Mission Journal 1 — Craig Cooper: Mission Day 3: Wednesday, April 21st, 2004
Well we’re starting Day 3 in this five day dive, training on systems and checklists is going well, and we’re working out several bugs after the winter shut down. James is leading up the training for Dominic, Joe, and Ross, I’m just adding my two cents occasionally when James takes a breath and I think I can interject some bit of information.
Yesterday the topside crew delivered supplies and our aquanaut doubles so Ross and I could do an afternoon scuba excursion to the Kamper station. Our task was to trim out the 350′ umbilical with floats and tie downs, following its deployment by Hal and Roger. We also completed installation and checks on the Kamper’s communication system and filled our tanks to test the Kamper’s underwater fill capabilities. Coordinating installations with the topside crew is paramount to getting things done, in this case we had the bottom time at 95fsw, but it was far easier for topside divers to deploy the long umbilical from the boat overhead.
Each sat dive I do inside Aquarius is a new adventure, and each time something occurs that makes it a memorable one. I can’t say I have a favorite, as each one is uniquely different. Last year I did three missions and each was a great experience. In March ‘03 I got to pair up with my friend and the person I think of as the “father of Aquarius”, Dale Anderson. We were dubbed the “Gray Ones” by the much younger Navy NEDU divers and our own staff ex-Navy diver, but dive stats showed who was getting out and diving that mission, and the Grays more than held their own! In July I got to saturate with a scientist for whom I have the utmost respect in all our encounters during my years here, Dr. Mark Patterson from VIMS. Fellow aquanettes Janet, Jo, and Kristen kept Roger and I amused with all their antics and bouts of giggling fits, and Dr. P never allowed a dull moment. A fun group to be with, yet very productive in their research, the ideal science group. December’s dive will always be the mission that will stand tall with the others I have done, and if their was a favorite, that dive will be a front runner. On that mission I got to pair up with my fellow co-worker for the past thirteen years, Habitat Ops Manager Jim Buckley, and the remainder of the cast was made of the ranking members of NAVSEA, CAPTs Wilkins, Murray, and Helmkamp. If there is ever an underwater picture that is etched in my mind, it will be the shot of our “Tres Navy Amigos” perched on the Kamper station, our premier underwater fill station at 95 fsw, thanks to the Navy and CAPT Helmkamp in particular. Diving with Jim, Chris, and Mark was an experience that will be hard to surpass, but I’ll always keep the option open.
Back to the reality of this mission, it’ll have its own special place. It’s my first sat with James, Ross, Joe, and Dom, four of the guys I work worth topside, you can’t spend five days in the confines of the “little yellow bus” without creating bonds through your experiences.
A highlight of this mission, and one that will be extremely hard to surpass ever, was my conversation over our watch desk phone to Scott Carpenter, known to most as one of the original seven Mercury astronauts, but also the team leader of team 1 and 2 on the Navy’s Sealab II project. Scott visited with us before we came down, and checked in on our well being before leaving Key Largo. His interest in Aquarius is extremely rewarding to those of us in the program, and his presence here was due to his close friendship with fellow Navy Sealab legend Bob Barth. Bob is a close friend of the program, mentor to many of us, just as he was to Scott in 1965, and I like to think a dear personal friend as well. Now as I get ready to send this message topside for inclusion in the expedition journals, the mail sign pops up and there’s a message from Scott, saying he envies all of us down here for what we’re doing. Can it get any better than that?