Blue streak
Mark came up and stood next to me on the wooden pallet. The tall, muscular Scotsman had a cigarette between his lips. "Is that a blue streak on the float over yonder?" he asked, gesturing in front of him. He had been waiting on me for a good 15 minutes.
"Yeah, that's one finished," I answered. Mark stepped forward, heaved the finished float onto his shoulder, and carried it down the dock. To my right, I could see Andrew waiting for him, looking like a child on a jungle gym as he was perched atop the lander's metal frame, bolts in his fingers, whistling a tune. Mark held the float against the frame while Andrew bolted it on. Meanwhile, I finished tightening the last bolt on the float in front of me and marked it with blue spray paint. No cracks. Ready for deployment.
We spent a large part of the day like this; me opening the float covers to check for cracks, Mark and Andrew assembling the lander. When it came time for lunch, I had to wash about 3 layers of dirt and grease off of my hands - a solid day for sure.
The majority of scientists participating in the cruise have now arrived in San Diego. We hail from all over - Hawaii, Norway, Germany, Trinidad. We had to get to know each other pretty quickly, or at least well enough to be able to function as a team. The majority of equipment was loaded onto the ship today, and while the ship's crew was lifting heavier items on pallets with the shipboard crane, the scientists formed a trail of ants to get anything light enough to be carried on board the ship. The main lab is an absolute mess right now and will probably be that way for a while, at least until we get everything sorted and each group claims their work space.
I absolutely love the days when I have to scrub dirt off of my hands, when the sun beats down on the back of my neck and my muscles begin to ache. It's satisfying to see an actual physical product of my work - a lander ready to go - as opposed to just writing a paper or analyzing data. We still have a couple more days of preparations before we leave port, so I look forward to building up my calluses before hauling out. All's well in San Diego!
"Yeah, that's one finished," I answered. Mark stepped forward, heaved the finished float onto his shoulder, and carried it down the dock. To my right, I could see Andrew waiting for him, looking like a child on a jungle gym as he was perched atop the lander's metal frame, bolts in his fingers, whistling a tune. Mark held the float against the frame while Andrew bolted it on. Meanwhile, I finished tightening the last bolt on the float in front of me and marked it with blue spray paint. No cracks. Ready for deployment.
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| The lander frame and attached floats on the dock. |
The majority of scientists participating in the cruise have now arrived in San Diego. We hail from all over - Hawaii, Norway, Germany, Trinidad. We had to get to know each other pretty quickly, or at least well enough to be able to function as a team. The majority of equipment was loaded onto the ship today, and while the ship's crew was lifting heavier items on pallets with the shipboard crane, the scientists formed a trail of ants to get anything light enough to be carried on board the ship. The main lab is an absolute mess right now and will probably be that way for a while, at least until we get everything sorted and each group claims their work space.
I absolutely love the days when I have to scrub dirt off of my hands, when the sun beats down on the back of my neck and my muscles begin to ache. It's satisfying to see an actual physical product of my work - a lander ready to go - as opposed to just writing a paper or analyzing data. We still have a couple more days of preparations before we leave port, so I look forward to building up my calluses before hauling out. All's well in San Diego!
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| The Thomas G. Thompson in port in San Diego. |
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