Wednesday
20th January
From
Michael Burton.....
There's
a brisk chill to the air, not that the temperatures dropped
much (its still holding above -30), but because the winds
picked up. Only a few m/s mind you, but enough to make it
noticeable if still going around in jeans and training shoes!
I think I'll have to remember to put a bit more of my Antarctic
clothing on tomorrow. The weather continues to be beautifully
sunny, with barely a cloud in sight, quite unlike McMurdo
where John is still believed to be holed up, waiting for a
Herc to appear to whisk him back to NZ.
Regular
viewers of the webcam may have noticed some strange happenings
around it around midnight last night as three strange individuals
were seen showing that it is really high summer in Antarctica,
performing some kind of ice-bonding ritual. Doubtless Melinda
has turned the images into a MPEG movie by now, so enlightenment
will be forthcoming! The mega-movie `A week in the life of
an AASTO' continues filming, frames coming in every
4 minutes - so there will be some rivetting viewing ahead.
Matt
& Daniel decided to place the anemometer back on the G-Tower,
and to start cabling it up - so a trench has appeared between
the AASTO and the G-Tower. Even more surprising when I entered
inside today was to find the AASTO servicing crew, lead by
Ron Rainbow, there! We weren't expecting them at Pole till
Feb, and nor did they it seems, but somehow they had arrived
on one of the flights yesterday and were busily servicing
our unit. They had a "freon leak meter" which busily
chirped away and announced that freon is indeed leaking along
one of the inlets. Even further, they found a cracked socket
joint (with a 0.5mm crack in it) just were the meter beeped,
and even replaced it. So perhaps the problem is solved??!
At
the same time the propane tanks arrived for the year and were
deposited outside by caterpillar tractor. I thought the whole
event was being beautifully captured by the webcam movie,
until I realised it was that time of the day when the Sun
shines directly into the camera, obliterating everything.
So all webcam viewers will see is the sudden appearance of
a set of propane tanks, beside the new location of the Aussie
and US flags (we'd also decided that we really ought to move
the flags off the roof just in case their flapping really
does interfere with the turbulence measurements we're trying
to make with the SODAR.)
We've
been a little concerned about the temperature inside the webcam
enclosure, which has been reaching over 50C when the sun is
shining directly on the plexi-glass! So today we took the
radical step of taping some aluminium foil around the whole
structure in order to reflect sunlight away. With 5 min the
temperature (or the thermometer inside anyway) had dropped
by 25C, so we must have done something!
Abu,
unfortunately, is still not cooling down and Al is out looking
for vacuum leaks again. This is getting quite serious now
as time is running out for having the instrument ready. Fred
is convinced that the problem will be solvable though, and
its good to have an optimist in times like this! The delay
also means that the replacement PZT for the secondary mirror
might actually get here in time to be installed before the
instrument goes on the telescope. After couriering the part
from Germany to Christchurch it has been hand-carried to McMurdo
we believe, and are told it will come in on a flight tomorrow.........
Tonight
we had a lecture on the construction plans for the new Pole
Station, due to be completed in only 2 years from now if I
read the viewgraphs correctly. We will be placed in nice,
plush building elevated above the ice and may even have windows!
Summer camp was proposed to be disestablished - but on the
other hand the new station on has accommodation for 110 people,
and since we have over 200 present now its hard to see the
station population really declining, even if you do get rid
of 80 constructors!
Michael
 
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