Upgrade Update #1

Large spools of cable assemblies on sleds, waiting to be attached to South Pole traverse.
Vivian O’Dell, IceCube/NSF

The first week of the final field season for the IceCube Upgrade started out with delays. Figures. Of course, even though that’s not what you hope for, uncooperative weather at the South Pole is a fact of life, something to deal with in stride. The first group of IceCubers for the Upgrade season had to spend a little extra time at McMurdo Station before finally arriving at the Pole. While the crew was at McMurdo, some went out to examine the staging area for the cargo transport known as SPOT, for South Pole Overland Traverse, to confirm that the seven main Upgrade cable assemblies were there and ready to go. And there were some moments of nice enough weather that allowed others to get in a hike or two under sunny skies.

Side view of housing modules lined up to be included in South Pole traverse.
Vivian O’Dell, IceCube/NSF
Group in red parkas out on the ice, smiling for photo, mountains in distant background
Vivian O’Dell, IceCube/NSF