Week 2 at the Pole

An LC-130 plane parked on the ice and a person facing it, and a small LEGO replica of the scence on the ice in the foreground.
Marc Jacquart, IceCube/NSF

Last week’s main activity at the Pole involved digging, lots of digging (see below). Two ARA stations needed to be dug out for maintenance and repair tasks. One of the stations had over two meters of snow to remove from it, so it was a bit challenging—but many hands make light (or lighter) work. The sun was out last week, providing good opportunities for taking photos. The top photo shows an LC-130 plane at the Pole, with a (cleverly) staged LEGO scene in the foreground, marshaller and all! Further below are shots of neighboring structures: the BICEP telescope, with a starburst sun overhead, and the South Pole Telescope, with the IceCube Lab shown far off in the distance.

Several people digging in the snow at the South Pole.
Elaine Krebs, PolarTREC/NSF
Top of BICEP telescope in foreground, bright starburst sun in sky overhead.
Marc Jacquart, IceCube/NSF
South Pole Telescope on the right in foreground, IceCube Lab on the left in distance.
Marc Jacquart, IceCube/NSF