First day at the rig - I actually got the computers to work (thanks Len and Luke back at the U of A). I figured out the hydraulics and checked out the rest of the equipment. We are waiting for a new container to arrive from Scott Base so we can set up a lot of the equipment. But, some other things happened. The ice divers came out to try to fix the balloons that lie under the ice along the drill rig riser. This helps to support the rig. The ice is a bit more than 7 metres thick here. So think about that - the diver has to jump in the hole in the ice and drop through that much ice into what is called the platelet ice at the base. Then they have to swim through that in the dark (the light does not make it through) in the extreme cold of the water (-1.8 C).
Another interesting sight in the sky - some very unusual ice crystal halos. The one on the left was opposite from the sun - it is likely what is called a Parhelic cirle. The rainbow like one was nearly straight up - and it may be a Circumzenethal. Apparently these are not seen very often.
Check out the website http://www.atoptics.co.uk/halo/spanti.htm for more information.
No comments:
Post a Comment