Observation Tube

11/6/2015

By Peter Kimball

I went with Keith, Brian, and Justin to the McMurdo Sound observation tube today. Set up by the USAP a few hundred feet offshore, the observation tube is shaped like a large thermometer, with a roughly 25 foot descent through a pipe into a small bulb with windows. The pipe runs down through the sea ice, and the bulb windows provide a view into the water all around. The view is spectacular, but we all throught the sounds of the underwater environment were the highlight of the excursion. The high-pitched sounds of distant seals can be heard faintly in the tube.

1 Comment

Raymond Stevenson

11/6/2015 05:36:28 am

Very interesting project, how long did it take to make this observation tube? I notice a formation of ice crystals in one of the photos. Really great job and good luck to everyone on the SIMPLE team!

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 is an aerospace engineer and field roboticist on the Stone Aerospace ARTEMIS project.

Evan Clark is a computer scientist and field roboticist on the Stone Aerospace ARTEMIS project.

Kristof Richmond is a mechanical engineer and field roboticist on the Stone Aerospace ARTEMIS project.