12 December, 2002

We are going to a different site to collect more soil samples. We will go by helicopter. Before we can go, we need to collect all of our gear and personal baggage. We also need to submit a report to the helo people telling them how much our entire group and "stuff" weighs. We also need to tell them how much space it will take up. So, we made up this data table. We need your help. How heavy is our load? How much space will it take up? We need to request the specific amount of cubic space. Then the helo technicians will build a sling load and carry our gear in a sling under the helicopter. We need to make sure everything in the sling is securely contained and will not fall out during the flight.

http://tea. rice.edu/schulzantarctica/helo_cargoweight2.html

Weighing our gear for the sling load involves collecting all of our gear, sleep kits, personal stuff and food. Each box is weighed and volume calculated. Then a total is determined and given to the helicopter people who will build the sling load. We need to protect our equipment so some of the containers are hard boxes. Here Laurie and Scott are weighing the food box