|
The Project
|
August 18, 2005
Teamwork After 3 full days of preparation on the ship and many more days previous to that in the lab, the Research Vessel New Horizon left the harbor in San Diego at 8 PM, August 17, 2005. (Eight pm is officially called 2000 hour). The ship seemed like a giant among the small power yachts, the sailboats anchored in the marina and the shoreline homes. As we left the protected harbor area it was dark, except for the blue, red and white lights of the city. Everyone on the ship was excited to finally be moving; people gathered together in small groups to watch the lights of the city disappear on the horizon. The motion of the boat was a gentle side-to-side rock. This kept some people aware of slight signs of motion sickness, but the sea was gentle and smooth that night. Soon most of the crew and the science team crawled into their bunks for a good, much deserved sleep. As we slept, the captain sailed the ship on a planned course all though the night. The New Horizon is making its way up the coast of California. We have a predicted two-day cruise to our science station in the Monterey Bay, over the continental shelf (the extension of the North American continent that extends into the sea) near Santa Cruz. Three research teams, each having its own specific set of goals to accomplish during the cruise, have spent hours putting together the equipment necessary for them to carry out their experiment. Kelly and Chad used a very large wrench to bolt an aluminum support brace to the boat. The brace must swing down to submerge under water a series of sonar (listening) devices. Special care is taken to add safety straps and pads to protect the equipment and the boat. Sometimes things don’t work out as planned, so alternate plans are discussed and tried. They work together as a team; they seem to know that things don’t always work out the first time; they talk throughout the setup process; and they listen to each other's ideas and the ideas of others to finally complete the setup successfully. Jennifer and Brian put together a box that holds the equipment for the laser machines. These laser machines shoot laser beam light into the ocean. The signals sent back from this light will be used to track plankton (small drifting animals) in the ocean. The box and all its equipment is mounted on the front bow of the boat onto a support system that was built especially for this cruise. Jennifer and Brian were running behind schedule and they were under a lot of pressure to have the entire thing set up before the ship sailed. However, they remained focused on the task. As others completed their duties, Jennifer and Brian got some much needed help. Amanda says “Many hands make light work”. Chris, Kurt, Ida, Amanda, and Russ have worked hard rebuilding an array of sensors that will monitor many different qualities of the water. All the sensors were connected to a circular frame during the days just before the ship sailed. At times, six hands are working together securing wires, connecting water proof computer cables, and routing the pump tubing into the correct position. Like a puzzle, every piece fits correctly in only one spot in the array. One connection was incorrectly placed, a cable turned up missing, and the team was momentarily baffled. Yet after a second look, the misplaced cable was discovered and quickly rerouted to the correct position. It helps to have extra eyes during a project. Here’s is puzzler: If one person takes 8 hours and 24 minutes (504 minutes) to transfer 72 boxes of supplies from the truck to the boat, how long will it takes two people to do the same task? What if you had four people? Eight people? Here’s a challenge: How long in minutes does it takes for a person to transfer one box?
|
