Wasn’t last week the last week of the year at the South Pole? Hmm, we thought so, but guess not—so this must be it, with activities covering the end of 2024 and reaching into the beginning of 2025. All of the IceCube people at the South Pole got together for a nice group photo on […]
The last week of the year at the South Pole was as busy as ever, with all kinds of activity, especially with the IceCube Upgrade. The Upgrade crew has been making good, steady progress despite earlier delays with both cargo and personnel. Clear skies, heavy machinery, and large cable spools are an indication of what […]
Another week, another sun halo—this time complete with sun dogs! The ceremonial pole marker blocking the sun gives some added interest to the photo’s composition. Last week was busy at the Pole, especially out at the IceCube Lab, where all kinds of work was going on, including for ARA, IceAct, IceCube’s surface array, and the […]
Now that’s a nice sun halo! It seems to occupy the whole sky above the IceCube Upgrade seasonal equipment site, on the left, and the IceCube Lab, off to the right. There’s a different, “high-up” view of the same sites shown below, taken from a departing flight last week. Yes, people are still coming and […]
Busy, busy,…busy! There was a lot going on at the Pole last week. The South Pole traverse (SPOT) arrived, delivering much needed fuel along with other cargo. The above image shows the first group of SPOT vehicles arriving over the ice, with additional vehicles off in the distance. In the austral summer, SPOT expeditions run […]
Last week at the Pole there was a mix of activities. First up was a short visit from a small group of NSF personnel and Congressional staffers. They arrived on a small plane and spent several hours at the Pole—with a tour of the B2 science lab, several presentations, and some outdoor photo ops—before heading […]
It was on the quiet side last week at the Pole. Weather and other delays kept incoming flights to a minimum. Only one LC-130 flight arrived last week, and unfortunately it was not carrying any IceCube cargo, which added to the quietness of the week for IceCube’s summer staff currently at the Pole. Still, there’s […]
Business as usual for the start of summer at the South Pole. IceCube’s winterovers had plenty of maintenance operations, including software upgrades, to keep them busy. There were more comings and goings last week at the Pole, with people bidding each other welcome and farewell out on the ice. Indoors, excitement came in the form […]
Summer season at the Pole starts out slowly, with the first small plane to arrive bearing fruit but not many people, but then gains momentum with the arrival of the first LC-130, a larger aircraft able to transport more passengers and cargo. Last week at the Pole, the first LC-130 of the season showed up, […]
Out with the old, in with the new. It’s that time of year again, when IceCube’s two incoming winterovers arrive at the Pole and overlap for a short period with the outgoing crew. Often they find an opportunity to take a nice “changing of the guard” photo, with all four winterovers together. IceCube’s newly arrived […]