​A JOURNEY THROUGH GRADUATE SCHOOL AND THE KELP FORESTS  OF THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN
  • Home
  • Videos
  • Gallery
  • Explore
    • Curriculum Vitae
    • Common Word Challenge
    • Contact
The synergy of science, communication and exploration

Project Pegasus Part 8 – The Great Plunge

6/27/2017

0 Comments

 
PictureMission success! Pegasus "poses" in front of the topside crew
6/7/2017
San Diego, California
 
Nearly three months of planning, preparation, and hard work have gone into this fateful day: Pegasus’s first plunge in salt water. From day one, when we opened our kit and started assembling our little ROV, the team has talked of almost nothing else. All of our hopes and aspirations rested on a successful first flight in salt water.
 
In order to make sure everything went smoothly, we decided to test Pegasus in the shallow and protected waters of Mission Bay. On a cold and overcast Wednesday afternoon Project Pegasus team members set off on one of SDSU’s small boats, with the help of boat-handler extraordinaire (and fellow grad student/Edwards Lab mate) Tristin McHugh. We anchored in a shallow cove and prepared Pegasus for a fateful first dive.

Picture
Team members gather on the bow to prep Pegasus
Picture
All systems go! Pike hopped in the water as a "safety diver"
​As it turns out, we experienced quite an emotional rollercoaster. All systems were a go; however, as we moved to drop our ROV in the water the camera image seized (much like our previous issue with the lasers). After rebooting the system, we tried again; and just like the first time just as we were about to drop Pegasus in the water the camera froze again. This happened not once, not twice but fives times! After our sixth reboot we decided to go for it… resulting in a flawless 35min dive!
 
Our first “flight” of Pegasus took us on a tour of the murky water, through seagrass beds and around the boat. We quickly learned the nuances of a successful flight. As it turns out, Pegasus is a little heavy! Our negatively-buoyant ROV requires a lot of thrust to propel it through the water. We even learned what to do in the event of “entanglement” in environmental hazards, such as seagrass!
Picture
Maddy looks on as Aaron pilots Pegasus. In the background Jordan and Lorenzo manage Pegasus's 100m long tether
Picture
Through the "eye" of Pegasus; Pike throws a shaka to the topside crew
Picture
It took a little while, but eventually the team learned to successfully navigate the little ROV
​After three months I’m delighted to say Project Pegasus is a success. I’m incredibly proud of all of the hard work, dedication, and cohesion displayed by Project Pegasus team members. We all learned a suite of skills along the way, adding new tools to our toolboxes. However, it’s now time to pack up Pegasus in preparation for the Edwards Lab’s second research expedition to the Aleutian Islands.
 
Stay tuned! There will be plenty of updates from the Aleutians. And when we get back in the Fall, Project Pegasus will meet again to discuss a whole host of new projects for Pegasus.
 
Thanks for following us along this incredible journey!
 
Cheers,
 
Baron von Urchin
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    ​Pike Spector is currently a Research Operations Specialist with Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary

    Click here for Pike's Github Repo! 

    Tweet @BaronvonUrchin
    for more phycology fun! 

    Curious about Pike's ( now completed) master's thesis? Check out the Common Word challenge! 

    Archives

    August 2022
    October 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    December 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Videos
  • Gallery
  • Explore
    • Curriculum Vitae
    • Common Word Challenge
    • Contact