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NEEMO 7 |  | | Equipped
in SCUBA gear, Dr. Craig McKinley of the Centre for Minimal
Access Surgery at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton,
Ontario, prepares for a training dive. | | RELATED
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NEEMO
7 Journals
NEEMO
7, Mike Barratt
Day 7, Sunday, October 10, 2004
A couple days
off from journal writing, mostly for making time for the many details
we need to chase. Our topside team took a day out of the condo,
taking advantage of the final opportunity to get away before being
glued to the mission timeline and monitors. Friday's dive from the
pitching deck of the Research Diver was another milestone; more
drills and further familiarization with the outside of the habitat
and surrounding area. Because of the heavier seas, 4 to 6 ft, we
did only one dive and covered lots of ground along some of the set
excursion lines. Being so anxious to get inside the hab, these dives
almost resemble sub-orbital flights; they are great experiences,
but we want so much to get there and stay!
We had our
first view of the "Waterlab" structure following Friday's dive,
assembled on land; it will be one of our jobs to re-assemble this
on the sea floor out in front of the habitat. Picture a flimsy jungle
gym constructed of PVC pipe and galvanized bolts. We worked out
some plans and preferences, and resolved to construct ourselves
some tools of convenience. It's good to have Craig McKinley, a trained
surgeon on the team, someone accustomed to taking things apart and
putting them back together. Oh yeah, he also has an engineering
background. I still wager he will want to send a small piece of
PVC off to a pathology lab to find out what this really is. Currently,
the Waterlab is in neat organized bundles tie-wrapped and bungeed
together. The next time we see it, it should be on the sand patch
in about 60 feet of water off the stern of the habitat. The plan
is flawless - at least on paper.
We spent more
of the weekend getting our mission documents and procedures in order
and cramming on experiments and protocols. We have also tried to
glean a bit more knowledge of the coral science world under the
tutelage of Leanne Rutton. There is a striking similarity between
this scenario and the field geology taught to the Apollo astronauts
prior the lunar mission. While not being experts in the field by
any means, we will try to use some observational skills and the
modicum of knowledge given to us to collect some information the
scientists can use. Another prominent lesson we hear repeatedly
is to not touch or disturb the reef. We will work to observe and
learn maximally while impacting minimally, which is also not a bad
mindset to have for exploring the Solar System.
And so to bed;
tomorrow we splash, and any further work on the tan will just have
to wait.
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