Saturday, June 2, 2012 (2:43 p.m. EDT):
The complexity of this expedition
is astounding. Along the way, there is
not just one major hurdle our team will have to overcome. Rather, it is a series of many equally
critical moments that will determine the success of this initiative. In this situation, we will just have to take
comfort in knowing that every step made without a hitch is one step closer to a
Transit of Venus worldwide webcast! So,
with that in mind, here is our progress so far:
Thanks to an incredible TSA team
in Atlanta, Georgia, our equipment is checked, secured, and on its way (we
hope!) to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. We made
our way through all checkpoints without any difficulty, and it gave us a
fantastic opportunity to promote our project.
I have to admit, we made sure we were shameless. See photo above of the “can’t miss”
expedition tags on all of our bags.
These beautiful orange beacons (in combination with the fact that we
were hauling an outrageous amount of tech gear with us) guaranteed at least a
dozen inquiries from staff and passersby.
My favorite encounter was with the carry-on checkpoint security officer
who had to search my bag as I explained how a satellite communications device
would be used during my trip. Turns out
he knew an impressive amount about the Gobi Desert and admitted to being a
geology buff when he was a student. It
reminded me how intimately connected we are to everything and everyone around
us. Really – what were the chances of beginning
our journey with that conversation? It seemed like the perfect indication that we were off to a flying start!
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