Project process (pictures!)

We are having a brilliant time down here and making process on all our projects.. apart from the fact that the antenna that is our main mission to fix is still not working... but we have a few more ideas of things to test, so we're still hopeful.

This time I think I'll describe what's happening around here with some pictures. Below is a picture of the VLF antenna 'DVRAS' that we spent a day on replacing, by putting up new black diamond-shaped cables that you see in the picture. It was a nice job on a nice day, no wind and lots of sunshine, even with lots of sunblock we all came in with red cheeks and white goggle-marks around our eyes afterwards! Our group consists of Daleen (our teamleader and engineer), Marlie (a master student at Hermanus), and us, and then S.J. (another master student) is helping us out whenever we need more hands or some laughs.

Marlie (left) and Daleen at the DVRAS antenna

We've also been busy cleaning out hatches for a pulsating magnetometer. The hatches are wooden boxes containing the coils and electronics, buried in snow, and with the inside covered with ice. This was not the original idea, so our job was to use ice axes to clean out the ice.

Tobbe going down a hatch with an ice axe for some cleaning, and SJ ready with the silicon gun in the front (as well as some refreshments put on cooling).

On Saturday the sun was shining and it was a beautiful evening, which meant it was time for a braai (= South African version of a bbq, or, what they would say, the only way to bbq)!! The braai took place on one of the balconies of the building (in the gym) and it was a big event! Imagine a bbq for 80 people! Tobbe tried to bargain for the braai secret from Ryno with promises of glögg (glühwine) secrets in return, but was fairly unsuccessful. We made careful observations and will have to try to braai when we get home as well. We did notice that the main secrets seem to be to put huge, rolled up sausages on the grill while having another beer and just enjoying the present!

Tobbe explaining the secrets in making the perfect glögg, in hope for some inside braai tips from Ryno.

I'm putting out a photo of Tobbe at the Astrid dome as well, because it's such a cool thing. You can hardly see it because of the low contrast, but it's the white dome behind him. And then a photo of some of the mountains in the surrounding, taken at midnight. It's so wonderful to experience the midnight sun, at the same time as there's winter all around!

Tobbe at the Astrid dome

View from the base, taken at midnight

That's all for now, we're just about to go out and test our broken antenna once more, so more later!

-Hanna