McGill High Arctic Research Station (MARS) Status Report – Dale Andersen: 16 April 2008

Here are a few more pictures and words for you regarding the CSA/McGill University Satellite system here at the CSA camp at Expedition Fiord on Axel Heiberg.

Note that some engineering support was provided by NASA Ames – NASA Research and Engineering Network (NREN) engineer Ray Gilstrap. You can see him assembling one of the point to point wireless repeater bases we used.

Ray will be helping with providing communication support during the Spaceward Bound educational project that will take place here later in July.

NASA Research and Engineering Network (NREN) engineer Ray Gilstrap [Photo: Dale Andersen]

NASA Research and Engineering Network (NREN) engineer Ray Gilstrap [Photo: Dale Andersen]

Apple laptop being used by Wayne Pollard to communicate via satellite dish. [Photo: Dale Andersen]

Wayne Pollard and Miles Ecclestone (Trent University) standing at the dish, looking off to the south. [Photo: Dale Andersen]

Wayne Pollard and Miles Ecclestone (Trent University) standing at the dish, looking off to the south. [Photo: Dale Andersen]

This landscape shot is looking back across the Expedition River floodplain (no water now of course since it relies on summer melt) to the CSA camp (look closely and on the left side of the image, not quite half way up, you will see a couple of dots, that is the CSA camp). The receiver dish is up the slope (about the center of the image) of Wolf Mountain which is in the background [Photo: Dale Andersen]

Jon and Ray arriving by snowmobile for a days work, and Jon and Ray working at the receiver during installation. [Photo: Dale Andersen]

CSA and McGill University have worked hard to put this capability in place, and its great to be able to have the support and expertise from NASA Ames to make this joint adventure successful!