It was an early morning for me, despite a late night of working. I think this was the first morning I actually made breakfast hours 7:00–8:15 a.m. (0700–0815) since I’ve been aboard. Usually, I just grab something from what’s leftover. However, this morning I woke up before 7 a.m., though I had just gotten in bed some time after 2 a.m. Surprisingly, I felt refreshed and ready to go. I had oatmeal, a bowl of fresh fruit, and half a bagel. After eating, I still had plenty of time to make it to the back deck to catch some footage of the second Alvin deployment.

This time, Dr. George Luther and Liz McCliment were the observers going down, with a long list of objectives. Also going down with Liz was a Styrofoam cup from her daughter’s school (Shields Elementary in Lewes, Delaware). See the before and after shots of the cup in Neat Stuff. Alvin was launched by 8 a.m. (0800) and didn’t return until about 5 p.m. (1700). The first thing Liz did after disembarking was run down the stairs and past us all — apparently she had too much to drink before taking an eight-hour journey!

Though there weren’t many scientists up early to see the deployment this time, they were all there by the time Alvin was brought back aboard. Again, they anxiously waited to see the contents of the basket. Once they were allowed to retrieve their samples, it seems that it was well worth the wait. I was amazed by what I saw them pull out of the various containers! There were several species of worm, including the famous Alvinella pompejana (Pompeii worm). There were pieces of chimney from hydrothermal vents — “black smokers” in this case (see page 3 of the resource guide for information and the picture in Neat Stuff). The “Sipper” went out again to collect water samples, and “Artie” made its first voyage to the seafloor. “Artie” is named after Art Sundberg (assistant director of Marine Operations at the University of Delaware College of Marine Studies), who designed and built the device. Its technical name is RNA Later Preservation Chamber System. In a nutshell, the device has chambers that are able to preserve organisms (like the Pompeii worm) and their genetic coding (RNA signature) when they are brought to the surface. Since this was the first time that it was used, Dr. Cary was very pleased to see that it seemed to work. Kudos to Art!

After the samples were gathered and carried off to their respective labs, I followed some of the scientists around to see what they were doing with all this “stuff” that had them so excited. Fortunately, I made it to the lab where Dr. Alison Murray and Dr. Joe Grzymski were sorting through their worm samples. Their research involves genetic sequencing that seeks to understand the symbiotic relationship between the Pompeii worm and the hair-like bacteria that grow on their backs. They found several different species of worms in today’s batch and plan to perform dissections on the Pompeii worms that they have. I’ll make sure I’m there (with camera in hand)! Until then, I have posted some cool close-up pictures for you all to see.

Other than all the science going on today, I was pleased that I found time to chat for a while with several of the crew members. This morning I spoke to Carl, our steward, for a while about the Web site, and he gave me some great feedback. (He has an interview posted.) The role that Carl has is invaluable, along with Larry and Linda. To put it simply, they keep our stomachs happy! Together, they spend time in the galley (what we would call the “kitchen” on land) getting ready for each of the three meals we are provided daily (plus snacks in between). Today’s menus were definitely winners (see picture of dinner one). The black bean soup we had for lunch was excellent … my mother would have loved it, too. Then for dinner, the menu seemed gourmet. It included one of my favorites — mahi mahi (a yummy fish that I’ve tried prepared in lots of ways). For dessert, “Oh! Wow Bars,” and they were just that for my first piece, my second piece … and, well, I must confess … for my third-and-a-half pieces. Luckily they were cut into small squares, but unfortunately they were left out as a snack for the rest of the night. My boyfriend, Richard (a teacher at Stitt IS 164 in NYC) would have had an even harder time resisting them, because they were super sweet, coated in a layer of chocolate, and not too crunchy. Carl has promised to give me the recipe tomorrow to share with you all.

In addition, I spent some time talking to Jose (originally from Cape Verde), Raul (originally from Mexico), and Eddie (originally from the Philippines), who all told me a little bit about themselves and their experiences. They are very down-to-earth guys who seem to really enjoy what they do around here, though they sometimes miss being away from home for such long periods. Then I got a chance to talk to Phil, one of the oilers aboard (see his interview on the Web site). He talked a bit about his family, and we had an intriguing discussion about quality of life. It was a nice break from work. I also hung out with Gavin, of the Alvin crew, while I shadowed him during the sub recovery. I was able to get a few closer pictures thanks to him. He’s training to be an Alvin pilot, and he will be going on a dive (called “pit” dives, which are to gain experience in the sub) during the first “Phone Call to the Deep” on December 5. Maybe he’ll get a chance to answer some of your questions live! Lastly, Chrissy keeps me company much of the time while I do my work in the computer lab of the ship. She’s one of the techs, and you can find out more about her by reading her interview.

It will be nice to continue to get to know all of them and the other crew aboard Atlantis. Be sure to look for their interviews as they complete them and their “guest appearances” in the Neat Stuff photos and movies. With that, I am going to say good night. I hope all of you are enjoying your virtual expedition!