Operation Tiger Strike

Operation Tiger Strike was a success! We were on the ground for 70min (10min over our allotted time) but we not only completed what we were suppose to, but also completed half of the work the third team was suppose to do. We could have been back on the plane in an hour, but we had to mess around and take pictures for 10 mins. Our take-off was so smooth that we made it in one attempt and we saved so much fuel that we didn't have to go to pole (not so good). Our takeoff took a total of 7 miles and we finally left the ground with a little help from the JATO (Jet Assisted Take Off). Since we only have one set of JATO on the plane, I'm glad it worked the first time because if it didn't, we would have been stuck there. This is the tent after we finished setting it up. There is a plywood box floor on top of leveled footer. Then there are arches that are all pieced together and put up. Next "blankets" are put over the structure and secured into place. Deadmen lock it down to the snow as seen by the lines in the picture by peoples feet.
This is a little view of what things looked like right before we left. It's weird to think that scientists are going to study a mountain range in a place that is so flat (the mountains are under the snow).
Between the star and the "New Your Air Guard" sign are the four JATO bottles. There are four on each side and burn all at once for a total of 8 seconds.
To help with the takeoff, we needed to get all the weight we could into the back of the plane. For this we had 7 people cargo strapped to the back ramp. I guess technically these people came back as "Cargo."

Just after we took off, we found out we had enough fuel to make it back to McM and that we were not going to Pole. At this point, I pulled out my tiger suit from Halloween and ran around the plane to cheer people up. I don't think it worked but I did see a couple smiles. One of the NYANG guys came up to me and said "there are a lot of strange people on this plane!" Remember, this is all in the name of science.

This week we all have to work on Sunday (7 day work week) because we get Monday and Tuesday off for the holiday. It will be a nice break having two days off in a row. Merry Christmas everyone!