Mission Journal 10 — Hal Letts: Mission Day 5: Friday, June 18th, 2004
More cleaning of the pipes and valves. Seems the habitat technician’s job is never done. And we love it that way. Didn’t see the tarpon or the big stingray today, but the permit were playing under the habitat. Had visitors from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at Aquarius today. Seems really odd to have company show up while you’re living and working underwater. Always glad to have company though, means somebody knows we’re here…Just kidding; our surface support is one of the best! It’s strange how the little things in life are really missed down here. An example is one of the Scientists is craving a cheeseburger from a fast food joint…Go figure. Found one of the most interesting and abundant invertebrates and probably one of the least noticed by me. Tunicates are animals that attach themselves to anything and usually have two or more large holes, one is the incurrent or buccal siphon and has a gill net inside for removing food and oxygen; the other is the excurrent or atrial siphon used for the discharge of water and waste. They come in all shapes and sizes, but the one I noticed was by our battery pods when I was cleaning on the starboard side aft. At first I thought it was a sponge, but the opening closed when I got near it. I watched for a moment and the siphon openings opened back up. That’s when I really noticed the beauty of the Giant Tunicate (Polycarpa spongiabilis). Very colorful and surprising intricate since it’s only about two inches tall. Most Giant Tunicate grow to a maximum of three to four inches tall, but this one is smaller. Also found two Slate-Pencil Urchins (Eucidaris tribuloides) which have thick, blunt spines on their bodies and move them pretty fast for an urchin. Both were hidden really well in the piping of Aquarius so I can see how far they move in the next few days. Our Donkey Dung Sea Cucumber has made it 64 centimeters in 4 days! More to come tomorrow.