Saturday, May 19, 2007

News from the North
In no particular order:

- The wind outside is 30 knots. It's eerie, because it's a beautiful sunny day, and there are no trees to bend in the wind. The only clues are the the snow flowing over the ground (the edge of the crater is a snow Niagara), the howling hab, and, of course, the -32C wind chill. Check out the movie.

- It's official: I have tenure! Wish I had some champagne...

- We have now have webcams! THRILL at the sight of me sitting at my computer!! GASP as I pause to make tea!!! WONDER as my hair gets slightly dirtier each day, then clean again on Tuesdays!!!!

- I went on my first Devon EVA yesterday, to a spot a few kilometres south of the hab, called Trinity Creek. The creek itself is frozen and invisible under the snow, but there were patches on the southern bank where we could see the yellowish sediments of the Haughton Formation, where we'll be drilling into the permafrost. The EVA went pretty well. I was nice and warm in my many layers of fleece under the suit, and kept my fingers and toes working with chemical heating pads (thanks, Dad!). The only annoyance was that my helmet kept fogging up then freezing, despite the conscientious application of defogger before heading out, making visibility really poor. The only remedy was to blow on it:

19 comments:

Zach said...

Perhaps that classic snorkeling defogger would work better: spit!

Of course it might take a while to work up enough to apply to that entire faceplate... :)

Unknown said...

Hey Kim,

Congratulations! Will have a big party when you get back.

I'm in San Deigo for the weekend and it's covered in "May Gray" lots of clouds and marine layer but it's good to see Saki and his dog Dia who is a Neo Mastif. Shes a runt but still wieghs about 120 lbs. She's been nice enough to share her couch with me

The blog is great keep up the good work!
Aloha Oe, Peace and Poi,
BR

Anonymous said...

Congratulations Kim! That is excellent news!

Kristin Van Bodegraven said...

Superfantastic! I'm chilling (and drinking) a bottle of Leconfield Sparkling Shiraz in your honor!

If you wait till November to throw the party I might join you...

Kristin Van Bodegraven said...

...and bring a bottle...

Kristin Van Bodegraven said...

Hey! I just logged on to the webcam and saw someone who was quite clearly not you! What a waste of time and money. Why do these things always happen to me...

Evgenya said...

Congratulations on the tenure! That is wonderful news and I look forward to the celebrations.

p.s. would foggy helmets be a problem on real mars? I would have thought this was a 'solved problem'.

Lora said...

Hoo-Haw, Kim, hearty congratulations on getting tenure!
We'll all definitely make up for the missed opportunity to celebrate with you in a timely manner.

Sarah said...

You so totally rock the pole. Congratulations, Monkey.

Sarah said...

Am having bad luck with ricotta making tonight. How can I blow ricotta?

Kim Binsted said...

Zach: Ew. Besides, the problem is as much the freezing as the fogging. Frozen gob - not the ideal solution.

BR: DEFINITELY a big party when I get back. Say hi to Saki for me!

Everybody with congratulations: Thanks!! You're invited to the party, whenever/wherever it is!

Kristin: I've been sitting in front of the webcam all day - you must have caught me on a toilet break.

Evgenya: Solved-ish. The solution is more or less what we're doing (defogger, fans and temperature control, http://science.howstuffworks.com/space-suit1.htm), but applied more effectively. Astronaut faceplates still fog up occasionally.

Sarah: My mozzarella isn't being lovely, either. My first batch ended up quite chewy, like dense bread. It still melts nicely, though, and is yummy with a bit of prosciutto and sun-dried tomatoes (two of the tastier items allowed under sim rules).

Jen said...

Hey Evgenya -

Girls night soon?

Hey Kim -

Sorry to make plans on your blog, but it is a pretty handy way to keep in touch with everyone!

Anonymous said...

I totally agree!

In that spirit, I need to mention something to Jen: You'll want to sub water for half of the shoyu called for in the Red-cooked Chicken recipe. That is unless you like chicken that comes with its own salt lick. (For confused bystanders, that is the actual name of the recipe. No relation to the real Red.)

Jen said...

Thanks Timmo. It seemed like a crapload of shoyu.

Kim, I'll send you the recipe. It's a braised chicken so I think it is CrockPot-able.

mikomikoWheee! said...

Hey Kim That is Great news!!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!


We will rock a huge party when you get back!

Kristin Van Bodegraven said...

Hi Kim. I just saw your computer, your purple water bottle, and your bottom.

Jen said...

I keep looking at the webcams and I never see you. Are you even there? Have you actually been living in our basement this entire time?

Kim Binsted said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kim Binsted said...

Dammit, Jen, you figured me out. I've been hiding behind the Indiana Jones cut-out, living off duck food and beer.