Long Duration Balloon Launch

Supporting the Long Duration Balloon (LDB) Facility is a big part of my job, so when they launch a payload it feels great.  Long duration means up to a month, but more typical is 10 to 14 days.  This is compared to the hours long balloon launches by weather techs.  These balloons can reach an altitude of 120,000'  The payloads, full of science stuff, are assembled in one of two large buildings and then attached to the launch vehicle for transport to the launch pad.  There are two or three launches every season.  Really cool science and some amazing scientists.  I talked string theory with one of the guys just like on the TV show Big Bang Theory.  Fascinating, too bad I didn't really understand...

The road closure at the 3 km circle of safety.

The payload, the assembly building and the launch vehicle.

Close-up of the payload.

The payload hanging on the launch vehicle.

The balloon being inflated.

A series of images capturing the launch.

The red flag is part of the road closure.

 

Fly birdie, fly!

 

McMurdo Misc

Here are some more random photos from my life in McMurdo.

Ivan and me.

Ivan driving across the ice to Pegasus.

 

Ivan at the transition (from Ross Island to Ice shelf).

A Delta at MP 12.

 

View of town from the hill.

NZ's cool Antarctica logo on the side of building 28.

 

"Critical Snow Failure"

"Make sure the drivers have a shovel and an intrepid spirit," said Jules, the Road Foreman down here in McMurdo, Antarctica, to my boss, Sharona.  A classic, so true, I love it! 

Jules is also the best equipment operator I've ever met.  But she has an awful job this year. The storm on December 5th and the very warm weather since then has made the roads nearly impassable.  Jules and her crew's job is to keep the roads open and vehicles able to use them. The massive storm on December 5th blew dirt and dust from Black Island onto the ice shelf and the road. This black dirt acts as a heat sink absorbing heat from the sun and melting the snow roads. So between that, the warm weather and the constant use, Jules says we have a "Critical Snow Failure" making the roads I drive on every day a very real challenge.  Several old timers say this is the worst they have ever seen the roads.  When the roads are made of compacted snow and the weather gets warm, well, here are some photos of the road this week that show the effects.

Ruts thru the road from trucks and vans.

A big hole from the dirt and dust.

More holes and ruts.

 

Dirty snow.

The soft snow means tire ruts every time you drive.

Milepost 11.5 to 13.5 is the worst.

Lane A, very soft, but packed down.

The flag line between the Track lane and Lane A.

I am following the compacted Delta tracks thru the snow.

View from a Delta, showing the ruts & dirty snow at mp 13.3

 

Before and After

What happens when an organized, anal retentive guy has a couple hours between Pegasus Shuttle runs in building 140,  McMurdo, Antarctica?  Look below and see if you can spot any differences...

 

before...

...after

 

Pressure Ridges

No, not the lines on your forehead, these are ice ridges caused by extreme pressure. These pressure ridges are created as two different ice floes are pushed into each other. Actually, here in the Ross Sea, the sea ice is pushed by wind and tide action into the permanent ice shelf and against Ross Island.  These photos are from the pressure ridges at the bottom of Scott Base hill here on Ross Island in Antarctica.  Amazing ice sculptures in every shade of blue and white!

Linnah, our guide.

We saw several seals too.

So cute.

Soft looking fur.

 

 

 

Lion's head.

The group.

Ice ridge with Castle Rock in the background.

A melt pool surrounded by ice features.

Amber standing in for size comparison.

Rocky road.

 

A seal hole in the ice.

Midnight sun (actually, about 9pm).

Mt Erebus in the background.

 

LC-130's

The Lockheed Martin LC-130's of the New York Air National Guard (NYANG) in Antarctica.

The primary mission of the LC-130 is supporting the scientific community in Antarctica by transporting cargo and personnel from the McMurdo Station to field stations and camps, including the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.

LC-130

Take off from the skiway (snowpacked runway).

Sitting on the wheels, with the ski's up.

Sitting on the ski's with the wheels up.

 

 The cockpit, Control Central, crew of 6.

Cargo bay with web seating on the sides for passengers.

The toilet.

The tail from the inside. The bottom ramp (front)

 goes down and the top (back) raises up.

The tail with ramps closed.

Tail of Skier #96

Jet assisted Take off rocket bays.

Used for heavy loads or bad skiway conditions.

The aircraft are equipped with retractable skis that allow the aircraft to land on snow and ice as well as on conventional runways. The aircraft have provisions for using jet-assisted-takeoff (JATO) rockets, four on each side of the aircraft, that are used when the LC-130 operates from rough, unprepared snow surfaces or when shorter takeoff runs are needed.

The Navy Antarctic Development Squadron Six (First designated VX-6, then VXE-6 from 1969) originally operated the LC-130 aircraft.  VXE-6 was home based at the Naval Air Station Quonset Point, Rhode Island and later at the Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California. Operation of the aircraft was transferred in the late 1990s to the 109th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard when Navy support of the Antarctic program was terminated.

Currently all LC-130 aircraft are operated by the New York Air National Guard (NYANG) and are based at the Air National Guard's facility at Schenectady County Airport.  

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport aircraft. Hercules serve with more than 60 nations.

The C-130 entered service with U.S. in the 1950s. The C-130 family has the longest continuous production run of any military aircraft in history. The C-130 is also the only military aircraft to remain in continuous production for 50 years. The newest version is the updated C-130J Super Hercules. Production of C-130's is in Marietta, Georgia, where over 2,300 have been built through 2009.

 

Lifestyle Statement ?

A friend, James Kavanaugh, wrote this moving statement on our unconventional lifestyle...
I find it beautiful, meaningful and profound.

 

Some people do not have to search -

they find their place early in life and rest there, seemingly contented and resigned.

They do not seem to ask much of life, sometimes they do not seem to take it seriously.

Sometimes I envy them, but often I do not understand them.

And seldom do they understand me.

I am one of the searchers.  There are, I believe, millions of us.

We are not unhappy, but neither are we really content.

We continue to explore life, hoping to uncover its ultimate secret.

We continue to explore ourselves, hoping to understand.

We like to walk along the beach - we are drawn by the ocean,

taken by its power, its unceasing motion, its mystery and unspeakable beauty.

We like forests and mountains, deserts and rivers, and the lonely cities as well.

We continue to explore ourselves, hoping to understand.

Our sadness is as much a part of our lives as is our laughter.

To share our sadness with the one we love is perhaps as great a joy as we can know

unless it is to share our laughter.

We searchers are ambitious only for life itself, for everything beautiful it can provide.

But most of all we want to love and be loved.

We want to live in a relationship that will not impede our wandering,

nor prevent our search, nor lock us in prison walls.

We do not want to prove ourselves to another or compete for love.

We are wanderers, dreamers and lovers, lonely souls

who dare ask of life everything good and beautiful. 

James Kavanaugh