A few days ago I drove out to LDB (Long Duration Balloon [Project]) with Jeremy to insulate the glycol heating system. Glycol is essentially food-grade vegetable oil that absorbs and holds heat really well, so most of the buildings around here are heated using glycol and waste heat from electrical generators. The glycol cycles around some heating element near the generator and then gets pumped all over the place, bringing heat wherever it needs to go. When the glycol lines go outside (to get to another building) they need to be insulated so they don’t lose too much heat on the way.
Anyhoo, I was driving, and when we got past Scott Base and out onto the sea ice, I started following the blue flags on the right-hand side of the road. As the blue flags turned, I turned with them. The road started getting a little choppy, and before I knew it, I was stuck. Oops.
Turns out the blue flags marked the fuel line out to Willy Field and NOT the drivable road. Apparently I was supposed to follow the green and red flags on the left-hand side of the road. That makes sense. The next day, the Galley truck (that delivers food to the Runway Galley) got stuck in the exact same place. The following day, this email was sent out to the entire station:
Greetings McMurdo and Scott Base residents,
This will be brief in the hopes that you will read it in its entirety.
There have a been a rash of incidents of vehicles following the Williams Field fuel hose flag line, instead of the flag line that indicates the roadway. The problem has occured most commonly at the big corner by the rugby field. DO NOT FOLLOW BLUE FLAGS. They mark the position of the fuel hose, and any accidental encounters with the hose and any vehicle will most likely result in a catastrophic fuel spill. Follow red or green flag lines to stay on compacted snow roads.
Thank you for your attention in this matter.
Please call with any questions.
Fuels Department
xtn 2234
Filed under: general , antarctica, email
Are you sure it wasn’t just due to your color blindness?