For the period ending December 10, 45 IceCube people were at the pole, five new arrivals and six departures. In this last week, we received an additional 148 DOMs, 128 DOMs from DESY and 16 DOMs from PSL produced with Quantum gel. Also, we received more surface-to-DOM cables so our current on-ice total is nine. All DAQ equipment destined for installation into the ICL has arrived and has begun the move into the IceCube Lab (ICL). Also last week, the independent firn drill arrived here at Pole from PSL and it is currently in the drill camp area. There are currently no significant missing items from our planned cargo delivery plan.
Preparations are underway to begin drilling the first hole, location 58, on December 11. Safety checks of all systems have been completed. (Update 12/12/06: Drilling is underway)
Troubleshooting of fuel system air leaks has been successful this week. The plan for the remainder of the season is to install a return line system as time allows to increase overall reliability. Repairs to main hose reel and return water reel fittings have been completed. A readiness review was completed last week for string installation. All check lists have been completed and equipment is in place. A two-shift approach will be used again this season. Four drillers from each of the three drill shifts have been identified for installation. The string installation group plans to hold a safety review prior to deployment.
Work on the IceTop trenches continued this week. We now have six trenches loaded with a total of 12 tanks and 24 DOMs have been installed. This phase of the IceTop effort is on schedule and is due to be completed by December 16th. Four more trenches need to be finished to make the December 16th deadline later this week. The next phase of IceTop which includes the placement of the Surface Junction Boxes (SJB) into the trenches has just begun. Six trenches now contain SJBs but none of the wiring or DOM connections have been completed.
Trenching for Surface Cables has begun; four trenches were dug on Friday, Dec. 8th. The first four of ten Surface Cables will be pulled from the ICL to the IceTop stations Monday, Dec. 11th. Surface Cables will begin to be installed into the ICL on Tuesday, Dec. 12th. The Surface Cable into ICL installation procedure has been reviewed and approved by the NSF and RPSC. A spare drill power cable will be used for a practice installation before any Surface Cables are installed. Nine of ten patch panel racks are assembled inside the ICL, ready for installed Surface Cables. Surface to DOM cable 8 has been put on the TU-20 deployment reel and has been tested and proved ready for deployment.
Conditional Occupancy for the ICL was granted on December 8, as planned. A partial move-in was accomplished on December 9, but there is still some SPTS hardware to move in, and that activity is expected to finish on December 11.
Raytheon is completing work on the Tower ahead of pulling the first Surface Cable into the ICL. That activity will begin at least one day late, on December 12, with dry run using a spare length of power cable from the Drill Camp. On December 10, a coordination meeting was held with representation of RPSC, NSF and IceCube/UW to discuss the ICL Cable Installation procedure and other issues associated with the activity. The community agreed that the procedure outlined a safe method of installing Surface Cables, though one minor change to the Raytheon plan for hanging cables in the Tower was requested.