Updated: June 28, 2016 Published: August 3, 2015
Scot Tripp is chief scientist aboard the Healy and says the research team is always trying to improve communication devices so they can transmit from the Arctic to outlets all around the world. He says this is especially difficult given how quickly technology advances. On this mission they tested iridium satellite walkie talkies that could enable the Healy to communicate with other responders in the event of an oil spill or a mass rescue. But they also tested an unmanned aircraft that could provide live video feed. These days people are not too content with voice only. They want to see pictures and videos of whats going on, and those are the big starlight projects that will move faster.
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy is the only Coast Guard ship that sails to the Arctic regularly, so it's an invaluable resource for scientists conducting research of all kinds, from testing polar defense technology to learning about climate.
Coast Guard crews aboard this ship must commit as many as three years of their life to these missions.
Meet some of the people who turn this 16-ton science lab into the nation's most remote, self-sustaining city.
Read more: Healy crew cruises between Arctic Missions