It's been over two weeks now since we last heard from our LabSea mission glider. Before that it had been happily drifting along at the surface, calling into us with its position every few hours. Then - without warning - we didn't hear from it any more. Assuming the glider hasn't broken apart, it should still be at the surface. Unfortunately, the back-up device to the primary Iridium/GPS method of locating the glider, the ARGOS transmitter, was not working when contact was lost. So we don't know where it is.
The glider's last known location
before contact was lost (Jan 27th 2016)
Our only hope now is that someone spots glider 472 as it drifts around the north Atlantic or when it washes ashore - the latter could take a year or more.
If you spot a glider how can you tell it's this lost one? The lost glider is unique in having a sensor mounted on the front, with a black cable running back from it along the outside of the hull. It also has Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) logos at the forward and aft ends.
Distinguishing features of the lost glider
The MUN logo
If you have information you think may be of use in locating our glider (e.g. rumours of a possible sighting), please do get in touch at gliderspotted@gmail.com. We will be monitoring that frequently. If you spot the glider in the water, (if possible) immediately call the phone numbers written on it or ring the
MUN Physics Department.
