5 November 2019 Blog2 - Gliding into home

On the last full day of ADEON Cruise IV aboard the R/V Neil Armstrong, the science party is busy with all that can be done in preparation for demobilization the following day. Many attend to work emails as they get ready to return to their respective universities. While science operations may be secured, news of a wayward Ocean Observatories Initiative autonomous glider reached the crew and a recovery operation was launched.

5 November 2019 Blog1 - Saved the Best for Last

Our last tow on the research vessel was conducted on the 4th, around 02:00 – 06:00 in the morning. The catch was by far the most impressive we’ve seen. Our tow consisted of the myctophids, krill, shrimp, large salps, cyclothone, and sigmops that are common to see in our net tows. However, the catch held a surprise… a ~ 0.33-meter-long squid! (aka. About a foot long.)

4 November 2019 Blog2 - So many #epicsfails

As I’m writing this post we are officially in transit back to homeport. I think most of us have very mixed feelings about concluding this trip. On one hand, everyone is anxious to get home to see their friends and family, on the other, we’re sad to be leaving this little ship family (Familyship?). While there is a gym available in the transducer room, nothing can come close to the intensity of the abs workout I’ve gotten from laughing with these people for 12+ hours a day.

4 November 2019 Blog1 - Salp Suckers New Inductees' !

The Salp Sucker Society. Like many traditions, its origin has been lost to time. Some say it started when Neptune challenged the Roman sailors to prove their devotion to the sea in return for safe passage. The initiation consists of the imbibing of a salp. For those who are curious, a salp is a gelatinous marine organism belonging to a primitive group called tunicates. Congratulations - Aaron, Cassidy, Emmanuelle, Jacob, and Katelyn!

3 November 2019 Blog1 - a time of change. . . .

The time change; happens every year, yet it is always the source of a lot of confusion. Will I put my morning alarm an hour backwards or forwards? If my phone is on airplane mode, will it automatically change to the proper time? This year some of us worked through the time change at sea, so we had an additional task of noting the time change in our log so we could correct for time appropriately for future analysis.

2 November 2019 Blog2 - Shrunken Cups and Beautiful Paintings.

Wendy Klemperer, Artist in Residence on the R/V Neil Armstrong ADEON Research Cruise, AR040 has been painting portraits of the crew, seascapes, and attempting some deep sea creatures, based on Chief Scientist Joe Warren’s photos. She is painting using 2000 meter deep sea water, the creature's natural habitat, to make them feel at home.

2 November 2019 Blog1 - Echo and Analogy.

“Man must understand his universe in order to understand his destiny. Mystery, however, is a very necessary ingredient in our lives. Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis for man’s desire to understand. Who knows what mysteries will be solved in our lifetime, and what new riddles will become the challenge of the new generation? Science has not mastered prophesy. We predict too much for the next year yet far too little for the next ten. Responding to challenges is one of democracy’s great strengths. Our successes in space can be used in the next decade in the solution of many of our planet’s problems.” — Neil Armstrong, in a speech to a Joint Meeting of the Two Houses of Congress to Receive the Apollo 11 Astronauts (16 Sep 1969), in the Congressional Record.

1 November 2019 Blog2 - What time is it?

Happy weekend, everyone! Unlike the typical 9-5 schedule, ships don’t have days off – to keep the ship running and to maximize on sea time, the crew and science party work 24-7. This means all on board need to adhere to a strict schedule that ensure everyone gets enough sleep and mealtimes are predictable. When ships travel through multiple time zones, it can get complicated.

1 November 2019 Blog1 - Twas a dark and stormy night. . . . and the sea was angry!

The science crew made sure to make the best of our time while we were transiting by celebrating the holiday! The dry lab was decorated with numerous hand-drawn spooky monsters and critters such as Nessie who came all the way across the Atlantic to see us and other creatures of the night.