We successfully completed “Bellingshausen 2”, which was primarily over sea ice. There were clouds present as expected, but we were able to fly a little lower to get under them most of the time. We lost some ATM/imagery data along the westernmost part of the data lines, but the rest of the flight went well.
We had another problem with the Applanix POS even after replacing a part that could have been the culprit. Again, we have backup systems, but we plan on installing another duplicate Applanix instrument once the proper mounting plate arrives (Monday). Hopefully that will fix things for good.
Tomorrow is a “hard down day”, so there will be no flight or power on the plane. Our group will conduct a survey of the ramp tomorrow using a vehicle and a GPS receiver. Although we have surveyed the ramp on previous occasions, it’s important to re-do the survey every so often to make note of any areas where the asphalt/concrete surfaces have changed over the years.
We will meet tomorrow evening to discuss the plan for Monday like usual.
Until later,
Rob