TRANSPOLAR SKITREK PROGRESS REPORT #10: April 2, 1988 Prepared by Rich Ensign, N8IWJ, AMSAT Science Education Advisor For Use With The AMSAT Teachers Guide "Exploring The High Arctic From Your Classroom" The Amateur Radio supported Transpolar Skitrek Expedition is now half-way to the North Pole. The thirteen skiers have completed more than a quarter of their 1730 km trek from Russia to Canada. After a three day break for supply air drop #2, they began moving again on Friday April 1st. All skiers are in good health and good spirits. Leads of open water have often frustrated them but "time heals all wounds in both people and ice" and the leads close allowing further progress. Those plotting the skiers' progress may have noticed their drift westward in the last week. This is due to the Transpolar Drift Stream Current, a major force moving Arctic water and ice. Canadian Communications Support Team members at Resolute Bay are enjoying their two week stints in the north country. They have become regular fixtures in this outpost community. Gary Hammond, VE3XN, will be taking his turn at Resolute this week. Gary is Head of the Geography Department at Listowel Secondary School in Listowel, Ontario. Rick Burke, VO1SA, Portable UA0, is returning to Canada shortly after representing the Canadian Communications Team at Sredniy Island in the Soviet Arctic. Now that the skiers are closing in on the Pole, the Russian Ice Island North Pole 28 will become the focus of support communications operations. Barry Garratt, VE3CDX, Portable 4K0, is journeying to the ice island to join his Russian counterparts Peter and Pavel. General call for the ice island is 4K0D. Rich Ensign, N8IWJ, AMSAT Science Education Advisor, would like to remind those of you working with schools to let him know what the schools are doing in following the trek. Good photos of student involvement are especially welcome and may be used in future Amateur Satellite Report issues. Contact Rich at: 421 N. Military, Dearborn, Michigan 48124. Ralph Wallio, W0RPK, AMSAT VP for Operations reports that high interest has been generated at the Des Moines Iowa Science Museum by a display featuring Amateur Radio's involvement in the Skitrek. The display, located at the museum's entrance, includes a map showing the trek's progress, a radio monitoring UO-11, and a real time tracking map display of UO-11's ground track. Bob Goodman, K8VHM, reports that the Alliance Ohio Amateur Radio Club recently featured the Skitrek in a display at a local mall. Visitors to the display monitored UO-11's Digitalker Reports and heard explanations of the trek and Amateur Radio's role in it from local hams. In our next report, we'll look more closely at Canadian Support Communications Operations and visit the elaborate display featuring the Transpolar Skitrek Expedition at the Ontario Science Center. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * A continuing series of Progress Reports like this one may be accessed via packet BBS, AMSAT Nets and the main educator source, the W0RPK AMSAT Bulletin Board on 515-961-3325. Progress Report #11 will be issued on April 9, 1988. TRANSPOLAR SKITREK / PROJECT NORDSKI COMM - SKI TEAM POSITION LOG ----------------------------------------------------------------- Daily reports are made by the team to communications support stations on Sredniy Idland, USSR, and Resolute Bay, Canada via amateur radio. These reports are relayed south at 1500z in the 20m amateur radio band on 14.125mHz USB. Reports are automatically taped at W0RPK and reduced to daily information notes for continuing logs. DAY/TIM UTC LATITUDE LONGITUDE REMARKS ----------- --------- --------- -------------------------------------------- 03Apr 11:49 85d48.8mN 92d20.5mE -36dC Everybody ok 02Apr No position report 01Apr 11:12 85d23.2mN 93d40.0mE -37dC Slept in before starting 8km 31Mar No change 30Mar No change 29Mar 11:38 85d18.9mN 94d55.3mE -35dC 2nd air drop a success - stopped 24km 28Mar 10:26 85d07.1mN 95d17.4mE -38dC Open water a problem 12km 27Mar 10:48 85d00.1mN 95d31.5mE -45dC clear wind light good ice 31km 26Mar 12:15 84d43.1mN 95d50.5mE -42dC Clear wind NW 2-3mps 2days prog32.4km 25Mar No position report 24Mar 13:00 84d25.6mN 95d58.2mE -37dC wind 40km/hr snowstorm 0km 23Mar 13:00 84d28.9mN 96d12.4mE -33dC Strong head winds 20-40km/hr 15km 22Mar 13:02 84d19.0mN 97d02.9mE Everything good ice, temp, progress 28km 21Mar 13:00 84d03.5mN 97d40.4mE -39dC ice excellent few leads&hummocks 21km 20Mar 11:40 83d51.8mN 97d27.4mE -36dC wind 1-2mps good ice & spirits 26km 18Mar 13:00 83d37.9mN 97d21.7mE -31dC no wind or open water good cond 22km 17Mar 13:00 83d11.7mN 97d26.6mE -35dC SE wind 3-5meters/sec 24km 16Mar <1st air drop successful on 14MAR > 15Mar 13:00 82d58.7mN 97d28.9mE 14Mar <17Mar for R&R and experiments > 13Mar 11:16 82d52.2mN 97d19.8mE -42dC wind 3-4meters/sec 24km 12Mar No position report 25km 11Mar 11:36 82d28.8mN 97d13.0mE 10MAR 11:58 82d16.9mN 97d24.6mE -45dC 20km 09Mar 12:30 82d09.3mN 97d47.0mE -30dC 12km 08Mar No position report 20km 07Mar 12:23 81d56.6mN 97d15.1mE 17km 06Mar No significant progress - Open water - Very windy - camped early 0km 05Mar 12:44 81d35.8mN 96d52.4mE -21dC Snow wind 33meters/sec 14km 04Mar 11:13 81d32.3mN 97d 0.0mE -28dC 20km 03Mar 11:24 81d21.2mN 96d12.8mE 7km 03Mar 07:31 81d15.0mN 95d50.0mE Starting point on Cape Arktichesky