NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Mission: Cook-Ninnis 01
Priority: High
 
This mission is designed to survey the the Cook and Ninnis Glaciers, in conjunction with the Cook- Ninnis 02-04 flights. This particular flight surveys flux gates above the two glaciers, and one coast- parallel grid line, which lies almost entirely above the grounding line. The grid is designed to supplement earlier airborne measurements collected by the ICECAP Project, with our lines falling midway between the ICECAP lines.
 
An easy call today with consistent forecast and imagery, with moderately-strong katabatic outflow predominating in this region.  Morning satellite imagery confirmed the area  was clear.  We experienced completely clear skies and occasional light turbulence. All instruments performed well, 100% successful data collection minus the bad MCoRDS channel. Due to fuel concerns, we began climbout 60 km prior to the final waypoint (on the easternmost leg of the Cook fluxgate), but continued collecting data on all instruments until past the final waypoint. We performed a ramp pass at 1500 ft AGL on arrival at Hobart.
 
Attached images:

1. Map of today’s mission (John Sonntag / NASA)
2. Left winglet of N95NA during a turn, over a background of strikingly large sastrugi on slow-moving ice between Cook and Ninnis Glaciers (John Sonntag /  NASA)
3. Snow-covered crevasses on upper Ninnis Glacier, with the vast interior of East Antarctica stetching to the horizon  (Caitlin Locke / LDEO)