I suppose as a precursor to posting about Antarctica, I should share a little about my research and what I do. But, I already did that for the UIUC Physics department and the article got published this earlier this week! I wrote about spending the summer with the rest of the SPIDER team at the NASA Columbia Scientific Ballooning Facility in Palestine, Texas getting everything ready for deployment in Antarctica. You can click here to read it!
I'm excited to all be reunited on the ice soon.
Just part of the team here! Fully integrated payload behind us just before we started to take it apart and pack.
There was a shipping container out in the middle of the launch pad we could see from far away but never knew the purpose. No balloon launches take place here anymore and the only movement we ever saw out here were some wild hogs, and school bus driver trainings. The last night in town Jared, Suren and I walked out and found a huge metal weight inside, so we think it serves as a tether for some stationary weather balloon research done occasionally.
Sunsets looking out over the old launch pad were so beautiful, and were always accompanied by mockingbird songs.
I'm currently sitting in Christchurch, NZ waiting for a flight to McMurdo. Weather and airplanes are finicky and we are delayed a few days.