First Station Servicing - AGO3

Monday was my first station servicing in Antarctica. We weren't supposed to go out today. We were scheduled as a back-up in case the primary mission couldn't fly because of weather. The weather was fine at the primary mission's location, but Guy realized that we have a site at that location as well. A quick discussion of weights and work time ensued, and it was decided that we would accompany them to the site to service that station.

Most of my bags were packed, but I wasn't dressed, so I threw on my ECW gear and headed out to the plane. Guy was quicker than I was and with Mike and Thomas's help, the gear was mostly loaded by the time I got out there. So, we left less than 45 minutes after the weather was called, when we weren't supposed to be on the flight to begin with. I feel like that may be a record or something!

We arrived at the site three and half hours later. It was freezing on the plane - why does no one think to tell you that part? So, I spent a good deal of the time laying on the luggage close to the cockpit where it was warmer. The site itself was AGO3. Another geophysical team had a small 1-building camp there (they were studying atmospheric stuff), but other than that, there was nothing. Flat. And white. Like I'd been told! It was also very cold, and a little windy - much colder than McMurdo <-30F, but I don't have an exact temperature. The servicing went fairly well, although we may or may not need to return to replace a battery that wasn't charging properly. (In the hurry to leave, we didn't remember to bring spares.)

Comfort-wise, I felt pretty good for most of the servicing. I felt rather useless as I was unfamiliar with this specific equipment and this setup. Plus, there was only room in the hole for one person, so I basically wrote down the measurements. Towards the end though, my hand got so cold that I couldn't move it, which honestly frightened me a bit. It happened so quickly, and it felt like dead-weight on the end of my arm, so I was concerned that I might get frostbite my first time out! Fortunately, that wasn't the case, although my fingers are a little worse for the wear.

We helped the two guys at the camp finish packing their stuff in the plane and left around 2:30 for the ~2 hour trip back to Pole. The campers had very thoughtfully made snacks for Guy and me. He refused it, but I was VERY grateful since I hadn't had time to eat breakfast that morning and didn't think to grab snacks in the hurried departure. In anywise, we returned to Pole, rested and copied the data we'd collected. I ate a huge dinner and went straight to bed. My eyes were like lead, and I think I was asleep from the moment my head touched the pillow.

Overall, it was an interesting outing, but I can't say that it made either a particularly good or particularly bad impression on me. I definitely felt like a gofer, which is necessary given my experience in this environment. The weather was uncomfortable, but not terrible. And, unlike Africa, there wasn't time to think about what you're doing very much. I'd been warned of this, and of the related importance of having very clear written instructions, since the cold can make even experienced people foggy-headed. On the other hand, it was pretty amazing to see, and I love having the opportunity to see the way data can be collected in different setups and environments.

A new blog on my second site is almost ready, but I've gotta run to install my third site, so I'll post it later. (I'm blogging a few days behind due to the funny satellite/internet times. Plus being tired!)