Almost to the dive site

Hi all. We're still in transit to the dive site. We should be on site by 4 or 5 am tomorrow morning. We will have to be up, awake and on deck by 5:30 - 6 am to launch the sampler. I am not a morning person, so this should be interesting. Luckily, Strawberry Shortcake volunteered for the 3:30 am watch for the release and recovery in the following days. I volunteered to do all the microscopy, sitting in a dark room looking at glowing particles. I am also the organizer, I have remade and printed off so many documents, data requests and instructions! But I actually don't mind so much. I don't want to stress my neck and shoulder that just got cortisone shots before I left, so I'm happy to be doing the light work.


Today my main tasks included pulling apart two carboy tops, lining the threads with plumbers tape, screwing them into the tops, then siliconing the entire edges of all of them. BTW, do not get silicone mushed all over your fingers, its a pain to get off and your fingers become water proof! I also became a seamstress for the design and sewing of the 200 micron mesh for the pre-filter carboy, the same one I siliconed the tops. It was good that the seas are very calm, I can't imagine sewing with a needle on a wavy ship.


I also had my external and internal briefings today for ALVIN. We walked around the outside and the mech showed us where all the cameras are, the lights, the new LED lights, and the arms and collection baskets. He explained how if the basket or arms get stuck in rock or mud, and we must break free, there are emergency devices to release the items so the humans aren't stuck too. We lose the samples, or an arm, but we can resurface. He also showed us where all the emergency stuff is, a float pack to bring us to the surfuce for any lose of power, weights to drop that will make us rise, and where the propulsion enginges are.


The interior briefing was interesting too. The sphere is rather small inside, and I'm wondering how my boss, K-Dude, fits in there. He's over 6 feet tall! I'm a bit over 5 feet and felt a bit cozy. There are tons of switches and electronics, and again, all the emergency info. There are spare oxygen tanks, emergency masks, and even if all else fails, a manual way to release the sphere from the casing which will send us shooting to the surface, quickly and randomly. In other words we won't know which way is up by the time we'd get there. I'm hoping this has never been needed, and was a bit too nervous to ask if it has been used.... I really didn't want to know.


The mech told me that it will take 1.5 hours to dive, and 1.5 hours to surface. We'll spend about 6 hours on the bottom doing the science work. On the way down, there is a bioluminescence light display, that looks like pretty pretty light show or starry skies. I'll let you know if its true. I dont' know when my dive is, and I might not know until the night before. I guess that's to make sure we dont' get too worked up about it.


As for the rest of today's fun, we had a few fun moments with the sampler misbehaving, working then not working. I had a chat with the cook and told him that I'm a veggie and really can't eat foods w/animal fat cooked in them. He took it to heart and lunch was a veggie wonderland. I took a pic of the menu just for you guys! He even put "veg" after the ones I could eat! :D Maybe I won't starve out here after all!!!


We also seem to have a mascot on board. A stuffed dog name Max. He's all decked out in work gear with a hard hat, working vest and bandana. He's kinda cute. I also was talking with one of the new engineers out here today at dinner. He's had a bit of fun with the airlines. The airline he flew in on misdirected his luggage. Long story short, he got to Mexico with only the clothes with him, had to buy a few shirts and won't get his luggage until we pull into port in Guayamas on the 30th. Luckily the chief scientist got Xtreme 2008 tshirts for all of us, so he got one extra shirt, then I asked Mookie if he had an extra UDel shirt, and we gave him one of those too. So he nearly doubled his wardrobe! Poor guy.


I also got permission from the chief scientist and captain to invite everyone, and anyone to walk with us on Thanksgiving Day for the MS Walk out here. So far I've gotten two more team members and 2 potentials. And the DE MS folks are doing a press release about this too. I'm so glad that so much attention is being made for a cause that I so dearly care about. Maybe we can get even more support. That would be good.


Okay, I've rambled on, Time to hit the rack and get some sleep. 5:30 am comes way too freaken early for me. Here are some pics from today. Rex the mascot, K-Dude and Strawberry Shortcake working on the sampler, Mookie and Maddhatter working on assembling the second sampler, a pic of our "front yard" and the rear wake and the pool, yes we have a pool on deck. Tomorrow the sampler goes in, and the work begins in earnest. (PS: I tried to name the two samplers Wesley and Buttercup but was outvoted for Thing 1 and Thing 2, so sad).