Pilots of the galaxy, Hutton has a mission for you - Operation HOT MIST.

Vingtetun

Vingtetun
As per the Hutton News from a week ago (ps if you want to catch up on them you can go to http://media.forthemug.com ) - Canonn Interstellar boffins are bored and keep "experimenting" on their mugs. These are destructive tests and the mugs aren't surviving, so we need to keep them restocked until new Thargoid mysteries arrive.

Your Update:
HOT-MESS Space Mission
39.5% complete
nearly 22,000 mugs delivered
7000 systems now declared MODS free
Click to expand...
241 commanders taking part so far, delivering an average of 90 mugs each
Let's see if we can bust the 50% mark by the end of the weekend!

HOT-MESS aboard the Aurora Australis
The operation to mug the Antarctic is going well.
A short summary
Sailed 2 mugs from Tasmania aboard the Aurora Australis
Did some science to do with phytoplankton
Arrived - got quarantined due to possible MODS (aka Coronavirus aboard)
Had to treat all human contact with those in Davis station as "non breeding seals" - i.e. keep 5m from them at all times
Offloaded the SRV and supplies
Did some "stooging" - chugging up and down in a 70kt storm with 8m waves for a bit

Snow arrived, leading the team on board to go a little "mug mad":

snow mug (Small).jpg

They finished resupply and dropped passengers, then moved on to a whale mooring, plus did some science with climate monitoring buoys.
They use another one to monitor whale song in the southern oceans.
The "whale mooring" sensor (the big one that looks like a limpet) It sinks, listens to whalesong and can detect individual whales from 1000km in good conditions (calm seas, no wind, no huge icebergs crashing into each other) down to 100km in "normal" conditions and even lower in bad ones. Usually collected once a year, but good power management and excellent batteries mean that it can last as long as 3 years. They arrive at its location, ping a signal off it and it rises to the surface for collection. All very cool.

One of the pieces of equipment they're deploying is an Argo buoy. The climate sensor buoys (of which there are around 3000 globally) monitor sea temperatures and bob up and down. They collect data underwater, then bob to the surface and update the science team via satellite, then sink again and carry on recording - they do this around 200-300 times in their lifetime providing vital climate data.

Amy explaining some of the science mission they're up to:
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1224458192995807232
Source: https://twitter.com/AusAntarctic/status/1224458192995807232?s=20


Short video with a whale mooring and a MUG!
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1225554004127756288
Source: https://twitter.com/AusAntarctic/status/1225554004127756288


the thing that goes ping (Small).jpg


Hull 8856 (1) (Small).jpg


P2060058 (Small).JPG


Retrieving the old mooring (Small).JPG


All the bits (Small).jpg

The team are now moving along to their next stop - Mawson (for the 2nd mug delivery!)

Other than following them on Twitter - you can keep an eye on the daily "sitreps" - which Andy and Amy are signing off with a "FTM"
secure3.aad.gov.au

6 Feb 2020, V3 – Shipping and flight schedules – Australian Antarctic Program

We did our last southbound clock change and are now on UTC+7 the same as Mawson. The whale mooring retrieval and deployment were complete success.
secure3.aad.gov.au secure3.aad.gov.au

There's a link to their daily position map as well.

We'll keep you updated.
 
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VR SenseiMatty

VR SenseiMatty
Vingtetun said:
Calling all pilots, all players, all groups and all squadrons....
Hutton needs your help.

Those of you that remember the original CG for the Hutton Mug may remember the adverts and appeals that we put out on the radio show. For those that don't:

MODS - Mug Ownership Deficiency Syndrome is a terrible affliction. For the lack of a mug, millions of people in the galaxy are suffering embarrassing symptoms from space madness to itchy flight suit syndrome and RSI in their trigger fingers. From the lurgy to manflu, from gout to "feeling a bit off today", all these are made better by having a Hutton Mug.

Last year, The Dastardly Don Antonaci - Camorra bad guy and all round evildoer kidnapped some Hutton Truckers and live on stream with Will Flanagan, we rescued them, assaulting his base. We won, but subsequently discovered that he, in his laboratory, had devised a transmissible version of MODS. It's escaped and everyone's at risk.

We've developed a method of inoculating the galaxy against the symptoms and surprise surprise, it involves bringing 1t of special water soluble Hutton Mugs to a station, lobbing them in the water recycling system and frameshift energies of incoming ships do some quantum wibbly bunkum.

So. We have a mission. We're taking ONE Hutton Mug to each and every station in the galaxy. All 54000+ of them. Starting on the 16th.

Whilst I'm sure, as nutty truckers, we'll get that done in short order, we thought we'd invite the community to help. A community community goal... (not a REAL one).
  • Are you in a player group with your own systems and want to save them from a fate worse than Thargoids?
  • Are you a solo player who wants to get their name down as the saviour of somewhere famous?
  • Always wanted an excuse to go to Hutton, grab a mug and actually DO something?
This is your chance.

We're using our very own Hutton Helper (details at http://hot.forthemug.com) to track your deliveries and which stations have been cured. It will keep league tables of the most truckery players and we will be awarding Hutton decals to the most utterly truckery out there. It works on PC AND consoles (and is a great example of 3rd party development on the Frontier framework) due to the diligence of our code hamsters. YES, you do need to use either the EDMC plugin or give Frontier permission to squirt us a little data for your deliveries to count - details on that site.

How to join in?
  • Watch the Frontier Live stream at 7pm GST on the 16th.
  • Maybe meet up with fellow commanders at Hutton Orbital from 2030GST to load up. Bring scrap. Tune in to http://radio.forthemug.com
  • Don't forget, with friends, you can load an Anaconda to the brim in half an hour to save you that long supercruise over and over.
  • Start delivering those mugs
  • Track your progress, go back for more
  • Join the "just for fun" sweepstake on how fast we can do it.
Operation HOT MIST (Mug Inoculation Supply Team) is GO.

p.s. yes, we know it's very silly.

F.A.Q.
q: Every station? Including outposts, planetary etc?
a: Yes. Everywhere with a commodity market

q: Is 1t enough for each location?
a: We hope so! If you want to go for overkill, maybe drop them some Centauri Mega Gin, too

q: I want to catch up with other commanders. How, where, when?
a: Post on this thread. Hop into our shared teamspeak at server ts.forthemug.com and head for the right "room" for HOT MIST. Keep an eye out for dates, times when people will be onilne to help load you up. Listen to the weekly radio show.

q: How do I see where has NOT got a mug yet? How do I use the Hutton Helper?
a: everything can be seen on hot.forthemug.com - tune in the the live stream next Thurs to find out more.

Bug report form for missing stations from the list or missing markets

docs.google.com

HOT-MESS Problems

Please post any problem stations that you come across while delivering your mugs round the verse so we can tidy the list Including Stations that appear to have no commodity market, stations that we may have missed, stations with the no sell bug
docs.google.com docs.google.com

UPDATE
There area few website updates. The ranges have been subdivided a little on the top tab now to reduce the list sizes
ALSO we have a tool that only shows the NON completed stations:

Operation HOT-MESS INCOMPLETE SYSTEMS ONLY

hot.forthemug.com hot.forthemug.com
Click to expand...
Great Idea!
I suggest also to deliver one mug in Colonia to your twin spaceport "Fort Mug", on "Hutton Moon" in the system Eol Procul Centauri: https://eddb.io/station/67061
 

Vingtetun

Vingtetun
Those of you with Eagle eyes may have spotted during Andy's SITREPS and science updates he mentions bergs and growlers. Now, we know what a berg is, but a 'growler'? My hint is not to Google it...

However, for those of you that enjoy mining, there is a parallel with ED:

'Hah, it's a real word.
So when you're core mining an asteroid (berg) for void opals you place the seismic charges and assuming you're not a complete numpty, split the asteroid (berg) into 3-4 sections (bergy bits), then when you try and squeeze in between the sections (bergy bits) to use the abrasion blaster there are those annoying smaller lumps that get in the way.

They're growlers.

A growler is a lump of ice smaller than a bergy bit, that in turn is smaller than a berg (which is lazy for iceberg). Importantly they are remenants of icebergs, not sea ice which is a very different thing. They sit low in the water, only about a m high, are about the size of a small car up to double decker bus, they tend to be old and decaying and as they melt they release the air trapped in them making a growling noise.

Sneaky little buggers usually become quite rounded by the water and don't reflect radar. They can put a decent dent in the hull plates if you don't spot one in open water at 12kts.

Every now and then we come across the dreaded 'jade growler'! 'Blue blazes' is exactly right. Jade bergs are, well, jade. But as they decay to growler size they become blue and sometimes even transparent. Hard to spot. Hard as diamonds they are too (you would be too, if you formed by freezing at -5C in super salinated water 400m below the surface of an ice sheet...). Don't want to hit one of them...'

And to give you something to read whilst you deliver those mugs:

On a resupply voyage we have -
Voyage support roles:
Voyage Leader (VL) - Experience in Antarctic remote science support and complex logistics). I get to be boss and drink more tea than the rest. I interface with the ships Captain. He drives the bus, I tell him where!

Deputy VL - Similar skill set but they manage all the cargo complexities - they interface with the ships 1st Officer.

Watercraft Operators - 11 of them, they drive the jet barge and the IRBs (inflatable rubber boats). Jet barge can carry up to about 30 tons, most of it is in containers. The IRB provides SAR for the barge and transfers passengers. At Mawson the IRBs will also do a 20 mile trip down the coast to a penguin rookery at teh imaginatively named Rookery Island to download cameras.

Refuel team - We have a refueller and his assistant. They are diesel mechanics with loads of experience in fuel transfer. Both of them have experience working in Antarctica as mechanics for a number of years.

Senior Communications Tech (SCTO) - Keeps everything comms working. Radios, repeaters, email, networks, sat comms (Iridium, Fleet Broadband, Sat C, etc), printers, email clients and servers...

Doctor - Must have previously had their appendix removed!

Support on station (who we can grab and take on the ship if we need them)
Helicopter pilots and engineers (currently at Davis)
Bureau of Meteorology forecasters
Radio operator
Stores person

Passengers - new team going in and an old team to bring home:
Station Leader
Station mechanics
Electrician
Carpenter
Boilermaker/welder
Plumber
Doctor
Chef
Meteorology observers and techs
Comms
Field training officer (like a climbing guide to train them not to die in the cold! - my first job)

Science - either round trip or staying on station, either summer or winter
Bird biologists
Cosmic ray scientists
LIDAR scientists
Ecologists
Hydrographers (Navy)
Artists
 

Vingtetun

Vingtetun
The ongoing adventures of the Hutton Mug down in the Antarctic:

From CMDR Dogsbreath - on approach to their 2nd Mug delivery in the frozen wastes:

"We arrived this morning at the entrance to Iceberg Alley as planned.
Iceberg Alley is formed by two rows of icebergs which are grounded in about 100-200m of water. There is a row to the east, then the Alley (about 5 miles wide) and then a row of bergs to the west. Iceberg Alley runs all the way up to Kista Strait and Mawson station. The ice between the two rows has not seen enough storms this year to break into small enough bits to fit between the bergs to the west, and so is still full of pack ice initially, and then 20nm of mostly unbroken fast ice. Initially we encountered loose pack ice, then broken fast ice floes and then fast ice. The fast ice was around 100 - 110 cm thick with a 20-30cm layer of snow on top. We were able to break the fast ice but only slowly and ramming was required. To the west of Iceberg Alley is an open polynya (a polynya is an area of ocean that never freezes over). The polynya is mostly unsurveyed, however the Chief Officer noted that the east edge, close to Iceberg Alley is surveyed and currently open water.

Subsequently we have managed to sneak down the side of the polynya and reduce the icebreaking from around 20nm to 14nm.

We are currently making our way slowly through 80-100cm thick fast ice.

Cheers

Andy and Amy FTM"

in pack approaching fast ice (Small).JPG
Roller berg (Small).JPG
Framnes mountains (Small).JPG
P2080124 (Small).JPG
P2080135 (Small).JPG

P2080139 (Small).JPG
P2080140 (Small).JPG
 

Ashnak

Ashnak
Vingtetun said:
...Sneaky little buggers usually become quite rounded by the water and don't reflect radar. They can put a decent dent in the hull plates if you don't spot one in open water at 12kts.
Click to expand...

Vingtetun said:
...We are currently making our way slowly through 80-100cm thick fast ice.
Click to expand...

What kind of ship is this?

It gets dented when colliding with a growler, and will then cheerily ram its way through 1 meter thick ice?

Or rather, how large is such a "growler"?
 

Vingtetun

Vingtetun
<as if by magic> - update from CMDR Dogsbreath aboard the AA.

The "Growler"

A growler is a lump of ice smaller than a bergy bit, that in turn is smaller than a berg (which is lazy for iceberg). Importantly they are remenants of icebergs, not sea ice which is a very different thing. They sit low in the water, only about a m high, are about the size of a small car up to double decker bus, they tend to be old and decaying and as they melt they release the air trapped in them making a growling noise.


EP1GeBoUUAAcWBO (Small).jpg


Re the vessel itself:
"So, the Aurora Australis.

I think it's about on par with a Type 7. Initially I thought a Type 6 but I think the capacity for fuel and cargo is to high. We typically carry about 1million litres of MGO (Marine gas Oil) fuel for the ship, up to 1 million litres of SAB (Special Antarctic Blend) fuel for the station we're resupplying, around 200MT of cargo and up to 116 passengers. Too much for a Type 6...

We certainly have a SLF bay. We carry two to four AS350B helicopters to Antarctica and back each year, although of course we don't have a rebuild option! Our preference is to not crash them or get them shot down in the first place...

As far as SRV's go, we sail with a range of toys. We have a (Fast Response Craft) FRC, pretty cool tool, it deploys in 90 sec goes about 35kts and is used for emergencies. We also have a couple of IRBs (Inflatable Rubber Boats) and an 11 ton jet barge. The jet barge carries all our cargo ashore and the IRBs provide SAR and do passenger transfers. We also carry, at times and ROV and occasionally an AUV. In early season ice we use a drone to fly ice reconnaissance - much cheaper than a helicopter...

I think the record we've had on board was six, a few years ago when we medivaced a passenger from the Auckland Islands to Invercargill in New Zealand. We parked up amongst a 100 or so southern right whales in the Sound and two helicopters fitted with long range bladder tanks on the cabin floor flew down, had a quick cuppa while we refuelled them, and they buggered off back to NZ.

The Aurora is about 95m long, 20m wide and displaces about 8,000MT. About 11,000 fully laden and ballasted.

Two power plants (a Wartsilla V12 and V16) drive a single thruster (prop) through a mechanical gearbox. Running on the V12 we consume about 22,000ltr a day, 25,000 litres on the V16 and around 30,000 litres if we run both. It is often more economical to run both, burn more fuel but cover more miles in less time. When we ice break consumption can be up around 39,000 ltr a day.

The hull is an interesting one, only about 25mm I think at the front where it hits the ice, and single skin, but behind the single skin is a sealed tank we fill with water to give it mass, the rest of the hull is thinner but double skin with ballast water between the two, so if you puncture the hull it's only water on the other side... It's probably the equivalent of reinforced alloy, not quite up there with the Russian ice breakers with their Military grade alloy hulls made from 30mm steel a 100mm cavity flooded with concrete and then an inner skin of 15mm steel...

Multicrew of course. We have 23 onboard. A captain, 4 officers (1 is an extra to assist with position holding in Kista Strait), 8 IRs (integrated ratings) who do all the deck work, 5 engineers, 3 cooks (never call a ships cook a chef!), 3 stewards."
 

Cometborne

Cometborne
Ashnak said:
In that case, the ship is more like a T-9...
Click to expand...

A Type-7 is 81.6m x 56.1m x 25.4m (LxWxH), a Type-9 is 117.4m x 115.3m x 33.2m, the Aurora Australis is 95m x 20m x unkown. So in terms of length, she is between the Type-7 and the Type-9, but she is much narrower. Think of a Type-7 that got squished between two Type-9s.

The stated cargo capacity of about 200 metric tons is definitely more like a Type-7 than a Type-9. However, a laden hull mass of 11000 metric tons means she masses about as much as 5.5 Type-9s. Which explains why she needs a class 12 and a class 16 FSD, the jump range would be much too short otherwise.

Judging from the relative sizes of the engine and the truck, that straight 6 is about the size of a Sidewinder.
 

Ashnak

Ashnak
Cometborne said:
...
The stated cargo capacity of about 200 metric tons is definitely more like a Type-7 than a Type-9. ...
Click to expand...

I think you should count the 1 Megaliter of fuel for the Antarctic Base as cargo, since this isn't consumed by the ship. That's easily another 800 tons there. Even a Cutter couldn't lift that much.
 

Caramel Clown

Caramel Clown
Been following this madness closely, but I was way too far from civilized space. Back in the bubble maybe tomorrow, definitely getting in on the action. Great excuse to revisit Hutton Orbital, only been there once I think :)
 

Vingtetun

Vingtetun
Good to have you aboard - get the Hutton Helper installed (or authorised for the web method) and get to truckin' - we're only a short hop away from 50% now and then it's the home stretch. the "public holiday" state over at Alpha C has stopped now, so mugs are back down to 45 from 75, but if you yell loudly enough, likely that there's someone over at Alpha C who can load you up if you want more. (either that or bring friends with you!)
 
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