn on the sampling until the last C-130 flight left. Sampling started at 2:30 pm in the afternoon. Dan had not been feeling well on the 7th and was pretty tired after his first night sleeping in a tent. I took the first shift of babysitting the nitrate equipment to make sure it ran properly, to establish evaporation rates so we would know when to refill them and to watch for freezing. I was going to stay up until 2:00 am and then Dan would come on at 5:00 am. Around 1:00 am, Dan Skyped me to let me know he was not feeling well and was going to see the medic. I meet with Dan and the medic, Tyler, around 2:30 am on the 8th. I was told that Dan’s mouth was swelling from where his wisdom teeth had been removed, a requirement to come to Summit. At first we though he would be fine if he had some time off and some good sleep. I said I would take over Dan’s 5:00 am shift. I slept about 2.5 hours.
I stumbled out to Sat Camp at 5:00 am to find that some of the nitrate equipment had frozen. I fixed it and started sampling again. I went in for Breakfast at 8:00 am to find out that Dan was doing worse. By lunch there was talk of medical evacuation to Thule Air Force base. I called Eric and Julia at UW and filled them in on the situation.
I made it through the day checking the instruments every 3 hours managing a few 1.5 hours naps. After dinner I went back out to Sat camp. Katrine had volunteered to check our equipment through the night of the 8th so I could get a night’s sleep. I showed her how to fill our mist chambers and bubbler and thanked her profusely. I was looking forward to some sleep when they called me to the office on the radio. I walked back to camp to find out that an immediate medical evacuation had been called for Dan. The swelling in Dan’s mouth had continued and they were worried his throat could swell closed. A twin otter was scheduled to come in and pick him up.
There was still more drama, the twin otter pilots were in Nook which had 60 kts winds. The plane could not take off. Apparently the doors were almost blown off the hanger when they pulled out the plane. The plane was suppose to arrive at 11:00 pm on the 8th. It did not arrive until 5:00 am on the 9th. Kathy and Steve stayed up all night doing hourly weather observations for the plane while I got 5 hours of sleep. Kathy woke me up around 4:30 to let me know Dan was doing worse and the plane was arriving. I again stumbled out of my tent and stumbled some more on my way to the green house where I found Dan hooked up to an IV. I was told that Brad would fly with Dan to Thule air force base for medical treatment. I was glad that someone would be accompanying Dan. I walked with Dan out to the twin otter. I will post some great pictures later of Dan walking to the otter IV bag in hand. (Tyler the medic designated me the photographer for the evac so he could document it all.) The plane took off around 6:00 am and I headed out to Sat camp to check the instruments. I was exhausted. I knew I had to complete the sampling period which ended at 3:00 pm on the 9th. I took another 1.5 hour nap and couldn’t wait for 3:00pm. Finally 3:00 rolled around and I collected the samples and shut down the equipment. We had decided to shut down sampling so I could do my radar work. It is impossible to do both.
I came back to camp took a warm shower and put on fresh cloths. This made me feel much better. I had a good dinner and went to bed at 8:00 pm. I woke up today at 9:00 am. A great night’s sleep! I feel much better today and got the radar set up to do a pit tomorrow. Don’t worry though, because the drama has not ended. This evening after dinner the winds picked up to 30 kts. The snow is blowing like mad. If this weather continues there will be no pit tomorrow, too much blowing snow for the electronics.
What have I learned from this ordeal: it is not wise to take out your wisdom teeth to go to an ice sheet, never study anything that requires 24 hour sampling and, what I had already learned at Taylor Dome but am having drilled into me again, I HATE THE WIND. Feeling a little lonely on the ice sheet with out another UWer around. It is a first for me. Hopefully by my next post there will be a lot more data gathered and better weather.
Here is a picture of my tent with my skis outside. Hopefully when everything clams down I can use them a bit more.
I stumbled out to Sat Camp at 5:00 am to find that some of the nitrate equipment had frozen. I fixed it and started sampling again. I went in for Breakfast at 8:00 am to find out that Dan was doing worse. By lunch there was talk of medical evacuation to Thule Air Force base. I called Eric and Julia at UW and filled them in on the situation.
I made it through the day checking the instruments every 3 hours managing a few 1.5 hours naps. After dinner I went back out to Sat camp. Katrine had volunteered to check our equipment through the night of the 8th so I could get a night’s sleep. I showed her how to fill our mist chambers and bubbler and thanked her profusely. I was looking forward to some sleep when they called me to the office on the radio. I walked back to camp to find out that an immediate medical evacuation had been called for Dan. The swelling in Dan’s mouth had continued and they were worried his throat could swell closed. A twin otter was scheduled to come in and pick him up.
There was still more drama, the twin otter pilots were in Nook which had 60 kts winds. The plane could not take off. Apparently the doors were almost blown off the hanger when they pulled out the plane. The plane was suppose to arrive at 11:00 pm on the 8th. It did not arrive until 5:00 am on the 9th. Kathy and Steve stayed up all night doing hourly weather observations for the plane while I got 5 hours of sleep. Kathy woke me up around 4:30 to let me know Dan was doing worse and the plane was arriving. I again stumbled out of my tent and stumbled some more on my way to the green house where I found Dan hooked up to an IV. I was told that Brad would fly with Dan to Thule air force base for medical treatment. I was glad that someone would be accompanying Dan. I walked with Dan out to the twin otter. I will post some great pictures later of Dan walking to the otter IV bag in hand. (Tyler the medic designated me the photographer for the evac so he could document it all.) The plane took off around 6:00 am and I headed out to Sat camp to check the instruments. I was exhausted. I knew I had to complete the sampling period which ended at 3:00 pm on the 9th. I took another 1.5 hour nap and couldn’t wait for 3:00pm. Finally 3:00 rolled around and I collected the samples and shut down the equipment. We had decided to shut down sampling so I could do my radar work. It is impossible to do both.
I came back to camp took a warm shower and put on fresh cloths. This made me feel much better. I had a good dinner and went to bed at 8:00 pm. I woke up today at 9:00 am. A great night’s sleep! I feel much better today and got the radar set up to do a pit tomorrow. Don’t worry though, because the drama has not ended. This evening after dinner the winds picked up to 30 kts. The snow is blowing like mad. If this weather continues there will be no pit tomorrow, too much blowing snow for the electronics.
What have I learned from this ordeal: it is not wise to take out your wisdom teeth to go to an ice sheet, never study anything that requires 24 hour sampling and, what I had already learned at Taylor Dome but am having drilled into me again, I HATE THE WIND. Feeling a little lonely on the ice sheet with out another UWer around. It is a first for me. Hopefully by my next post there will be a lot more data gathered and better weather.
Here is a picture of my tent with my skis outside. Hopefully when everything clams down I can use them a bit more.
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