Webcast Day

Zzyzx, CA~It was fun participating in the webcast this morning. Sandhills Middle School had a lot of awesome questions in the chat room and my Aunt Irene from Florida even asked a question. THANKS IRENE and students at Sandhills! It was great knowing we (Cherlyn and I) had “fans” in the audience. I stayed and watched them facilite the spanish version of the webcast. Observing behind the scenes was a lot of fun. Seeing how the technology people do things off camera to "make things happen" and appear seemless and not affecting the webcast during the event was fascinating.

Rain in the Mojave

Mojave Desert~Brrr..It was cold, overcast and actually rained today. Yes, we were in sweatshirts, hats, and jackets. Here are Cherlyn and Kathy trying to keep warm this morning while we were waiting to be shuttle by four-wheel drives to one of our locations.

Rock Sampling

Today was exciting rock sampling excursion. Our scientist for the day was Rosalbla. She is sedimentologist from NASA Ames. We traveled to a lava flow that an aa lava flow that dated between 9,000 and 20,000 years ago. It was called the Black Tank Flow. Rosalbla is looking for oxidized rock (or rocks that have a red tint). She is studying the oxidation and surrounding vegetation in the soil structures in comparison to terrestrial MARS. I was able to assist in a sterile sample acquisition. I was impressed to see that prior to using her pick or shovel she rubs them in the soil near the sample so at the very least it does not contaminate the sample with anything other then what is already in the profile. She makes notes in her journal. The same type of journal our students use everyday in science notebooking. She mentions making sketches of the sample in its natural environment in her notebook so when she took pictures she can remember which one goes with which sample. Our next stop was a site where the surface where the water had cut away and you could see original soil layers underneath the actual lava flow. It also included a site of a former water fall. That is the picture that I have included.

As a part of our trip we had Henry Sun with us. Henry is looking to answer the question “the minimal amount of moisture required to sustain normal life in a regular environment”. He believes that the desert varnish is not biological.

Welcome to Zzyzx

Zzyzx, CA~We're here! We left Las Vegas this morning about after lunch for our two hour ride down highway 15. Those that are from this area are familiar with the Sunday afternoon/evening traffic from Las Vegas back to Los Angeles. Well, those that are not used to the traffic (Me)were awestruck by the bumper to bumper trip. It was a mass exodus! It reminded me of leaving Myrtle Beach on a Sunday afternoon and traveling on 501 or maybe I-26 west on Memorial Weekend. Stop and go's all the way and at one point our van was making clunking noises in the transmission (we guess...being on not sound mechanic knowledge). It is currently 10:50 on Sunday evening in the Mojave and as I sit on the "Castle" porch on the second floor, I can still see the line of lights from the cars traveling back from Las Vegas.

However, our scenery was awesome! I saw my first Joshua tree! The terrain is so unlike SC. SC scenery is very specific based on the region that you are driving through at the time. Palmetto trees for the lowcountry, pine trees for the midlands region and hardwoods for the upcountry. Driving on highway 15 was very unique. Mountains with lava flows tops, different color sand and even desert varnish. I saw the largest mirage I have ever seen and there were even land sail races on the dry lake beds.

The research station is a former health and mineral spa. Built in the 40's as a resort the owner lost it in the 1970's due to nonpayment of taxes. We are not to drink the water due to mineral contact. Actually, you can but then mother nature takes its course. So, I guess I will stick with the potable water from the "white sink". Currently, it is run by the Department of the Interior and it host groups for research. Today, they put the hot air balloon up for a short period of time. That was an adventure! Tomorrow morning if there is no wind it is supposed to be set up again. It is going to be used to locate and compare lava caves using remote sensing. Flexibility is the key to this expedition due to weather concerns that may interfere with some of the events.

Breakfast is at 7 AM and at that time we will sign up for activities to do for the day. We will take a box lunch and then return for breakout meetings with our "home" group and prepare for the next day. Each home group will be responsible for a blog entry a day to be posted to the Spaceward Bound webpage. My day is Thursday. This give me time to recover from jet lag.

Hello, Las Vegas!

Las Vegas, NV~The day began early with a 3:45 AM wake up call at my parent's house in West Columbia. The arriving at the airport two hours before your flight can be difficult. The flight from Columbia to Dallas-Fort Worth(DFW) was great (and we even arrived 30 minutes early!). The Boeing 757 from DFW to Maccarran Airport was full but Cherlyn and I slept to try to recover and prepare for the remainder of the day. I was fortunate enough to wake up in time to see the Hoover Dam right before the plane landed. The water was a beautiful blue green. The actual dam is remarkable..much more impressive then the Lake Murray Dam.

Our hotel for the night is within walking distance of the strip. I can look out front and see the Excalibur and the Mandolay Bay. The mountains are georgeous and unlike anything we have at home. I plan to take plenty of pictures after I get a nap.

Cherlyn is strategizing logistics and putting the finishing touches on the plans for the week with the other Chile' Alumni, Liza and Deb. I truly look forward to a grand experience of which I will be filled to the brim with content knowledge, strategies and ideas to be able to take back to my school.

"Got my wide-birmmed hat"

West Columbia, SC~ My wonderful mother took me “hat shopping” and bought my wide-brimmed hat. I have always giggled at my friends that wear them. I now know the reason and have a full understanding of why they are so important. It is all about sun protection! We are told to bring SUN BLOCK not sunscreen due to the intensity so a regular ball cap wouldn’t even begin to work for protection. I am a beach bum originally from the Isle of Palms, however, Mojave is no Isle of Palms and the intensity can be extreme.

Today we have our last training session prior to leaving on Saturday. Getting the final details and making certain I am prepared is very important. I want to be a useful and productive participant and get the most out of the experience allowing me to bring valuable information back to my school.

3 days and counting!

Supply List

West Columbia, SC~I received my list of things I will need last night. It contains the typical suggestions for any field expedition such as: comfortable walking shoes, light weight long sleeve shirts, sunscreen, etc. However, Liza mentions several times suggestions to avoid "little beasties" that are looking for a nice place to stay. Hmm..I am from the south and we have palmetto bugs (the large cockroaches) but they don't bite. Having not ever seen a scorpion in reality this should be very interesting but a little bit nerve-racking. I hope I remember to "shake-it" before I wear it. I certainly don't want to be the one that forgets!

8 days and counting...BTW...I still need to go get my wide-brimmed field hat.