Sea Trials Transit

Daily Science Report for 9 February 2009

LOCATION: Southeast of Guam in transit to Site 807 over the Mariana Trench, just east of the Challenger Deep, the maximum ocean depth (~10,920 m).

SCIENCE UPDATE: Introductory presentations for the Readiness Assessment Committee continued throughout the day. Presentations focused on introductions to the shipboard analytical systems and software applications including the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), depth scales and composite depths, Sample Master and data retrieval. USIO staff conducted a complete core flow dry run. Pre-acceptance and acceptance testing activities continued. Daily science activities were briefly interrupted by an abandon ship and fire drill required as part of the U.S. Coast Guard inspection and by the shipÕs departure from Guam at 1400 hr.

See detailed transit map

Ship highlight of the day: Core Sampling Station

Samples are taken from each core section for shipboard analyses and future shore-based studies. The core sampling area was enlarged by 37%.
Sampling & Core Lab panorama (Quicktime VR). Click and drag to pan around. Use the Shift and Control keys to zoom in and out.

See iodp.tamu.edu/labs/ship.html for more details on the ship's new laboratories.