Dale Andersen's Field Reports

Astrobiologist Dale Andersen Antarctic Status Report 11 November 2019: Melting A Dive Hole

By Keith Cowing
Press Release
Dale Andersen
November 11, 2019
Filed under
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen Antarctic Status Report 11 November 2019: Melting A Dive Hole
Lake Untersee Base Camp
Dale Andersen

We have had pretty good weather since we arrived at Untersee and have kept pretty busy getting the camp pulled together and starting up the science ops.

Earlier forecasts suggested we might have inclement weather pay a visit for a few days but that system seems to have dissipated and we are now hoping for a few more good days of sunshine and light winds. The dive hole melter is ready to go and I will start making a dive hole tomorrow. If all goes well I will get in the water later this week to begin collecting samples.

I still need too get the dive compressor up and running (it tested fine while at Novo Station prior to the traverse) and unpack other dive related gear (suits, fins, full face masks etc.) but we are on tract for sampling the lake underwater this year.

Latest Weather Observations for Novolazarevskaja, Australian Bureau of Meteorology
Antarctic weather satellite imagery
Earlier reports

Astrobiology

Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA Space Station Payload manager/space biologist, Away Teams, Journalist, Lapsed climber, Synaesthete, Na’Vi-Jedi-Freman-Buddhist-mix, ASL, Devon Island and Everest Base Camp veteran, (he/him) 🖖🏻