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.
![Heading to the LC-130 Heading to the LC-130 • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/16233729798/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7435/16233729798_08bb653854_m.jpg)
Heading to the LC-130
![Sleepy travel Sleepy travel • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/15798888624/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7335/15798888624_ec48f21888_m.jpg)
Sleepy travel
Sleep is difficult with the noise
![Disembarking at the pole Disembarking at the pole • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/16235156199/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7346/16235156199_d7d7dd686a_m.jpg)
Disembarking at the pole
![Landed on the skiway Landed on the skiway • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/16235154779/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7316/16235154779_ee100203bb_m.jpg)
Landed on the skiway
With solar halo
![The elevated station The elevated station • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/16420444222/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm9.static.flickr.com/8587/16420444222_e43b79ce2f_m.jpg)
The elevated station
![Station surroundings Station surroundings • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/16233976490/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm9.static.flickr.com/8562/16233976490_47eba48e53_m.jpg)
Station surroundings
Seen from the observation deck
![View of the Dark Sector View of the Dark Sector • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/15801330623/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7406/15801330623_c23f1100b4_m.jpg)
View of the Dark Sector
Where the telescopes are located
![South Pole Telescope South Pole Telescope • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/15801329623/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm9.static.flickr.com/8576/15801329623_dc5dc2f6ba_m.jpg)
South Pole Telescope
Head on view of the 10m dish
![Flagged trail offshoot Flagged trail offshoot • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/16235472757/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7322/16235472757_ff2f7b565f_m.jpg)
Flagged trail offshoot
To the Ice Cube experiment's building (?)
![The MAPO building The MAPO building • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/16395404176/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7312/16395404176_3c4460b860_m.jpg)
The MAPO building
Keck telescope is inside the ground-shield on the right side
![Dark Sector Lab Dark Sector Lab • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/16420441482/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7426/16420441482_41da26e739_m.jpg)
Dark Sector Lab
Home to SPT (left) and BICEP (in ground shield on top right)
![DSL main building DSL main building • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/16419597691/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7407/16419597691_97c50ba676_m.jpg)
DSL main building
![BICEP3 mount BICEP3 mount • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/16419610021/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7366/16419610021_c51411b2d7_m.jpg)
BICEP3 mount
![Interesting panel Interesting panel • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/16395400966/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7384/16395400966_1c37594b79_m.jpg)
Interesting panel
For keeping the window dry with nitrogen
![Electronics rack Electronics rack • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/16235145249/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7349/16235145249_e47f4c2ddd_m.jpg)
Electronics rack
I work on the box in the lower left
![Huge chopper wheel Huge chopper wheel • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/16420437602/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm9.static.flickr.com/8649/16420437602_9709dbf1f3_m.jpg)
Huge chopper wheel
![BICEP3 telescope BICEP3 telescope • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/15801323383/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm9.static.flickr.com/8577/15801323383_ea175dcb25_m.jpg)
BICEP3 telescope
With some bright daylight leaking in
![Walking back to the station Walking back to the station • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/16233716088/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm9.static.flickr.com/8563/16233716088_e3463aa0bf_m.jpg)
Walking back to the station
Across the skiway
![Walking to the pole Walking to the pole • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/16421364815/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7430/16421364815_e8930b5d23_m.jpg)
Walking to the pole
![Geographic South Pole Geographic South Pole • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/16233714338/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7311/16233714338_fbda5b6da4_m.jpg)
Geographic South Pole
The 2015 marker
![Zeesh, Jamie, and Walt Zeesh, Jamie, and Walt • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/16235142059/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7293/16235142059_b59654e9c6_m.jpg)
Zeesh, Jamie, and Walt
Came out to the pole with me
![The pole and I The pole and I • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/15801317913/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7356/15801317913_c021cb8024_m.jpg)
The pole and I
![At the ceremonial south pole At the ceremonial south pole • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/16395393196/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7300/16395393196_29de2e1f06_m.jpg)
At the ceremonial south pole
![Zeesh runs out of the shot Zeesh runs out of the shot • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/16421360595/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7338/16421360595_a536beb068_m.jpg)
Zeesh runs out of the shot
![With the pole and the station With the pole and the station • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/15798870604/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7282/15798870604_2fbba2a69a_m.jpg)
With the pole and the station
![South pole self portrait South pole self portrait • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/16233709098/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7290/16233709098_d5a3ec0801_m.jpg)
South pole self portrait
![Spherical self portrait Spherical self portrait • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/16419598751/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7416/16419598751_76e272ac35_m.jpg)
Spherical self portrait
![LC-130 art LC-130 art • <a style="font-size:0.8em;" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27717602@N03/16419596411/" target="_blank">View on Flickr</a>](https://farm9.static.flickr.com/8680/16419596411_469657e77c_m.jpg)
LC-130 art
On the plane that took me back to Christchurch
Leave a Reply