Glacier Losing Huge Chunk of Ice

A Manhattan sized chunk of ice is about to break free from the largest glacier in the Arctic. This month researchers have descended on the Peterman Glacier, in Greenland, to witness what they believe will be a spectacular event – 5 billion tones of ice breaking free into the sea. Peterman’s huge ice tongue extends over the ocean and it is believed that warmer ocean currents, fueled by global warming, are responsible for the increase in ice flow.

The first signs of this unfolding event were documented last summer by Jason Box of Ohio State University. Box noticed an enormous crack in Peterman’s floating ice tongue, which acts like a giant conveyor belt carrying ice through the fjord and out to sea. The crack extended all the way across the fjord to the other side of the tongue, just over 9 miles. Understanding that this was a remarkable discovery, Box and associates have recently returned to Peterman aboard the Greenpeace research vessel the Arctic Sunrise .

The vessel is equipped with cameras and sensors needed to document the event which the team believes will occur within weeks. Since last year more than 10 cracks have opened up in the giant tongue, some more than 1600 feet wide. Of course ice regularly calves off Peterman’s tongue and is compensated for by snow falling at the top of the glacier. However the sheer size of this potential break, 5 billion tones of ice has researchers concerned. This is well over half the annual flow of ice and it would be occurring in a relative instant. The idea being that losing such a large chunk of ice would in effect uncork the bottle, allowing the ice to flow faster into the ocean and ultimately affecting sea levels.

Atlantis to Rescue Hubble and Inspire

IMAGE FROM NASA

NASA TV blurbs constant updates, “Going into AUX -101 puts the flight computers into flight-mode”. Images of orange suited technicians hurriedly taking pictures of the space shuttle Atlantis’ exterior, against the backdrop of enormous engines, seem oddly similar to images I just witnessed in the new Star Trek motion picture. Camera 35 shows the ‘ice team’ packing up their gear and getting ready to leave the launch pad. “T-minus ten minutes and counting and we are one minute away from our built in hold of 20 minutes.”

This is the 30th launch of Atlantis and it stands like a monument through the 20 minute built in hold, spewing gases out of its bulging fuel tank. The ice team is returning to evaluate images of ice that has formed on one of the umbilical connections to the shuttle. Shuttle launch control does not see this as a threat but they will examine the photos and run through scenarios to insure flight safety. After careful evaluation the shuttle launch control lifts the constraint on ice sighting its small size. With no more constraints the shuttle is ready to press on. Meanwhile the shuttle weather officer is keeping an eye on a cloud build up north of the pad, with just 7 minutes left in the hold. If the tops on the clouds reach 18,000 feet the launch will go from green to red.

The launch director now calls out each department to verify no constraints – with the check list complete the launch director calls out to the shuttle commander with a message that, “it’s a nice day to fly.” Scooter welcomes the news reminding all that this was a long time coming.

“T-minus seven minutes, seven minutes to launch.” The orbiter access arm is now pulling slowly away from Atlantis. All that tethers her to earth is the fuel cap atop the giant orange external fuel tank. T-minus three minutes, the main engines are now in their start position. The giant oxygen arm lifts off the fuel tank and slides away – the ship is now free. “One minute, thirty seconds.”

As the final count drones on NASA switches to a camera trained tightly on the shuttle engines. They almost appear anxious to me. There is a tension conveyed in the image of these powerful giants as sparks suddenly shoot underneath them from the sides. These mighty thrusters don’t have a sophisticated ignition system; rather its giant sparklers spraying glowing embers underneath them. The fuel releases into these angry fireflies and then, whooshes… Ignition… For a split second the engines shimmy, as they push against four and a half million pounds of weight atop them. Then, in a sight I never grow tired of seeing, this massive space ship lifts forcefully off the pad.

In eight and a half minutes this thundering machine reaches orbit. I watch each moment with both nervousness and exhilaration. When I was a just a kid, I believed that one day space would be accessible to everyone. Despite the formation of Virgin Galactic that dream has yet to be realized. Many people question the value of these dangerous and expensive missions. I on the other hand ask why not more? President Obama has asked for a reevaluation of the plan to scrap the shuttle and return to the old style rockets of the sixties and seventies. I say more power to him. We have to keep moving forward and somehow the new/old Orion crew capsule seems like a bad sci-fi flick from the 50’s.

Maybe my head is still in space, having thoroughly enjoyed the new Star Trek redo a couple days ago, but this shuttle launch is special for me. Atlantis is going to breathe new life into the Hubble Space Telescope. Without this mission Hubble would likely die and fall to earth. This school bus sized window to the universe has done more to inspire, with its beautiful images of the universe, than any other telescope on or off the planet. Our space program must continue to inspire all of us. This is our future and our survival depends on the science it delivers and, perhaps one day, on its ability to free human kind to travel the universe.

By Warren Hohmann