Helping out
One of the other great parts about being at McMurdo is that there are so many helpful people. We've received help from a variety of people. Some of them, you've met: Jerry MacGregor, Jen Rhemann, the Dive Team, and others. Some of them you have not yet met. They serve the McMurdo Community as plumbers, electricians, carpenters, Galley staff, and in other various jobs.
Today was our turn to repay the many favors we have received. Dr. Marsh got a request to use our Pisten Bully for another science group and we were only too happy to tag along and help.
The Mission
Our goal was to help Kris Young, Winter Over and Crary Lab Technician, with some wiring repairs up at a location above town called Arrival Heights. Kris needed to do some soldering on the wire running from the outside antenna array. He thought being able to do it in the back of the Pisten Bully, instead of outside, might be a more comfortable working situation.
We traveled to Arrival Heights.
First Step
First we drove up to the building at Arrival Heights to get a feel for the science being done. Arrival Heights is a great place to do atmospheric measurements. There are several projects being conducted, collecting long data sets on the atmospheric conditions above McMurdo. This building of devices and the associated outdoor antenna and weather stations are measuring temperatures, wind speed and direction, ozone chemistry, and many other aspects of the atmosphere.
This building houses several computers and delicate pieces of scientific equipment up on Arrival Heights.
Once Kris had checked all the computers and made some measurements, it was time for the antenna repair. He gathered all his tools and we were off.
Second Step
It was not a smooth road to get to the antenna: literally. It was a very bumpy road. At the end of the road, was a dramatic, steep road up the rim of a crater. The antenna needing repairs was up in the crater. Okay, now I see why we really needed the Pisten Bully! Kris said he had tried to get up in a truck and it just slipped back down. It was so steep I could barely walk up it!
But that was no match for our Pisten Bully and our fearless driver, Stephanie. After we got up and I looked back down, I couldn't believe she had even tried it, let alone made it. Incredible!
Steph near the top of the crater road she just drove up. This photo doesn't show the steepness well enough. Trust me, it was crazy!
Third Step
We carefully got the Pisten Bully into position and ran the antenna wire into the back. Kris and I carefully peeled back the protective coatings and heated the wires. Once the solder (liquid metal) holding the wires in place was heated, we could switch the position of the wires that needed to be changed. There were four sets that needed to be changed.
Good thing Kris knew what we was doing! (Photo courtesy of Dr. Stacy Kim)
Mike and Annamarie help Kris repair the wiring of the antenna. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Stacy Kim)
Fourth Step
The hardest part of our work had to be the surprise that awaited us. More of the antenna was broken. This was not good news as we all were starting to get quite cold. It took a serious team effort (and several trips back into the Pisten Bully to warm up) to make the project a success. But teamwork defeated the problems in the end.
After several hours of work in -30˚F conditions, Kris pronounced the work done and we were left with final piece of our journey: getting back down the steep slope. It went much better than I thought it would. I was so amazed with our Pisten Bully. In fact, if I could get a new car back home in Delaware, I might look at a Pisten Bully.
You can tell from Stephanie's face just hold cold it was out there. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Stacy Kim)
Summary
All in all, it was a great day! It felt really good to try and help out someone else here at McMurdo, after all the help that we've been getting.
Annamarie at the top of the Arrival Heights crater.
The view from the top was spectacular.