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Polar Mail from the Oden
Letters: July 13
Question:
My son will be on the icebreaker Yamal during the month of September, supporting Florida State University's research in the Artic Ocean. We wonder if there are any ham radio operators currently on expedition in the region? My son and I are both ham radio operators and would like to keep in contact with him and wonder if this would be possible. This is his first expedition and we would appreciate any advice.
Thank you, Lois
Answer:
Dear Lois:
Thank you for your message. I have checked with the crew on board the Oden and, although there are two ham radio operators, there is no radio equipment for this purpose on board. The equipment onboard is commercial for ship-to-ship communications. Hence unfortunately, we are unable to help.
We may see the Yamal in the next day or so, as they are heading to the North Pole. I wish your son the best of luck and hope he enjoys working in the Arctic.
Question:
Greetings,
- How are you coping with the challenge of living/working in near-constant daylight conditions? Do you sleep in team shifts or find that your circadian rhythms are adapting to this?
- Could you describe the wildlife you're seeing, and whether you've observed anything unexpected?
- Do you believe that the advanced robotic systems you have created could have been completed under budget and on time for this mission without the use of Open Source software? Were there any cases where you used commercially available closed-source products because no acceptable Open Source alternative was available?
Good luck and Godspeed.
Blake
Paris, FR
Answer:
Dear Blake:
Thanks very much for your e-mail and for following along on our cruise. Here are the answers to your questions:
- How are you coping with the challenge of living/working in near-constant daylight conditions? Do you sleep in team shifts or find that your circadian rhythms are adapting to this?
We have discovered that working in an environment with constant daylight is both advantageous and disadvantageous! When we are working at a site, we are working 24 hours a day, usually in shifts. I have found that working at "night" is much easier; the daylight makes you feel less tired, and your body is not telling you it is time to be in bed. This is very different from cruises in other locations where you work in the dark. So in that sense, it is advantageous; you feel as if it is a "normal" time of day to be working.
However, it is a different story when it comes to going to sleep! Even with shades on the portholes, light seeps in -- and it is very difficult to go to sleep, especially when it is sunny and bright. There is also a lot of reflection off the ice, making it brighter still! I am slowly getting used to it, but it has taken a while!
- Could you describe the wildlife you're seeing, and whether you've observed anything unexpected?
We have seen polar bears with cubs; seals and seal pups; and a variety of birds, including fulmars, puffins, kittiwakes and gulls. Most of our sightings were when we were near the edge of the ice pack, as there is still quite a lot of open water there. As we have gone north, the birds have disappeared, and the only animals we have been seeing on occasion are seals. Nothing unusual yet.
- Do you believe that the advanced robotic systems you have created could have been completed under budget and on time for this mission without the use of Open Source software? Were there any cases where you used commercially available closed-source products because no acceptable Open Source alternative was available?
I gave your question to Hanu Singh, the engineer who is responsible for the vehicles, for an answer. Here it is:
“The software for the AUVs was all written with Open Source software. We did use some commercial software for the Camper (the camera-sampling system). The choice really came down to the actual engineer who was doing the work. For the AUVs, my students and I used Perl and C/C++ working under various flavors of Linux (Fedora Core and Ubuntu). For the Camper, another Woods Hole engineer named Jon Howland chose to work with Borland C++, as that what he is familiar with and likes to use.”
Hope this answers your question.
