The South Pole

The pole and I Once SPIDER finished, I spent a week at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. The BICEP3 telescope deployed this year, and I went down to help integrate electronics for which I am the expert. While there, I made a mandatory visit to the two south poles: the geographic South Pole marker (which is updated annually), and the shiny looking ceremonial pole for photo ops. […]

Trails, Boats, and Seals

Roger on the Observation Hill loop One day during SPIDER’s flight, Anne and I walked down to Hut Point to check out the arriving icebreaker. We encountered some seals down there, which also break the ice by chomping holes. They make great huffing noises as the surface and breathe, which made them easy and fun to spot. I liked this so much that I decided to go for a hike every morning, after each night of watching SPIDER. Following the icebreaker, a series of other boats arrived. The main resupply ship arrived just before my return from the South Pole, as did some whales. […]