Log - July-12-2003 Previous | Next Expedition Expedition | People Preparing for Nares Strait moorings Over 40 brand-new University of Delaware ocean instruments arrived on the Healy when she was loaded in Seattle over a month ago. We have never opened the boxes and the task of the day was to check 28 SeaBird conductivity-temperature (CT) and 16 conductivity, temperature, depth (CTD) sensors that we will deploy with the moorings later this month. Dave here opens one of the nine shipping boxes in the main science lab of the ship. He looks happy as the shiny titanium housings and lithium batteries and cables and software and anti-fouling fluids all require his care. As lithium batteries are potentially explosive, they are not allowed to be shipped on aircraft in amounts larger than 2 grams/battery. Dave here assembles a battery pack consisting of six sticks that are loaded onto a small carusell. Once "loaded" each instrument is connected to a computer for a quick communication check. Is it talking? If it does, then the batteries are disconnected and the instrument goes back into the box. "Only nine more to go," he says as he reviews my handy work.