ARTEMIS 2015 - Robotic Exploration Beneath the McMurdo Ice Shelf
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First Sunfish Dive at our Candidate Field Site

9/18/2015

2 Comments

 
By Peter Kimball
We returned to our site on Wednesday night after our access hole was drilled that morning.  One group worked for two hours to clear platelet ice from the access hole while another group loaded Sunfish and its support gear into a vehicle and brought it out to the site.  The fish hut was cozy with a heater running and seven of us inside.  

After doing some checkouts on the vehicle systems, we deployed it down through the drill hole.  It was the middle of the night (we still have darkness for the time being), so we didn't see the glowing blue ice ceiling.  The camera view was completely black except for backscatter from the headlight, and an occasional view of the vehicle tether or the ice ceiling when we got very close.  There's still quite a bit to learn about the conditions at the field site, but we did use the opportunity to test a number of vehicle sensor systems, particularly those relating to the swift moving water currents present at the site.  Once again, we left the test happy, but with a list of tests and improvements to work on for the next dive.

I set up a GoPro camera on Sunfish for this dive and came home with hundreds of images of headlight backscatter in dark dark water.
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Fog forms in the Sunfish drill hole as cold air from below mixes with warm air in the hut. (photo: Sunfish/Peter Kimball)
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Sunfish points down the drill hole. The headlight illuminates platelet ice on the walls of the hole. (photo: Sunfish/Peter Kimball)
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The Sunfish headlight illuminates platelet ice accumulation near the drill hole. (photo: Sunfish/Peter Kimball)
2 Comments
Julie Moor
9/18/2015 03:54:23 pm

Peter,
Your blog is fabulous! I'm learning so much about this entire process. I know you are staying up to complete your blog (when you could be sleeping) but those of us at home appreciate your communication.

Reply
Pamela
9/19/2015 10:59:37 am

Really enjoying the blog, Peter. And the photos!! Wow!! Stay warm and don't forget to photograph the vehicles with their stickers on them!!
Thanks!!

Reply



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    ARTEMIS is part of the SIMPLE project, supported by NASA ASTEP.

    About the Blog

    This is the personal blog of Peter Kimball and Evan Clark, following our deployment with the ARTEMIS long-range underwater robotic vehicle to explore beneath the McMurdo Ice Shelf in Antarctica.

    Authors

    Peter Kimball
    Peter Kimball is an aerospace engineer and field roboticist on the Stone Aerospace ARTEMIS project.
    Evan Clark
    Evan Clark is a computer scientist and field roboticist on the Stone Aerospace ARTEMIS project.
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    Kristof Richmond is a mechanical engineer and field roboticist on the Stone Aerospace ARTEMIS project.

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