Get Me Some Getz!
A visit to the most dynamic part of the Getz Ice Shelf brought us to some ice terrain that was heavily crevassed. This flight line allowed us to see the front of the shelf where it met the water – gorgeous! We were also treated to some really pretty sea past the calving front.
Sea ice west of the Getz Ice Shelf shows finger rafting – when two plates of sea ice grow together.
The edge of an ice flow shows new, fresh delicate ice.
We flew the line where the scientists think there is the most unstable ice, where the shelf may be thinnest and sits atop a strong flow of water leading from the ice shelf into the open ocean water. This line is following a data set collected from ICESat-1 prior to 2009. They use the older data as a baseline to compare our current data to to see how the Getz is doing.
Fractures on the surface of the Getz Ice Shelf show the stretching and buckling near the calving front.
Small dimples and buckles show tensional stress on the ice.
Mount Siple
Mount Siple on Siple Island, rises from the Southern Ocean to an impressive 10,200'. It is a very young looking shield volcano with tuff beds at its base, and probably has erupted during the holocene. It was discovered in 1940 and not fully mapped until the mid 1960's. There is no record of it being climbed, making it the most prominent unclimbed mountain on Earth!
Life on the DC-8
We have a long flight planned, so I thought we could get to know some of the people on board. Today we had five teachers from an international school in Santiago, called Nigo de Aguilas. Martin, Chad, Meg, Kristen, Paul, and Sharon came to fly with OIB today to learn about the work NASA is doing. They had a blast!
Six teachers from Santiago came to fly with us today.
I had a chance to talk to our safety tech Lyn today, who works near the back of the plane. Lyn grew up in a farming town in Minnesota and joined the Air Force right out of high school. We get his help with safety and all things life-on-board, but his primary work is maintaining the aircraft. This includes mechanical systems. Considering that the DC-8 is over 50 years old, and that it is continually used for very long flights, it is in amazing shape! Lyn has been working at NASA for ten years, and on the DC-8 for two. Lyn described the turnaround that will happen in a few weeks when the DC-8 arrives back in Palmdale, CA. All the seats, racks and equipment will be removed in short order so the scientists can take their instruments back and get home for Thanksgiving. A new set of instruments will be installed for the next mission, which will circle the globe doing air quality studies. Lyn is a generous and friendly guy who likes to ride his motorcycle when he has a few days off. Thanks for all you do, Lyn!
A Little Relaxation
John Sonntag, who seems to be good at everything, plays some music during our commute home.
John Sonntag takes a few minutes to unwind with his sweet guitar.
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