Sunset... Almost

                       
                        Here's the Sun at about 2:46 AM Today, with a Northward Orientation... Amazing

Another Traverse

Entrance to Valley of the Planet of the Apes

I think I'm biased on my blog. I tend to blog about the absolutely and unending fun things like ATV traverses. The work is important but I think the exploration that comes with the ATV traverses is tremendously spirit-lifting. I love what I do on Devon Island but ATV traverses really top the list, but top the list in a different way. Coming here with a mindset to work is the proper way of interpreting the situation here, but gosh, these ATV traverses are absolutely superlative. To be more succinct, the work here is instructional and is the main reason I'm here, and secondly, to have a really good time. With that said, I've loved working with Sean Dougherty (Robotics), Chris Zacny (Geotechnics) and Pascal Lee (Director of the HMP and Geologist extraordinaire). I've become friends with everyone here and have learned so much from their respective fields. Three of the younger guys, Mark, Jesse, and Ben are real cool guys. Kira, the logistics manager, is too funny, and Julie, the chef for the season likens me to a vulture because I hover around for each of the meal times. It's all in good fun though, and she's got some of the most hilarious stories I've ever heard.


The traverse today was intended to scout for weather stations and attempt to use them, essentially. The other parts included traversing throughout different areas. Here're some pics:

Haughton Crater

Planet of The Apes Valley behind me

ATV Haughton Crater Crew

Massive Ejecta block from the Impact

Beautiful Trinity Lake (Pond rather)

8 More Days

Today is a break day. Basically, everyone's been working hard since we've arrived that its almost counterproductive to keep working this way, so a break is good. What this means for me is that I get a day to finish some computer related tasks, and I get to pretty much relax. Sunday night, I'm going to speak about some interesting Jovian Moons, their characteristics, and why sending terrestrial and aquatic rovers and the like is a good idea. The weather here has been really really really unexpected. It's been sunny and hovering around 50 Fahrenheit plus or minus 10 degrees, but wind varies day to day and that chill can make temperatures closer to feeling like freezing. This is not the usual form of weather here, and it's interesting being able to be here and experiencing that. There were several days in which it was cold and at 32 F, but I don't mind the sunny weather, not at all. Today gives me a chance read up on some Physics and watch some Hubble Telescope videos so I'm excited about that.


The view when I awoke today was quite amazing, take a gander:

Copyright 2011 Mars Institute
All Rights Reserved

Visible Contrails. You don't usually think of other planes riding over Devon Island but here's one that went straight over camp. Quite amazing actually.

GeoTechnical Pursuits

Dr. Kris Zacny of Honeybee Robotics with College of San Mateo
student and Mars Institute intern Luis Alvarez during the geotechnical
survey of terrain types at and around the Haughton impact structure,
Devon Island, High Arctic. Kris is seen holding the dynamic cone
penetrometer used for the study. The survey is part of the "Robotic Follow-up
Experiment" led by Principal Investigator Dr Maria Bualat of NASA
Ames Research Center and funded by NASA's Moon and Mars Analog
Missions Activities (MMAMA) Program. (Photo Haughton-Mars Project-
2011/Pascal Lee).

Yesterday, I was allowed the opportunity to help Dr. Kris Zacny in a Geotechnical study. I learned a lot, and had to do a bit of math, and one hour before leaving for the field work, I had to learn how to use and coordinate a route on a GPS System I had never used before. Needless to say, I excelled with flying colors. But enough about me. Dr. Zacny took me out, showed me how to go about conducting the survey and answered all questions I had about the survey. What can I say? Only that it's amazing learning new things, especially from individuals like Zacny that care about what they teach and who they're teaching it to.

Haughton Crater ATV Traverse

A cold wind blows from the West and ever strengthened as I drive fast. It often times allows dust that the ATV riles up ahead to find its way into my face... it's not pleasant, but is a small price to pay, microscopic compared to the grand experience of ATVing through the Polar Desert on Devon Island, at the Haughton Impact Crater . 

Rob Mueller, Chief of the Surface Systems Office at the Kennedy Space Center, a warm, encouraging, and supportive crew member was scheduled to leave the next day (July 24th) from Devon Island via Twin Otter, so the day before (July 23rd) was the day Pascal (Director of HMP) took him, Sean, Ben and me on the grand traverse. From 2:30 PM to 8:30 PM, we took 5 ATVs and began from Camp to traverse through several areas of the Haughton Impact Crater. 
Here are some pictures with the top two from prior days but showing a great shot of the crater:

Me overlooking the crater, yea I couldn't fight the sun.

The Mars Society Habitat overlooks me.

Getting ready to go!

Overlooking a basin, part of the crater as well!

Polar Bear tracks; claimed two weeks fresh by Ben, the Inuit with us.

The view Westward from.... View Hill, yup it's called View Hill.

An extension of the view above with me.

The view Northward from View Hill... we like to see the Lunar analogues here.

Another extension.

Haughton River Valley. The former area that housed HMP in its infancy.

Pascal, the HMP director and me over the Haughton River Valley

Three mounds called the Three Sisters in a valley deemed: Planet of the Apes Valley

Update at HMP Research Project Station

I haven't had the ability to access the internet due to connectivity issues here at camp, but those issues were resolved today and now I can tell you about the marvelous experience I've been having so far.

I arrived on Devon Island last Saturday (the 16th) and ever since then, I've engaged the most wondrous of views here, that only a select few in the world will ever fully experience. Not only the views, but the unique experience, of being able to state that I was in the Arctic Circle, with other scientists and engineers learning first hand about the issues they face, the successes and the mind set behind navigating a career in the space sector.

Moon-1 in the back, and Mars-1 in the front with the Robotic Arm I helped install.

Getting a power cord from the interior to the exterior

Most of the work I have done on Devon Island has centered on helping out a Mechatronics Specialist named Sean. He's a friendly, hardworking, and extremely supportive team member and has welcomed me fully with all of his operations. His main goal is to test out a robotic arm that has been developed by MDA and my goal has been and still is to assist him in that effort. I've learned about the applied kinematics involved with the arm such as force and torque, also power in its relation to current and voltage to velocity; it's nice having a physical analogy right in my hands to compare with.


Tomorrow, I'll have more about some of the other things including a grand traverse of the Haughton Impact Crater and surrounding areas via ATV, one of the greatest experiences of my youth hands down, along with everything else here.

Internet, Finally...

So the internet is available, finally, and I will have the most awesome update for you in a few, after dinner of course :D.

Arctic Wonders

We went out to visit some areas around Resolute and it's been quite amazing. I'll try and have some pics up soon.

We should be heading out to Devon Island soon. The frequency of my updates will likely decrease due to the uncertainty of the internet connection here and at camp, but keep posted, friends.

Outside my hotel room. Ice water is clearly located to the right. This is in a Southwestern direction

I never thought the Arctic would be so... warm. But it makes sense considering the Sun is continuously beating down on it, and particularly, coastal areas that have a moderate temperature range (as compared to inland temperatures). Of course, this could just be an exception to the average temperatures experienced here, I'm pretty sure the 55 Fahrenheit is quite an exception. Anyways, we head to Devon Island in the afternoon via Twin Otters and I am very excited to do so. It's really interesting sitting down to eat with all of the scientists and engineers, though most of them engineers primarily, because, in a sense, they have their own language. It's hard to convey, but I'm glad that I understand some of the things they're referring to. Most of the time, I can't follow because I don't know exactly what one person might refer to in terms of robotics or mechanics, but it's extremely rewarding to be around them and understand anything at all. It's a success to me and I've got much to learn the next few weeks.

Resolute Bay, Finally

Island, Ice and Water near Resolute Bay

A massive Ice mass on the way to Resolute. Visually breathtaking for me at least.

We are currently several hundred kilometers from our goal, the HMP Research Station. A team of HMP crew members have arrived to Resolute Bay and are awaiting lift off to Devon Island tomorrow via Twin Otters (Aircraft). Some people are already at camp, Pascal Lee, the director is at camp, and a few of us will be joining them tomorrow, if all goes well. Arriving here was quite the experience, and I'll have some pictures up of what I saw and continue to see along the way. The team members and I are staying in the hotel for the night. It's a cozy, wonderful hotel that works with the Arctic Charm. Off to Devon tomorrow!

Cheers, friends.

Forward Unto Dawn

Yellowknife was fun and tomorrow we set our eyes on Resolute Bay. Once we reach Resolute Bay, Devon Island will be our goal. The island adjacent to the island on which Resolute Bay is located is Devon.

We 'll be stopping in Cambridge Bay, and then head for Resolute Bay by 4:00 PM tomorrow, Central time. Devon Island and the HMP Research Camp will come shortly after that.

Into Yellowknife

Polar Bear Taxidermy at the Yellowknife Airport

The vast forests, the giant lakes, and the beautiful city of Yellowknife are some of the few sights that caught my eye as the plane descended onto its' course to land. The first thing I notice as I leave the plane and onto the stairs toward the runway, is that the wind, is lukewarm. A mix of wind chill but warm local temperatures, that is warm relative to my understanding of Northern Canada. It caught me by surprise because hey, this is Canada, snow all the time right? Wrong. Throughout the trip, all my expectations of Canada have been shattered, and considering my non-existent experience with Canada before this trip, it makes a great deal of sense. After settling in at the local hotel, there will be a good deal of exploring. A bit of sightseeing in Yellowknife around the greater lake areas will produce wonderful imagery; I look forward to the adventure that awaits me at that time.

Second shot

Sunset in Canada

Canadian Sunset outside of the hotel

As the day comes to a close, it dawns on me that I'm actually in Canada and not on U.S. soil anymore. Experiencing my first sunset at about 10:00 PM is surreal in itself, and very captivating. You see, as an observer travels farther and farther North, he or she will experience longer periods of daytime. This is due to the axial tilt of Earth about the Ecliptic Plane (Plane the Solar System seems to reside on) at approximately 23.5 Degrees. At one position it its' orbit, when the Summer Solstice occurs, the Earth's North Pole is inclined to the Sun, at the greatest possible angle in orbit, giving the Northern Hemisphere its' summer, and the Southern, it's winter. 6 months later, the same occurs in the opposite fashion. Anyways, I'll be off to Yellowknife tomorrow. Now for some uninterrupted reading of The Night in Question by Tobias Wolf. A great read recommended by a great friend!

Arrival at Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

At the Edmonton Airport.

A tragic event almost occurred, I almost missed the flight to Edmonton. I barely made it to the plane, 15 minutes before the crew closed the shuttle door for passengers. I had awoken that day with a plan, but the plan failed. Due to some issues regarding the itinerary, I had to wait a staggering amount of time to speak with customer service about the flight. After that issue was squared away, I made it out of security at around 8:15 AM. With a departure time of 8:32 AM, the crew had to shut passenger boarding a good time before, so not even bothering to tie my shoes after getting through the security gate, I made haste toward Gate 70, and lo and behold, the boarding crew knew my name before I could speak it to them. I guess they were informed of my arrival somehow. I entered the plane and quickly made my way to my seat, and with much satisfaction, let out a breath of relief. I could now enjoy some good DC Comics and Physics Review and some much needed shuteye.


The flight took approximately 4 hours, I've arrived with Sean Dougherty (Mechatronics Specialist) at Edmonton and am now situated in the hotel for the day and night. Tomorrow morning, Sean and I head off to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories up further North to progress in the goal of getting to Resolute Bay.


P.S.
Bring mosquito repellent when coming here during the summer!


Cheers!

1 More Day

Finally, after a few days of uncertainty regarding the transportation details to the Haughton-Mars Project Research Station, I've gotten word of the plan. Between July 14th and July 16th, I will be traveling to cities such as:

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada
Resolute Bay, Nunavut, Canada

                                                                Here's a visual reference:

The Coordinates at the bottom are the coordinates to the station.
Source: marsonearth.org

It'll be wonderfully exciting and quite an adventure to land in all these cities and do a bit of exploring on downtime. After Resolute Bay is reached, the next stop will be the HMP Research Station on Devon Island. About 7,737 miles (12,457 km) away from home.

I'll keep posted on the various cities and the trip in general so keep on coming back, I'll be updating regularly!

Cheers

The Whirlpool Galaxy and Galactic Cannibalism

A series of 5 one minute exposures created this image of M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy at the CSM Observatory.
CSM Observatory, Luis Alvarez

And here's the image that Hubble took!
S. Beckwith (STScI), Hubble Heritage Team, (STScI/AURA), ESA, NASA
Additional Processing: Robert Gendler

Notice the illustriousness of the Hubble picture, but no matter, earth based observatories cannot compete with space based observatories due to atmospheric abberations. Regardless of who took the image, it is a wonderful galactic collision that is going on often called galactic cannibalism, I call it a dance of sorts. M51A, the spiral monster to the left, at about 60,000 light-years across, is essentially devouring our small friend, M51B. The monstrous gravitational pull of the larger galaxy is stronger than the momentum the smaller galaxy exhibits in its' orbit and is therefore pulled into the larger galaxy. Because M51A is much larger than its meal, it will probably retain it's spiral shape, though often times, irregular and elliptical galaxies are produced, but knowing exactly what will occur will take millions of years after the event. A good thing to note, is that this process in itself takes millions of years alone, so don't try and wait around to see what happens. The red and blue colors within the galaxy are indicative of stars, and the massive center contains a supermassive black hole, along with an extreme concentration of stars (that's why it's extremely luminous). The Whirlpool Galaxy lies about 23 ± 4 million light-years away, has an apparent magnitude of about 8.4 and is located in the constellation Canes Venatici which is close to the Big Dipper Handle!

If you're reading this and don't know what some of the words mean, let me know and I will enjoy explaining them to you!

KTVU Interviews SMART Team

Here's the piece that KTVU aired on the 10 O Clock news about the SMART Project, if you haven't seen it yet.

KTVU Piece on the Arctic Trip!

News Coverage of The Trip

Yesterday, on the 10 o'clock news on KTVU, a piece was aired about the SMART project, the trip, the professors and, a bit about me... it was quite surreal. Today, an article is out on the San Mateo Patch about the trip and the Daily Journal will soon have a piece about the trip. I'll try to have a video of the KTVU piece soon.
Enjoy!

Cheers

CSM Student Headed to Arctic on Research Trip - The San Mateo Patch

T-Minus Several Days before Lift Off

Not technically Lift-Off, but you get the idea. The SMART project will commence soon, details not known as of yet. But in other words, the acronym is titled for San Mateo Arctic Research Telescope. This project is one of the various projects that the HMPRS (Haughton-Mars Project Research Station) is conducting in their 15th field season this summer. The goal of SMART is to establish, as its' name implies, a remote arctic telescope for winter observation. During the winter in the high North, nighttime is abundant. This allows observation periods to extend to days and this is highly advantageous for research. Not only does SMART have scientific goals, but engineering goals such as what exactly does it take to run a remote telescope several thousand kilometers away and what kinds of obstacles are we going to encounter? During my stay with HMPRS, I'll assist other groups with other projects as needed and will be sure to keep the blog as updated as I can as well as scout out physical locations to possibly place a telescope.

It is important to note that donations are essential to the success of The SMART Project, any support you can give is tremendously appreciated and welcome. Donations can be made via the smcas.com website!

SMART Partners involved include
Haughton-Mars Project (http://marsonearth.org/)
The Mars Institute (http://www.marsinstitute.info/)
The SETI Institute (http://www.seti.org/)
The San Mateo County Astronomical Society (http://www.smcas.com/smart/)
College of San Mateo (http://collegeofsanmateo.edu/)

Cheers