Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 12/14/2006 - 11:10
Forums
Oden Antarctic Expedition 06

Mr. Miller: Looks like there are a lot of students and people joining you in this expedition- this is great reading about their questions and your answers! Here are some new ones from Texas!

Tanner: Where are you right now, in latitude and longitude? And is there anywhere that we can check location daily?

Esteban: Are there any Ham Radios on board? We have one in our science lab!

Eitan: How will you celebrate Christmas?

Eitan: what is your sleeping bed like? do you have bunkbeds? Is it crowded?

 Megan S: Why is it called a 6hr suit?(the red suit)

Cj: Will the ice re-freeze the channel that the Oden is breaking for the supply ships? How long will it stay open?

Chance: Why won't you stop before McMurdo? Is it too dangerous?

Megan: what are the chances of a major snowstorm while you are in the boat?

Eitan: What are you feeling about all this? Ae you happy, excited, scared?

Matt: Was the origianl Mrs. Chippy a cat?

 Good luck Mr. Miller, stay warm :)

 

Fri, 12/15/2006 - 11:13

Allan Miller

Mr. Miller: Looks like there are a lot of students and people joining you inthis expedition- this is great reading about their questions and youranswers! Here are some new ones from Texas!Tanner: Where are you right now, in latitude and longitude? And is thereanywhere that we can check location daily?
Mrs. Chippy is sending out daily posts that include our location, weather, and animal sighting info. Since I don't have internet access it does have to go through the PolarTREC office in Fairbanks so there is prabably a 24 hour delay between when I send and when you get to see it. If you have access to GoogleEarth - then you can also see our track by looking at the site:
Esteban: Are there any Ham Radios on board?
We have one in our science lab! I've heard about all the cool stuff you school and class does with ham radio - it's something I keep telling myself I need to learn about but have yet to make the time. I asked the Swedish crew and they don't have one on-board, they count on their iridium satellite phone for all their communications - too bad we could have tried to connect that way!
Eitan: How will you celebrate Christmas?
I'll get to celebrate Christmas twice. We'll have the first celebration here on-board, its the day when we are to arrive at McMurdo and we plan to have a special meal and a party on board. Then I'll fly to New York to meet up with my family (my wife and I have 2 boys ages 8 and 5, and a 1.5 year old daughter) and we'll have another Christmas celebration, probably on New Year's day. Being away from family is the hardest part of this adventure for sure!
Eitan: what is your sleeping bed like? do you have bunkbeds? Is it crowded?
We sleep in bunk beds and our cabin is pretty tight. My roommate and I both have a lot of camera equipment and clothing so its pretty much wall to wall stuff. I'm 6 ft 2 in and do not fit into my bunk - but it's not too uncomfortable - there are two bunks and mine is the upper. Last night (and today) the ship is rolling about 10 degrees to each side which makes for a bit of rolling in bed too.
Megan S: Why is it called a 6hr suit?(the red suit)
Good question - guess I should have explained. Currently the ocean water temp is 5 degrees celcius and it will drop down to near zero once we reach the Antarctic Circle tomorrow. So one of the biggest dangers is that if we do end up in the water for some reason it is so cold that you'll be unable to move your muscles in just a few minutes and die from hypothermia in about 8 minutes - unless you have some way to keep yourself afloat and dry. The 6 hour suit seals watertight when it is completely zipped up and contains air pockets that will keep you afloat. It will eventually cool off but a person could survive in the ocean for at least 6 hours in a suit, which is hopefully long enough to be rescued.
Cj: Will the ice re-freeze the channel that the Oden is breaking for thesupply ships? How long will it stay open?
It will begin to refreeze almost immediately - first the Oden will break open the channel which at this time of year may have a much as 10 meters of ice that formed just in the last year. Once the channel is open, the ship will then serve as an escort vessel for every ship (mostly fuel and cargo ships) that needs to get to the pier at McMurdo.
Chance: Why won't you stop before McMurdo? Is it too dangerous?
The primary mission of the icebreaker is to break open the McMurdo channel, and since we're over 2000 miles away and wish to arrive by Christmas (the freighters will be arriving right around Jan 1) there really isn't time to stop and get on the ice. If we get ahead of schedule then it may be possible but unfortunately the couple days we weighted in Punta Arenas used up any buffer in the schedule that we had.
Megan: what are the chances of a major snowstorm while you are in the boat?
it's actually very likely - Antarctica can have major snowstorms any time of the year including summer. If you ever read the journals of the early explorers such as Cook, Ross, Amundsen, Scott, etc. you'll find that many times they were caught in blizzards that lasted for days in December and January.
Eitan: What are you feeling about all this? Ae you happy, excited, scared?
I'm really excited to be here, I've always enjoyed the thrill of exploring and learning new things - and Antarctic is a place I know so little about. Sure I've seen it in pictures - but my belief is that we never really learn to understand a place or an idea until we experience it. For example this fall I had the opportunity to fly on a reduced gravity mission and experience weightlessness for the first time. I'd been teaching the concept for over 15 years - but it wasn't until I was floating around the cabin upside down that my brain really understood what it was all about. I think Antarctica will be the same - I've seen pictures, but once I'm surrounded by ice, penguins, smelling the smells - it will take on an entirely new meaning for me - and I'm always excited about that.
Matt: Was the origianl Mrs. Chippy a cat?
Ah - you've been doing some history research I see - yes Mrs. Chippy was a cat that traveled to Antarctica with Henry "Chippy" McNeish during Shackleton's Endurance expedition in 1914. There is a great book entitled The Remarkable Journey of Shackleton's Polar-Bound Cat by Caroline Alexander if you care to learn more about "his" (yes he was a male cat) adventure.