50d 20m 11.6s S, 72d 20m 22.5s W (WP061)

For those who knew of my work at NASA, I was involved in a lunar impactor mission, LCROSS (Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite), from 2006-2009, a mission that confirmed the presence of water in the form of water ice within the lunar south pole crater Cabeus. LCROSS may be eternally at Luna Coords 84° 43’S, 49° 37’W, LCROSS was recently spotted at Terran Coords 50° 20’S, 72° 20’W.  Today we visited the local museum devoted to the study of ice and glaciers: Glaciarium. http://www.glaciarium.com/

Upon display look what we found! Although not named specifically, the artwork was quite familiar. Actually from all the other satellite imagery of ice/glaciers, etc. the museum would credit NASA Johnson Space Center or JPL, almost at random. Anyway, the curator was kind to allow me to take some snap shots!

 It was a fun surprise. (top) Glaciarium – Museum about ice. Off in the distance is Lago Argentino, the largest freshwater lake in Argentina. (bottom) Picture of the display on ice in our solar system.

50d 30m 17.1s S, 73d 05m 37.0s W (WP055)

Another first for Kimberly occurred today, the wearing of crampons to walk on water, frozen water that is. Robert & I were part of a organized tour which taught us how to ice climb on Perito Moreno. We traveled only about 3 miles out into the vast ice field, in not the best of weather (rain, snow and wind) but enjoyed getting “up close and personal” to crevasses and seracs. This also marked my furthest south point as of this time in the trip.

A collection of GPS waypoints of our trek across the ice is shown below.

50d 29m 08.8s S, 73d 02m 44.0s W (WP024)

Celebrating Robert’s 40th birthday by visiting a most amazing river of ice, the Perito Moreno Glacier, located in the Los Glaciares National Park. The specifications for this amazing natural beauty really boggle the mind: a 250 km^2 ice formation, 5 kilometers across, stretching over 30 km along the river, with heights of 60-80m above the water line, with an equivalent depth of ice below, or ~140 m ice height, half hidden from view. It was just mind-boggling to get a sense of scale. Unlike other glaciers in the area (fed from the Southern Patagonian Ice Field), which are retreating, Perito Moreno has basically kept its same volume over the last century. I just love things which are locked in time!

We were fortunate to enjoy catching some times when the glacier ‘calves’ or falls into the lake that it abuts against. Throughout the afternoon, on the boat trip and also just walking the balconies where you got some amazing views, we would hear the sounds of the glacier.

Or you would see waves being created by a recent ice fall.

For a tease of scale, we marvelled at small specks crossing the glacier. We would be one of those specs in a few days time when we’d put on crampons and walk on water (see Feb 13 entry)

34d 49m 54.0s S, 58d 32m 26.1s W (WP021)

We had about four hours layover between arriving at the international airport Ibeza (EZE) from Houston, TX, USA, and transporting ourselves to the coastal (Atlantic) domestic airport Jorge Newbery (AEP). We pretty much almost used all of it, but we certainly had time to spare. I had not been prepared for the mugginess of B.A. I know it’s late summer down south, but with all the emphasis on having to pack lots of cold-weather gear for the Polar Pioneer and having left Denver, CO, USA, in a snow storm, cascading through a hot & muggy airport in winter gear, stripping as I went, will ever remain in my memory.

On the bus ride across the city, we spotted lots of cars which had been pulled off the road in search of shade, even if the road was a four lane motorway. It had a sense of “organized chaos.” From my small viewpoint, there were loads of uncollected garbage in many places, having later been told that due to the current economy woes, various social services are running months behind.

We did not, on this trip, neither outbound or return, spent some time in the colonial city. From the air, Buenos Aires stretches for miles and miles. At night, it lights up an area the size of a South American country.