HMP Research Station | Haughton-Mars Project: Preparing for Airlift from Yellowknife to Kugluktuk

Moon-1 Humvee Rover with First Air C-130

The day was spent in Yellowknife acquiring fuels, oils, and other fluid products needed for the operation of the Mars Institute's Moon-1 Humvee Rover and the Bombardier snowmobiles during the sea-ice traverse. The fuel (diesel for the Moon-1 Humvee Rover, regular gasoline for the Bombardier snowmobiles) was provided by Bassett Petroleum Distributors in Yellowknife, an Official Sponsor of the Haughton-Mars Project's Northwest Passage Drive Expedition.

The Moon-1 Humvee Rover will be flown tomorrow from Yellowknife to Kugluktuk, the starting point of the Northwest Passage Drive Expedition, on board a First Air C-130 Hercules transport plane. The maximum height that can be accomodated on board the C-130 at the planned location for the Humvee is 292.1 cm (115 inches). The Moon-1 on tracks with roof rack is 2.5 cm (1 inch) too tall. John W. Schutt (Expedition Field Guide and Humvee Pilot, Mars Institute) unbolted its roof rack to bring the total height of the vehicle on tracks from 294.6 cm (116 inches) down to 271.8 cm (107 inches). All equipment and supplies were inventoried one more time in preparation for tomorrow's airlift.