28 Oct 2011

Watching the launch of NPP from McMurdo, sametiming with the guys in Svalbard – talking pole to pole sort of surreal.

Launch went smooth, we’ve received telemetry at both Whitesands and Svalbard, all seems to be going well.  Chris and I watched here at the JSOC with the NASA crew.

Some great launch pictures to share from people who were there.

22 Oct 2011

We (Colleen, Chris, Mary and about 100 others) flew to McMurdo on 14 Oct on two planes, an airbus and a C17 – I was on the C-17.  It was a good flight – smooth, quick and no boomerang (a return to Christchurch because the weather is to bad to land at McMurdo).  I got to go up in the cockpit and take some pictures on this trip – that was pretty cool.

I am in dorm 203C this year in a two person room.  Definitely beats last year – a little over two months in a 5 person room – 14 ft by about 19 ft, 5 single beds, 1 wardrobe , a shelve and a about 3 drawer units.  I had wonderful roommates but there was very little storage and even less privacy.   Then I moved to a two person room for the ten days before I left and my roommate was a pain – a real princesses type who had to have things her way or she threw a fit – way too much drama for me.   This year I had the dorm room to myself for the first week which was really very nice!  Maybe there is something to karma or paying it forward?  I have to admit that I had a sinking feeling when I got the email to expect a roommate on 21 Oct, I figured just hope for the best and see how it goes.  I walked over to the room after work that night and walked in and there was Maggie.  We hugged and said how good it was to see each other and laughed about the fact that both of us had been particularly praying for a good roommate.  Have to admit I was ecstatic - someone I knew, liked and thought I would get along with.  Maggie and I meet my first trip down to McMurdo – she was my roommate Angie’s boss.  She is an engineer with CRREL (http://www.crrel.usace.army.mil/).  CRREL comes down every year to help McMurdo work on improving a lot of infrastructure projects -  The traverse to the south pole, the ice runways, the town roads and various other things.

Back to McMurdo - the trip down

17 Oct 2011

So back in Antarctica again at McMurdo Station....  This season is at least starting out better than the last one for me.  On the flight from Denver to LA I got upgraded to first class, no idea why but it was nice.  Then on the flight from LA to Auckland I sat next to an interesting chap, he is the tour manager for Def Leopard and he and several members of the band were on the way to Auckland NZ on the next leg of their Mirror Ball world tour.   We talked about various things and it made the trip pass pleasantly quickly.  The weather was beautiful the morning we landed in Auckland and Chris and I walked the 15 minutes between the international and domestic terminals to catch our plan to Christchurch. 

In Christchurch we (Chris Tillery and I) were meet by a representative of RPSC NZ.  She was there to warn us about the devastation in Christchurch and that most of the downtown is off limits to everyone because of the earthquake damage.  Chris and I got checked into our airport hotel (the Sudima, an okay place) and then grabbed a cab to a restaurant closer to downtown.  The devastation is horrific and heartbreaking.  Christchurch was a beautiful little city – gardens everywhere, a lot of beautiful brick buildings from the mid 1800’s – it was known as the Garden City and it was lovely as the name implies.  Now the city has lost almost all of its central downtown (both the modern and the historic) plus there is damage everywhere one looks – it is extraordinarily disquieting and sad to wander around the city now.

Sue and I got together for dinner while I was in Christchurch.  She is a friend that I meet on my first season at McMurdo and I have spent some lovely times at what was her farm in Lyttelton.  Lyttelton was a captivating little port city just outside of Christchurch before the 6.3 that had an epicenter about 10 km from the town.  The town has lost both its church’s (historic brick buildings both) and all its bars – and as Sue said what is a port without churches and bars.  All of the buildings on the waterfront street have been torn down plus a good many others throughout the town.  Sue’s house has been red tagged (declared unsafe).  Sue is living in an enclosed area of her barn and just received notice that it can be considered alternate lodging (I think I have the terms right but if not at least the gist of the storey is correct (no internet access in my room so I cannot Google the terms.))– this means that most of her farm is considered safe and she will not be forced to leave.  I am not sure how the town will carry on – it is hard – so much destroyed, the uncertainty of future quacks, homes and land that have been in families for generations declared unsafe/uninhabitable and yet I know Lyttelton for a vibrant town, a mix of old and new, traditional and alternative, a safe port to return to and a place that has for centuries nurtured the adventurous from Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition to the players at the Loon to my friend Sue.  With this kind of heritage and a present-day population who are just as diverse and strong I hope that Lyttelton will not only survive this trying time but come back and be a safe harbor for all who find their way there.