Crate Expectations

I write tonight from the Crate. I am currently on the midnight balloon launch shift, meaning I'm handling the 11:15pm and 2:15am launches (18Z and 21Z for those of you playing along in ATS). We are on the brink of beginning what should be our shift schedule for the remainder of our stay here: 27 hours off, 9 hours on. There are 8 launches every day, so between the four of us we will cycle through the morning, afternoon, and midnight shifts, the last shift only covering two launches because of its awkward timing.

Ze' workstation

We are hoping to put together a somewhat time-lapsey video of the entire balloon launch process so I will spare you the specifics for now, but it involves roughly 10 minutes of instrumentation preparation, 5 minutes of balloon inflation, 60 minutes of computer data scrutinization, and 105 minutes of relaxation. However, the last five minutes of computer stuff comes about two hours after the launch time, when we need to terminate the sounding data receiver and log its final stats and info. Thus our shifts usually still require close to a full three hours for every balloon. I have been using this temporal gap to read Infinite Jest (Dave), study Scrabble alphagrams and hooks (Carrie, Shari, Phyllis, Dave, Carol, et al.), run/swim (Gus), drink coffee (Lance), and use Facebook (Eric Michael). And tonight I'm hoping to start streaming radio of the Diamondbacks/Brewers game at 3am before my shift ends -- sidebar: it's odd watching live American sports over breakfast in the mess hall.

Today was another great day away from work too. We are all starting to shred it at windsurfing, not just James tearing up and down the beach while Adam and I spin in circles (mostly just me). Looking forward to honing even more tomorrow and/or Sunday. Horsetooth Reservoir next summer anybody? We also went to the actual Indian Ocean for the first time (instead of the lagoon) and checked out a nifty off-road bike trail through palm fronds and gravitationally-conquered coconuts. Chalk up another day for the old-age happy memory bank.

-Gavin

The Indian Ocean in all its horizontal glory

Doomed

We've left one exotic paradise only to arrive at another. After a full night's sleep, we met up with Bill Brown at the mess hall for breakfast ($2.30 for all you can eat cereal, biscuits and gravy, bacon, fruit, and omelets to order). Afterwards, Bill took us to the southern end of the island for training at the weather balloon launching station.

Our workstation/ship container is set in a vacant tent city. Tent city refers to an area of concrete slabs readily available to house large numbers of military tents. Fortunately, tent city has its own semi-private, white sanded, crystal blue water beach facing the lagoon. Gavin strongly discourages James and me from peeing in the lagoon water. It is that pure and unadulterated.




Work attire now consists of boardshorts. Since we release weather balloons every 3 hours, the 45 - 60 minutes of down time between balloon launches has been spent enjoying our Garden of Eden (before the fall). After being spoiled this rotten, you should fully expect James to never wear a shirt again, and Gavin to persistently wear swimming goggles no matter the occasion or season. Habits developed under these tropically rich circumstances will be hard to break. James is already looking forward to the probable 4 or 5 day delayed flight off the island (over 50% of the scientists trying to leave the island have been delayed at least 24 hours, some up to 5 days). After all, we will need more time here given the plethora of activities including sailing classes, 5k runs, golf tournaments, bowling tournaments, kickball tournaments, table tennis tournaments, windsurfing lessons, snorkeling, and a 37 mile tip to tip bike race across the island. We are very pleased to be studying tropical weather instead of more polar varieties.

If that sounded like bragging, it kind of was. However, you should take consolation in knowing that we will be forever ruined. Our paradigms for work environments have shifted and are not likely to recover. Every job after will be forced to live up to these expectations. We are doomed.



Almost forgot, we met the Commander (an Auburn fan and graduate!) and Lt. Commander of the island and helped them successfully launch a weather balloon.

Also, for the weather weenies out there, here is your fun fact of the day. All one hour weather messages are performed by hand because the automated weather station is broken on Diego Garcia. They also have radar on the island that is not broadcast, accessible, or archived. Yup, I don't know either.

-Adam

The Band

The Band has arrived in Diego Garcia.

After a swing-and-miss military flight yesterday and a subsequent downtown Singa hotel stay, our flight left as scheduled today and I write from the footprint island.

One of our fellow passengers who was scheduled to embark on the flight-that-wasn't wandered up to us yesterday and asked what we were going to be doing on Diego Garcia. He is a desalinization engineer for the Department of Defense. After telling him we were meteorology students about to launch a couple hundred weather balloons over the next couple months, he was like “Oh. Ya see we all thought y’all were the band.” Apparently they swap out the local entertainment here every couple months. We were all pleased that we at least appeared somewhat musical. We’re thinking it was the hair.

Before leaving for the Air Base from the hotel in Singapore this afternoon, we hit the gym and the pool. Before that we experienced a crazy urban thunderstorm from 4:30-5am. James video-captured a strike hit the building opposite his window no less than 50 yards away.

The military flight itself was quite an unparalleled experience. Yesterday we were scheduled to be on a DC8, a cushy version of a cargo plane with five rows of forward-facing seats and an in-flight meal. Today’s flight was on a C17, a less-cushy version of a DC8 with no meal, rudimentary benches along each wall, and a central boulevard of pallets. The pallets were stacked high with airplane parts, fresh produce, and human blood.

This ended up being the most fortuitous flight plan change that could have happened to us.

Not only were we able to sprawl out on the floor and roam around with lax rules (click to see video), but the crew was also a fresh one out of Hawaii and thus freshly friendly and willing to let us check out the cockpit once we were at cruising altitude over the Indian Ocean. James was so enthralled with the pilots’ lifestyles and experiences that he’s thinking about joining the Air Force if balloon launches on a remote atoll don’t end up cutting it for him.

Upon arrival on the island we hopped on a van that took us to our military hotel, went to the only open establishment (the grocery store) to grab some grub in a desperate attempt to raise our collective blood sugar and energy, and ended up running into one of the sounding (balloon launch) team members, Tim Lim. We are all set to begin training tomorrow. But first, we will sit back, relax, and enjoy a few celebratory and government-subsidized brewskis on this fiercely starry night. We made it. We are finally here. Let the agonizingly-anticipated adventures begin.

-Gavin

Sans Diego

Though we have yet to lift off Singaporean soil despite being so close to leaving on schedule today (cheers to mechanical issues being discovered prior to takeoff), some extra time here shows great promise. Between amphibious vehicle tours, which drove-boated us all over the Singapore River and around the touristy hotspots like the Merlion, Formula 1 racetrack, and boat-topped skyscrapers, and hitting the flashy casino by evening that sits beneath the boat-scraper, what more can one want? Singapore is an amazing place of modern development, that retains a lot of intriguing culture.

View of the boat-scraper light show from our new spot
(look hard to see the tower-spanning boat at the top).

We've experienced Chinatowns, Indiatowns, and Americatowns (the number of malls here would give Starbucks a run for their money in the US). The hustle and bustle is not so much visible in the number of people or densely crowded city streets, but learning that vast stretches of open space are to be covered in skyscrapers by 2016 - that about sums it up (some Singaporean trivia from one of the finest amphibious vehicle tour guides around). It is quite like a societal experiment, in which someone decided to build a country and said "let's try doing it this way." It's been unforgettable, and we're looking forward to another couple of nights here on the back end of our DGAR duties.

-james

Fish Balls

After crashing hard the first night, we woke early to explore Singapore. We grabbed breakfast at a nearby bakery and walked a few hundred yards from the Crowne Plaza Hotel to the public transit system, SMRT. Singapore is a very clean city. Grass is mowed, weeds are pulled, trash is trashed, advertisements on public property are nonexistent, and chewing gum is outlawed. We meandered downtown and discovered a four story mall that contained lunch stands. Our first Thai food trial of the trip included some well seasoned fish sponge balls over rice and pork.

Afterwards, the first mission of the day was to meet Gavin's friend Owen. Gavin and Owen met on a trip to Peru years ago, and Owen currently resides in Hong Kong. Owen is Asian, 6'3" tall, and speaks English with an Australian accent. He is the basis for the Starburst contradiction commercials. The plan was to meet Owen at City Hall. Unfortunately, Singapore has multiple areas labeled "City Hall". Even more unfortunate, the rendezvous City Hall was no longer the city hall. After some confusion, we met Owen and continued towards China Town.

Waiting for Owen at Singapore's City Hall which is currently being reconstructed as a Visual Arts Museum

Aside from the surprisingly little congestion, China Town was exactly as expected. Knockoff vendors, outside eateries, and cheesy Singapore T-shirts (e.g. "I got fined in Singapore", "Fine me on Facebook", ...). Glorious. Our first price negotiation included three pairs of fake Ray-bans. Meandering to India Town, we found a flea market that had the uncertified Guiness Book of World Records pile of used watches. India Town was decorated for a parade with streamers and lights arching over the roadways and sidewalks.

Arriving back at the hotel, we took a dip in the pool and then headed for din din. Jet lag slapped us in the figurative face and we were done.

Stay tuned for the next blog post including amphibious vehicles, casino night, and mermaid lions.

-Adam