Team Rotate, Igloo, Pressure Ridges

Many of us spent a lot of yesterday outside. That’s because we were out on the dance floor again, and had to move BLAST around for some tests. We had to point at a star, and adjust the pointing to track it as the sky rotates. In the afternoon, Team Rotate really got into action as we did some 360 degree scans to calibrate the magnetometer (a fancy compass). Because this job can involve a lot of waiting around, some of us spent the time constructing a sort of igloo.

In the evening, Barth and I headed out to the pressure ridges for a tour. This is an area near Scott Base where the sea ice collides with itself (caused by interaction with the nearby land and permanent ice) to create some pretty dramatic formations. We were joined by some folks from LDB, with others taking tours earlier in the week.

Natalie operates the crane

Yesterday she was also given her official NASA rigger/crane operator certification card. This is a big deal

Mega group action shot

Rolling out to the front porch

Max. Pwr

MAX POWER. Would be a great spy name. (Also, 67A battery charging current)

Cookie monster's reflected friends

Science happens here

Team Rotate

Team Rotate in action

More of team rotate in action

And making sure not to run over the power cable

Pointing at the sun

A rare and usually avoided occurrence. The telescope opening is covered to prevent explosion

Igloo

Because the outside team can spend a lot of time waiting, we built an "igloo"

Tyr prepares to enter the igloo

And 3/4 of him fits.

Enzo points out Canopus

Canopus on both cameras

This was part of the purpose of team rotate: moving the telescope to point at a star bright enough to be seen by the star cameras during the Antarctic day