NASA Field Trip to Chile: 1. Atacama Desert 2. Volcan Licancabur

R. B. Darling Oct. 28 – Nov. 11, 2003 Yungay Station in the Atacama Desert Home for a week NASA tour group Dusty ride Molecular biology lab in the desert Old mine worker’s gravesite Clean room suits in the desert Soil Sampling Chris MacKay preparing for air sampling with baloon (Greg Kovacs photo) Graduate students work the shovels (Greg Kovacs photo) Low clouds over the Pacific Ocean and Coastal Range 4WD Roads Watching Sun Spots WWII nitrate plant ruins and strip mined hillside Fractured rocks on hillside Teaching rappelling school (Greg Kovacs photo) Soil sampling down mine shaft (Greg Kovacs photo) Results from two days of sampling down the mine shaft Sunset at Yungay Station Afternoon shadows and the moon diving North Chilean coastline Typical roadside monument to bad driving Valle de Luna (where Apollo lunar rover was tested) Street in San Pedro de Atacama Church in San Pedro de Atacama Church interior Volcan Licancabur at 19,500 ft. from San Pedro de Atacama Volcan Licancabur Licancabur Refuge at 13,500 ft. elevation Laguna Blanca at 13,500 ft. elevation Laguna Blanca near Volcan Licancabur Volcan Licancabur from Laguna Blanca Exploring stromatolith field Transmitting live EKG data back to Ames Research Center Pink (James) Flamingos in Laguna Blanca Vicunas (Greg Kovacs photo) Navigational transect across Laguna Blanca (Greg Kovacs photo) View of Laguna Verde and Laguna Blanca from 17,000 ft on Licancabur (Greg Kovacs photo) Camp 1 at 17,000 ft. on Licancabur (Greg Kovacs photo) Copper smelter near Iquique, Chile Turkey vultures Steeple of Arequipa and surrounding mountains Church in Arequipa Plaza de Armes Fountain in Arequipa Plaza de Armes Plaza de Armes in Arequipa Arequipa skyline Arequipa architecture Volcan El Misti from Arequipa Hotel parrot