The ocean was wrong
It's a hot, sunny day in the tropical Pacific, and I just finished processing the samples from the respirometer lander's 5th deployment. I actually never told you about deployment #4, so before I get ahead of myself, let's back up.
Deployment #4 was about half successful. When the lander came on deck, one of the chambers was hanging open, and water was visibly draining out of another. We ended up getting good samples from only one chamber and halfway-decent samples from the one with the drained water. As best we can figure, the sediment was too hard at that station, so the chambers had a hard time closing.
Andrew and I fiddled with the chambers, and they seemed to work just fine on deck. The computers responded to our commands immediately, and the chamber doors had no trouble closing. I could tell Andrew was a bit frustrated, so I tried to lighten the mood. The ocean was working against us, I told him. It was tired of us stealing her secrets. We knew too much, so like the Mob, the ocean had to shut us down.
Andrew's response to me was simple: "The ocean was wrong."
We turned around the lander and readied her for another deployment in just 24 hours. For deployment #5, Andrew strategically chose a location where the sediment was guaranteed to be just right - not too hard, not too soft. He apparently chose well, because when we recovered the lander shortly after dawn today, all three chambers yielded good samples. Victory at last.
After 5 lander deployments, the score stands:
Team Sweetman: 9.5
Forces of nature, failed electronics, and other random crap: 5.5
We're slowly pulling ahead, and with only one deployment left for the cruise, I expect us to remain in the lead. The ocean may work against us; she may think we know too much. She may rally her forces and exert her destructive will. Her wind and her waves and her too-hard-too-soft sediment are formidable for sure, but if she thinks she can beat us, let me tell you: the ocean is wrong.
Deployment #4 was about half successful. When the lander came on deck, one of the chambers was hanging open, and water was visibly draining out of another. We ended up getting good samples from only one chamber and halfway-decent samples from the one with the drained water. As best we can figure, the sediment was too hard at that station, so the chambers had a hard time closing.
Andrew and I fiddled with the chambers, and they seemed to work just fine on deck. The computers responded to our commands immediately, and the chamber doors had no trouble closing. I could tell Andrew was a bit frustrated, so I tried to lighten the mood. The ocean was working against us, I told him. It was tired of us stealing her secrets. We knew too much, so like the Mob, the ocean had to shut us down.
Andrew's response to me was simple: "The ocean was wrong."
We turned around the lander and readied her for another deployment in just 24 hours. For deployment #5, Andrew strategically chose a location where the sediment was guaranteed to be just right - not too hard, not too soft. He apparently chose well, because when we recovered the lander shortly after dawn today, all three chambers yielded good samples. Victory at last.
After 5 lander deployments, the score stands:
Team Sweetman: 9.5
Forces of nature, failed electronics, and other random crap: 5.5
We're slowly pulling ahead, and with only one deployment left for the cruise, I expect us to remain in the lead. The ocean may work against us; she may think we know too much. She may rally her forces and exert her destructive will. Her wind and her waves and her too-hard-too-soft sediment are formidable for sure, but if she thinks she can beat us, let me tell you: the ocean is wrong.
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| A bit tattered but standing tall: Poliris for the win. |
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