Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 12/06/2009 - 12:15

How did you guys actually get all off the equipment, machines and etc there? What are the extreme conditions like there? Are you guys having fun at the same time? Last, if you guys find what you are looking for, what would be your first reaction? Good Luck!!

Casey OHara

Hi Joe,Everything here at the south pole is brought in on C-17 Hercules planes.  This includes all the equipment and fuel and people.  The extreme conditions are basically intense cold (even in the peak of summer), constant winds, very arid conditions (which means lots of static electricity, too), and 24 hour daylight all summer, followed by 24 hour darkness all winter.  All of these conditions affect the equipment and the people down here.
IceCube is looking for neutrinos coming from out in the universe, passing through and interacting with the ice underneath the South Pole.  The data collected by IceCube is used in many different ways.   One of the most interesting ways is to search for "point sources" of neutrinos, meaning places in the universe where lots of high-energy neutrinos are created - most likely candidates include super-massive stars that are collapsing into black holes. 
So far the data has shown no significant point sources, but as more sensors are placed in the ice and more data is taken over time, the chances improve.  And once a point source is located I'm sure everyone down here will be very excited - it would be a brand new discovery!