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Antarctic Undersea ROV

 

Hi Mindy,

 

My 6th Pd class say Whuz up??? They would like to know how thick the sea ice is, that the C17 landed on?

Kirk

Sat, 10/06/2007 - 14:45

Mindy Bell

Hi 6th Period class and everyone else. The C-17 is landing on relatively thin, fresh ice. It is only 4-6 feet thick. When the giant Galaxies (C-5's) land they actually measure the flex or depression of the ice sheet in case they sink it so low it will crack. They have to take off before it depresses too far! The plane I was on was trying to make a speed record for landing and take-off of just 20 minutes. I'm not sure if they accomplished that or not, but they had giant fork lifts out on the ice to unload the cargo out the back very quickly and efficiently. There are three runways at McMurdo. The sea ice one we landed on is not permanent sea ice - so it is relatively thin. Then a sea-ice runway on permanent ice where the ice is hundreds of meters thick. And then one on land where the plane is with skis instead of wheels. That runway is less preferable but they use it by mid-season because the other runways get too pitted and rough to land on.