NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Thursday

Today’s Notes were written with the assistance of Henrik.

I have also entitled today’s Notes “High Heels and Wrenches” on the bequest of Oliver. The title comes from a lovely photo Kjell took of my preferred fieldwork accessories.

Yesterday afternoon as we were leaving the outcrop, it started snowing. At first it was small icy stingers, but by the time we got back to the ship it had grown into light fluffy clumps. This morning fluffy snow was falling from light clouds broken by spotlights of sunshine.

Almost everyone went on shore this morning to hunt for more stromatolites, stylolites, and snow algae. I stayed on the ship to run the final collection of group samples through the GCMS and make sure our sample collection was complete for further analysis when we get home. In the afternoon I was able to go ashore, yay!!

The AMASE 2006 expedition is soon coming to an end and to mark the occasion, a new tradition was introduced tonight. The Lance crew had built a pool out of pallets and a tarp on the aft deck. The pool had been filled with ice-cold sea water from the fire hose and we all went in -more or less by our own free will. It was freezing! But my body developed a pleasant glow once I had warmed up afterwards. Tonight everyone who jumped in received a diploma stating that we had been swimming in ice water at 80 degrees north. The diplomas were signed by boat captain Otto Karsen, Expedition Leader Hans Amundsen and Science Leader Andrew Steele. Tomorrow the Lance crew is heating the tub for a more enjoyable hot tub experience. The crew of this boat is amazing – who else would have built an ice bath/hot tub on a boat in the arctic?!?

+ AMASE 2006 Home

Kirsten Fristad
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center