TIGER in Antarctica - Q&A - Personal Impressions of Antarctica

How many kinds of animal species live in Antarctica, and what is your favorite?
There are some invertabrates like nematodes (worms), but the only vertabrates (animals with bones) around McMurdo Station (where I was) are:
I've got pictures of some of these on the wildlife page.
My favorite was Adelie Penguins, but if I had seen Emperor Penguins, they might have become my favorite.
What initially motivated you to take on such a challenge?
This is really the cumulation of a long history of life choices. The direct and relatively recent motivations are pretty simple. The science return from flying TIGER in Antarctica is very high, and when you add to that the personal adventure (how many people get to go to Antarctica?), it certainly appealed to me. So when TIGER was offered an Antarctic launch opportunity, I was all for it.
Were you wishing you didn't go down there, or were you happy to be there? Did you feel isolated or lonely?
I'm glad I went down to Antarctica - it certainly was the trip of a lifetime. But there were certainly times where I felt lonely and missed family and friends, as well.
Do you feel your weight difference because gravity is stronger?
No, I didn't notice any difference, and the difference in gravity is small.
What is the weirdest thing you saw while you were there?
Probably the katabatic wind pouring over the mountains. The katabatic wind is a very fast wind that rolls off the high plateau of the Antarctic, and one evening we could see it just pouring over the distant mountains like a flood of snow and mist. I couldn't take a picture that did it justice, but it was really neat to watch.
What do you do for fun? Do you have planned activities?
I'm spending my work day about 7 miles from the town of McMurdo. The only people there are balloonatics (as we're called in town), and it's pretty quiet out there. McMurdo is an active place in the evenings. There is almost always something going on, like science lectures, political discussions, sports tournaments (I'm currently playing in a foosball tournament), cards, and every dorm has a wide screen TV and VCR. There is a large tape library of movies, documentaries, etc., and a reasonable book library. There are also several bars, and there are almost always parties on the weekend.
Do you have any physical conditions which make it harder to live there?
I've had a pretty easy time living here.
Has the lack of color in Antarctica affected you in any way?
No, blue skies and bright red jackets liven up the outside, and I've been inside a lot of the time, anyway. Since I've been here, I've only seen one "white out" where overcast skies, blowing snow and fog combine to give no contrast between ground and sky, making it very hard to move around.
What do your daily activities consist of?
My typical day goes as follows:
5:30 AM Wake up, shower, etc.
6:15 AM Breakfast
7:00 AM Catch shuttle van to Willy Field
7:30 AM Arrive Willy Field, check email, work on TIGER instrument - what I'm doing varies considerably. There is a big list of tasks we had to do before declaring the instrument "Flight Ready".
11:45 AM Lunch (The galley here [at Willy Field] is much better than in town).
12:30 PM Back to work on TIGER.
5:00 PM Drive back to McMurdo
6:00 PM Dinner
After dinner is the most variable. I might take a walk or hike, catch a movie or a science lecture, play pool, go to the coffee house or Gallahger's Bar, or work on my email or journal.
~10:30 PM Sleep
What has been the most difficult task for you to do while in Antarctica?
The biggest problem has been to find time to do all that I want to do. There are still places I want to go and things I want to see that I may not get a chance to (penguins, etc.). I've been meaning to play basketball at the gym for a few weeks now and haven't gotten down there. The TIGER instrument is my top priority, but even this outreach (email and journal), which is also high priority, hasn't gotten as much time as I would like.
Do you feel less motivated to work in such extremely low temperatures?
No, actually there are times when I want to do more physical work to get moving more. I have to get up from the computer every now and then to get the blood flowing and warm up.
Are you able to keep up with United States' news? If so, is there any delay before you receive the updates?
I've been reading the Washington Post website nearly every day, so keeping up with current events has been pretty easy. Plus there is national news on the Armed Forces Network, which is one of the cable channels here.
Does it confuse you to see the Sun all day?
It really bothers some people, but I've had no problem. The biggest problem is that some people have lots of trouble sleeping. The long night of winter is apparently much more of a problem and some people get really depressed. Last night, I did wake up at 2:30 and it was a little disconcerting to have it be bright as day, although the shadows were longer.
Do you experience unusual problems breathing? seeing? smelling? tasting?
Smelling and tasting have been unaffected, as far as I can tell. Breathing, you notice the dryness, and dry mouth is very common. Seeing is the worst, because it is extremely bright (and the UV intensity is higher). You can actually "sunburn" your eyeballs (called "snow blindness") if you don't protect them (although most cases just involve temporary weakening of the vision, not actual blindness). I've got prescription sunglasses which work very well, but every time I go in and out of a building, I have to change glasses. It is way too dark inside with the sunglasses, and way too bright outside with my clear glasses.

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about Eric's Impressions of Antarctica