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Monday - September 16, 1996

What Is The Name of Harrison’s Horse? Harrison’s horse may not have much to do with the science we’re practicing--but thinking about him may. This voyage is gathering data about a number of natural processes that have not been observed until a few years ago. This is because they are in 2500 meters of water. Machines to let us look, sample and measure were simply not available. And, an undersea venting of volcanic material had not been detected, yet, in such an accessible spot. (continued... )	About those lifejackets... It has been brought to our attention that 54% of the people pictured on the "WHO" page are wearing life jackets. We really DON’T wear lifejackets ALL the time - as our pictures may have lead you to believe. It’s just that most of the photos of people were taken at the regularly occurring safety drills--when we’re all together! as the elevator is deployed, it gets a slap from a passing wave Medea (the unit which connects JASON to the ship) waits on deck for the winch to be fixed		The Control Van On most Thompson cruises, the five main laboratories are beehives of activity night and day. Work goes on around the clock, with watchstanders involved in such diverse activities as drawing and collecting samples from an array of devices, operating spinner magnetometers, ICP mass spectrometers, and a host of other instruments which are impossible to pronounce. On a Jason cruise, things are very different. Virtually all of the hour-to-hour data collection is conducted in The Control Van. (continued...)
Why is the ocean blue? The question is: Why is the ocean blue? The answer is: Because it is not red. Read on. It’s only a little more complicated. If you do read on we’ll answer a Bonus Question: Sunsets are red because they cannot be blue. How’s that for Science on the Cutting Edge! (continued...)	A Thermal Blanket That Measures Heat Flow in Bare Rock Areas - Big Deal - By Mike Hutnak Actually it is a big deal - people have been trying for years with little or no success to measure the amount of heat given off by ocean crust as it cools. This heat flow can be highly localized and heat the water creating structures such as towering hydrothermal vents that support a variety of life, as well as spread out over large barren areas. When scientists study an area they create what is known as a ‘Heat Budget’, which is similar in many respects to a bank account: something is put in, and something is taken out. If you’re not dealing with Madison Guarantee S&L the amount deposited should equal the amount withdrawn. (continued... )	Scientific Highlights ABE Deployment - ABE was deployed in the New Flow Area, and flew a faultless star-shaped pattern over Cage Seamount. Imagine walking 10 kilometers, somewhere you had never been before, in the dark and having to follow an exact path... could you do it? Well, ABE did. (continued... )

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