Educational Activities

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9-7-03

Jillian
Mrs. McKenney, 8th Grade
Horace Mann Middle School, Little Rock, AR
Question 1:
With all the motion, couldn’t you fall out of bed at night?

Answer:
The bunks have a side board that is about 5 to 6 inches above the mattress, and the other three sides are surrounded by walls in most of the rooms There is a section of about 28 inches that is flush with the mattress to make it easier to get in and out of the bunk, This has been an area where some have almost slipped out of bed. The people who sleep on their sides slide around in their beds more and one who sleeps in almost a fetal position has almost fallen out of that opening a few times when the seas have been rough.

Johnathan
Mrs. McKenney, 8th Grade
Horace Mann Middle School, Little Rock, AR
Question 2:
Have you seen any sharks?

Answer:
On August 28 the divers did have a White Tipped Oceanic Shark come in for a closer look than they were comfortable with and the divers followed their plan of exit and got back into the Avon much faster than usual. The shark did circle the raft before swimming away. When some of the folks took a break at Midway and went diving they saw three unidentified sharks in the area so the divers left the sharks to play on their own around that part of the reef.

Aisha
Mrs. McKenney, 8th Grade
Horace Mann Middle School, Little Rock, AR
Question 3:
Does the water look clear or dirty?

Answer:
The water out here has been deep, transparent, sapphire blue. Even when the waves are up it is still the deep pretty blue, just that you can see down numerous meter. When it is calm you can see past 40-50 meters and if you are snorkeling it is well beyond 100 meters. If you were able to get rid of the salt the water would still need to be purified due to all of the plankton in the waters.

Mrs. McKenney, 8th Grade
Horace Mann Middle School
Question 4:
We have been watching the movement of Mars through the sky here in Little Rock. How well can you see the planet from the ocean?

Answer:
Depending on the deck you are observing from our horizon is 4 to 12 miles off during daylight. This makes the open ocean ideal for seeing the night skies when the deck lights are almost all off. Before it is dark Mars has been visible shortly after the sun has left the horizon and has remained visible throughout the majority of the night. The problem with observing out here is the rocking of the ship and keeping your eyes on the same constellation when you begin to trace the pictures in the sky.

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