Week 8 of my internship involved testing both the operation of the Frangibolt circuits as well as their actual abilities to perform. Frangibolts are used for the emergency releases on the sub. This includes the batteries, manipulator arms, science baskets, and most of the thrusters. Frangibolts are electromechanical bolts that snap off and release whatever equipment they hold onto the sub. This break would be initiated during an emergency such as a line getting caught up in a thruster and preventing the sub from resurfacing. The circuits were tested by purposefully blowing test fuses. Next, the signal was sent from a switch inside the sphere and then a countdown began to make sure the physical break of the bolt happened within a specific amount of time. Of all the operational testing, this was the coolest to see in person.
One of my duties for the week was to install the science basket to frame and find the correct bolts and washers needed based on the drawings. The basket had seen better days and I was asked to change the orientation to keep the fresher and less damaged portion facing forward. By doing this, some of the existing mounting holes for the bolts didn’t line up. After a little drilling, I was able to realign the holes and install the correct bolts to mount the basket into place.
Another task this week was to install protective conduit around the fiber cables running the length of the sub. To do this, I removed the cables, wrapped them in wire loom, and rerouted them to protect them from bending and breaking the fibers.
The rest of my time for the week was spent continuing to move all the equipment onto the ship and help set up the workspaces. This involved more shelf hanging, building shelves out of L-brackets and filling and organizing the hold.
Due to the internship being land-based, housing was provided via a group rental home with me and two other members of the Alvin team. With the upcoming departure date, the lease for the house was not renewed and on the final night of August, we relocated to the ship. Though I will not be joining the team at sea, I look forward to experiencing a little bit of life onboard the Atlantis.