February, 2013....J. Dana Hrubes...updated February 28, 2013,  0201 GMT
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last_plane_for_9 -months
Summer people boarding the last LC-130 aircraft, leaving the South Pole isolated for almost 9 months

The last LC-130 ski-equipped aircraft lifted off from the nearly 10,000 ft high ice pack on February 14th leaving us 44 Polies stranded in the most isolated place on earth for nearly 9 months.  It was a reminder that preparations must begin for the upcoming long, dark, frigid winter.   Last of the summer crew walking out to the flight line      


offloading fuel for winter
   Off-loading the last fuel delivery for South Pole Station
With the last flight, the last fuel delivery was pumped from the aircraft to the South Pole Station storage tanks. The fuel will feed our station generators over the winter, providing us with heat and about 650 KW of electricity.  There is a contrail behind the parked, but running aircraft because temperatures have already dipped below -50 F (-46 C) and will keep dropping through March and April when we will see temperatures that can go below -100 F (-73 C).  It is too cold for the LC-130 aircraft to land when the temperatures drop below -58 F (-50 C).

 hauling in the fuel line-1    hauling in the fuel line-2   Molly hauling the fuel line for the last time this season    
LC-130 crew readies for taxi and takeoff   


last plane
The last LC-130 Hercules aircraft for nearly 9 months waves its wings goodbye

   last aircraft flyover

lc130 contrail
One of the Last Departing LC-130 Aircraft Leaving a Heavy Contrail on its Way Back to McMurdo Station on the Coast

Station closing activities include removal of fuel lines, removal of 6 miles of aircraft skiway flags, preparing our emergency extreme cold weather caches, moving into our winter rooms and many other tasks that must be completed before the sun sets for 6 months on March 21st. We also have completed the installation of flaglines to all of our remote buildings, including the Dark Sector Laboratory where South Pole Telescope is located.   

SPT with new shroud and ground shield
The South Pole Telescope (SPT) appearing much more massive with the addition of a primary mirror shroud and a larger ground shield

The South Pole Telescope was reworked since the end of the 2011 season. It can now not only measure and map the Cosmic Microwave Background as it did from 2007 through 2011, but it can now measure how that light is polarized. The polarization signal is an order of magnitude weaker than the intensity of the microwave background itself. This requires a completely new focal plane or receiver (camera), new readout electronics and associated control computers, and the installation of a large shroud around the primary mirror and a much larger ground shield to reduce noise from various sources.     the new SPT         view from SPT at the dark sector lab back toward the station  

Next Month: March - Sunset - the sun will be gone for six months!
Recent South Pole Telescope Technical Papers  

A Real-Time Photo of South Pole Station as Seen from the ARO Building (live when satellite is up)
A Comprehensive South Pole Web Site by Bill Spindler
Winterover Web Pages (Bill Spindler's List)

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