Summits
PASCO Datalogger Performs on World's Highest Summits
Seven Summits for Science
Adventurer Dr. Randy Peeters scales summits throughout the world -- and brings along PASPORT probeware.
Dr. Randy Peeters is a rocket scientist, an adventure climber, and a science
education advocate. He is also on a mission to become the 43rd -- and the oldest
-- person to climb the highest mountain on each continent.
For his recent
summits of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa (19,340 ft) and Mt. Vinson in Antarctica
(16,067), Dr. Peeters used PASPORT probeware (our Xplorer Datalogger and several
sensors) to gather data for numerous experiments, including measuring the
physiological changes associated with climbing at higher altitudes.
In a
twist on measuring boiling point at different elevations, Dr. Peeters also took
on the challenge of investigating how boiling point varies at constant elevation
due to atmospheric conditions. The atmosphere is thicker at the equator than at
the poles due to the rotation of the Earth, and Dr. Peeters used PASPORT
probeware to collect data quantifying this difference. Since Mt Kilimanjaro is
on the equator and Mt Vinson the South Pole, he had the perfect scenario.
The
low temperatures during the Mt. Vinson climb were a challenge to the PASCO
equipment, but Dr. Peeters was able to continue using the Xplorer by keeping it
inside his parka when not collecting data. In the end, PASCO's instruments
functioned well in the extreme environments of both Tanzania and Antarctica,
providing informative data on the atmospheric conditions in these diverse
environments. Dr. Peeters plans to take PASCO's instruments to New Guinea and
the North Pole in the next year.
