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The Women's Soiree
The TRACER
instrument has been going along quite well since launch. The
payload is so heavy that it took them about 4 hours to get to their
initial float altitude of 128,000 feet. Since our payload is so
much lighter, we're anticipating only about 2 hours to a float altitude
of over 130,000 feet.
At any rate, today, we came out to Willy for just a
few hours and took the rest of the day off. Taking the day off
really needs to be qualified, though. Since there is continuously
a lot of activity around TIGER and ANITA as the SIP is readied for
launch, we still need to monitor the instrument somewhat closely
throughout the day. And so, a day off really means that we work
in town instead of out at Williams Field!
This evening was an interesting one around
town. The annual Women's Soiree to benefit a women's charity in
Christchurch was held in the main galley in building 155. It
featured poetry and prose, music, dancing and comedy, all topped off
with a variety of wines and cheeses. It was quite entertaining
and seemed to be a pretty big success.
The population of McMurdo is about 30% female,
ranging in age from 17 (the daughter of a Prinicipal Investigator for a
science group) to around 70. Some of the most amazing women that
I've ever met are down here. There's Jules, for instance.
Jules has spent almost 30 seasons down here at McMurdo, so much that
there is an even an island named after her. She works out here at
Williams Field in Fleet Operations, which means that she drives an
enormous bulldozer and removes gigantic amounts of snow from around the
buildings and the balloon launch pad. She skis the 6 miles to and
from Williams Field everyday.
This evening, I celebrated my 27th birthday
(although it is actually tomorrow) with some of the NSBF riggers over
at Southern Exposure, another one of the local pubs in town.
Luckily we get tomorrow off as well!
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