Local Posting Day and Time 1-17-08 10:30PM Central Standard Posting Day and Time- 1-17-08 3:30AM
McMurdo Weather
Temperature- 37F Wind Direction- Southeast Wind Speed- 13MPH Wind Chill 32F
Answer to Yesterday’s WATIZIT
Congratulations to Grant and to Erika!!!!!
They both knew that it is the New Zealand flag that is at half mast in the photo and they knew that it was because Sir Edmund Hillary died last week. He and Tenzing Norgay were the first to climb Mt. Everest. A follow up challenge is, so why would the flag be flying at half mast here in Antarctica
Today’s WATIZIT Picture
WATIZIT
What made these tracks at Hut Point?
Yesterday Shelley and Jonathan were scheduled for the morning flight down to the South Pole. There are two weather stations that need some work near the pole. (Who can tell me which two?) After sitting on the plane for a few hours the flight was canceled. They were rescheduled for a flight later in the day, that one also was canceled. But they finally made it to the Pole this morning on an LC-130 Hercules.
LC-130
LC-130 Hercules
SKIER41 LC-130 ETD 0830
DEPARTED WILLIAMS FD 0855
ESTIMATING SOUTH POLE 1145
ARRIVED SOUTH POLE 1138
Today's Events George and I did not have any flights scheduled for the day, but below is some audio from our trip a couple of days ago. While I was eating my fresh green salad I wondered where it all comes from. So I wandered over to the greenhouse. Actually it is not a house and it is painted white, not green, and the sign is painted yellow but it's called a greenhouse.... What's up with that???
Greenhouse Sign
White building and yellow sign, but greenhouse.
Inside the front door is a sign addressed to smokers, I had never seen a sign like this before.
Tobacco warning sign
Keep tobacco away.
Inside the greenhouse were the first plants I have seen (besides the ones that have been on my plate) since Dec 29th. Wow GREEN!!!!
GREEN!!!
GREEN!!!
Unlike most greenhouses this one does not have a clear roof for the sun to shine through. Instead it is heavily insulated and it has 40+ lights which give off light and heat the building.
Lights and tomatoes
Lots of light!!!
To try and utilize the light to its fullest the inside walls are lined with reflective material, which I used to take a self portrait.
Self portrait in greenhouse
Herbs and self portrait, no, my name is not Herb.
The plants do not grow in soil but are grown using a technique called hydroponics. The plants are in trays or troughs through which a water nutrient source flows to the roots. The nutrients and pH is checked often to make sure the plants grow well. About 60 gallons of water is used each day.
Hydroponics
Hydroponics at work
During photosynthesis, plants make their own food by using the water taken in by their roots and the carbon dioxide taken in from the atmosphere. There are carbon dioxide tanks at the greenhouse which are used to increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the air so that the plants grow faster. The faster they grow the more fresh cucumbers we get to eat.
Cucumber
McMurdo Cucumber
The worker from the kitchen, who was picking and cleaning lettuce for tonight’s salad, estimated that during the summer, actually only a small percent of our fresh veggies come from the greenhouse, most are flown in from New Zealand. However, for the people who winter over in McMurdo, (when there are no flights into or out of McMurdo) the only fresh vegetables they get will have to come from the greenhouse. He also told me there is a small greenhouse at the South Pole. I wonder what freshies Jonathan and Shelley are having tonight.
Future salad
Future salads
There are John Deere tractors here but they are not used to farm in McMurdo.
John Deere
For all the members of my family who grew up on and have spent much of their life on a John Deere.