What better way to enjoy a sunset than sitting atop a frozen tower at the South Pole? (Well, there are those who might argue for a lounge chair on a sandy beach, but to each their own.) And with a sunset that stretches out for weeks, it gives folks at the Pole more opportunities to […]
There was lots of activity last week at the Pole for IceCube’s winterovers. One of the highlights was an ERT mulitple casualty incident drill, which involved participation from the whole station. IceCube winterover Conor is seen responding alongside another winterover to assist a critically injured “patient,” while Kalvin’s role involved acting as a patient, in […]
Ahhh—the twilight sky! The sun has officially set, but the light lingers for some time afterward. At the South Pole, that period of lingering light last weeks rather than minutes or hours. And it really is something to behold, with the icy surface taking on shades of blue and blending into the sky above, itself […]
It was another busy week at the Pole, with many trips out to the IceCube Lab (ICL) for IceCube’s winterovers. They had to do some detector maintenance and troubleshooting out at the ICL, but they also made the trek out to help others debug certain issues with the power supplies. Toward the end of the […]
As the sun continues to lower at the South Pole, shadows lengthen and the sky gradually darkens. The station in general has been settling into its winter groove, with everyone “volunteering” in shared activities—dishpit, house mouse (cleaning), greenhouse checks, and trash collection—to keep things running smoothly throughout the winter. Last week, IceCube’s winterovers were also […]
Some things are worth waiting for. And the live interview that was scheduled last week as part of the viewing of all three “The Thing” movies is one of them, as the special guest was none other than John Carpenter, director of 1982’s “The Thing.” The director discussed his work and how they tried to […]
Last week at the Pole was a time of team building. With the newest members of the winterover crew having recently made it to the Pole prior to station close, they’ve been engaged in a number of exercises and activities to build camaraderie among the group, who will spend the next six months together in […]
It looks like someone just opened up their CSA delivery. Only, this harvest is not from a farm but rather from the South Pole’s own greenhouse. The recent yield was being given in thanks to the SPOT team, who arrived last week with precious fuel and cargo that the South Pole station needs to make […]
Last week at the Pole, IceCube winterover Connor got up close and personal with…something large. That something turns out to be a calibration target for the South Pole Telescope. It’s not located near the telescope but rather about 3 kilometers away, the minimum distance required for the telescope to focus on the source, which gets […]
It was a busy week at the Pole. It started off with a LOT of heavy lifting for IceCube’s winterovers, Kalvin and Connor. In the midst of installing new power supplies for computers in the IceCube Lab, which involves a good deal of unpacking and moving hardware, they had to pick up the pace in […]