Situation Report #11, 30. December 2019

Little Dome C - Beyond EPICA Drilling Site (75.29917 degS, 122.44516 degE)

Personnel: Saverio Panichi (ENEA), Michele Scalet (ENEA), Luc Piard (CNRS), Jakob Schwander (unibe), Thomas Stocker (unibe), Remo Walther (unibe), Massimo Frezzotti (U Roma 3), Riccardo Devescovi (Armi)

Weather at 8 am: sunny

The BELDC drill trench is nearing completion: Digging depth is now 6.2 m and 25 m3 have been excavated by hand. A "staircase to heaven" has been sawed out at both edges of the slope for easy access of the bottom. 

In the Radix tent, all devices are now installed and connected for the deep drilling. Today, we started to test the fluid cycle and began to fill the hydraulic hose with silicon oil. We noticed some clogging that is likely caused by some remains of frozen water in the hose. We are ventilating the 3.1 km hose from the outside with warm air to remove the clogs. The Radix motor, which is based on the principle of the Moineau pump, has been assembled and fixed to the specially manufactured drill head.

Saverio's cuisine continues to spoil us: Everyday he is surprising us with new dishes created out of the food store at the BELDC site. We are considering to register Saverio with some well-known food reviews where he will surely make a splashing start with five stars. At "Chez Saverio" reservations are recommended ― at least one year in advance, as seating is limited and access is challenging.

LDC, 30.12.2019