I have been getting busy trying to get our new reboot boxes working so I will compress two days in this journal entry. In my last entry, I thought I knew why the boxes were not working. After a little more analysis, we discovered that our original documentation was wrong. Because of the error, we wired our circuit to the negative side rather than the positive side. The fix to the boxes is not that difficult. Because of the limited satellite communication, it has been very difficult talking to my colleagues in Berkeley. We get a very slow connection around 11:00 at night. There is a very fast link in the early morning, which gets slower after breakfast and stops near noon. I believe both continents now agree on how we should proceed.

Last night, Andrea and I were able to show that the box is working. However, we see a strange voltage reading and want to see some specific messages before we can bless the box. These mysteries are disturbing. We need to understand them before we deploy the boxes. Tonight, we will try again.

Yesterday weather was warm (-17 F) with a bright blue sky and little wind. Today, it is a little warmer (-13 F) but it is overcast. However, it seems much colder as the wind chill index has decreased to -47 F.

The National Science Foundation, which runs this base, really treats the people working here right. Yesterday, I borrowed a brand new pair of cross-country skis without even leaving my id. I guess I have nowhere to take them. I took my first trip on the skis yesterday. It is a little difficult to get speed on the skis, as the snow is so dry and cold. On Christmas, we will have a race around the world – a two-mile race that goes three times around the pole. I will have to see whether I will ski, run or walk.

When Amundsen first visited the pole, he had a very small tent, as his team did not want to carry large equipment across the continent. Today, there is the same problem with bringing in equipment. To house the summer crew, we live outside in Summer Camp. In this picture, you can see a row of these units, which are called Jamesways. These units are hemispherical units that can be moved when the snow drifts.

Inside, you can see the hallway. On each side of the hallway, you can see curtains. A curtain separates each sleeping room. The last picture shows my room. It is large enough to keep a bed and a small dresser with a small space to move. Since there is no soundproofing between each room and the fact that people work three shifts, we have to be always very quiet.

One of our colleagues has a little excitement coming here. When her plane started to take off from Christchurch, an engine overheated. Suddenly, the plane had to make an emergency stop. There were fire trucks all around. Fortunately, no one was injured and she will try to come to Antarctica tomorrow.

Next day
Index for Howard's trip