One of the first things we needed to do once we arrived in Kangerlussuaq was to make sure the ground station was set up. Remember the small shelter near the pier in Thule we visited the first week we were here? The fixed antenna on top is portable and once we change bases (from Thule to Kangerlussuaq), we also need to change the location of the ground station. In this case, the ground station won't require a long walk to the pier, but instead shares our new living quarters at the KISS building.
The Kangerlussuaq International Science SUPPORT (KISS) BuildingWe make our home in Kangerlussuaq at a place called the KISS building, which houses scientists from all over the world studying the ice sheet, as well as lab space and logistics services for polar science programs. We have transformed one of the storage spaces in the KISS building to house our GPS receivers. The antenna, however is attached to the highest point of the building, which required some handy-work on our part. The post for the antenna had been previously installed as you can see in the photo below:
Kelly McCarthy carries the ATM Ground Station antenna to the top of the KISS building
However, we had to get the antenna up to that post and install it. Using an extension ladder we made our way to the top of the building. It was a bit tricky making sure that the antenna was perfectly level on top of the post and it took a few tries to get it just right. The last step was attaching the cable to the antenna which would be threaded down to the GPS receivers in the new ground station room. Once everything was set up, we tested the connections, and turned on the low rate data collection. On Wednesday, ATM engineer Richard Mitchell would start the ground station an hour before our flight and repeat the same routine we followed in Thule. Check out our photos below from the ground station installation:
The ATM team works to level the ground station antenna during the move to the KISS building
Securing a Cable to the Airborne Topographic Mapper Ground Station Antenna at the top of the KISS Building
Antenna In Place
The ATM team carries the extension ladder back to its home after the ground station antenna is set in place.