Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 12/10/2009 - 07:45
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IceCube: In-ice Antarctic Telescope

Questions and Comments From 1st Period Engineering Class Jose What do they do with the junk when it’s shipped back to the US? Roberto Are there toxic materials in the berms? Bertram, Ian Sup. The berms look huge. We wonder what the oldest thing there is? Michael, Dylan, Dave, Nick Hey Mr. O’Hara, Did you find the neutrinos? Are there any cute girls down there? Autumn So, you said they have to sort out their waste, and it has to be sent back to the US. What types of trash would be considered burnable? Missing Costa Rica yet? XD Steven How’s your beard coming? Is it growing faster or slower than here? Natalie, Blake, Sharon We think you should take pictures of your beard everyday so you can see the growth, other than just measuring it. What is the difference in temperature range from summer to winter at the South Pole? Do you feel like you’re upside-down all of the time? Mimi, Craig Did the ice cream taste different at the South Pole than in California? Brian Is it hard falling asleep with the sun up? Ian Sch. Is the sun really up 24/7? Eric, Andrew Does crab taste better on the South Pole? Have you installed any Domes yet? Kalvin What is the difference between landing in snow? Is it a softer landing? Alec, Dillon, Kyle Have you played Frisbee Golf? Do you guys have a Christmas tree? How long of a walk is it to the “back “of the station?

Mon, 12/14/2009 - 11:10

Casey OHara

1st period questions:hey all, it was great to hear from some of you the other day!  We finished filling the last round of IceTop tanks with water, so the DOMs will freeze in solid in about 53 days.  Good questions, let me throw out a few answers:The junk in the Berms gets shipped back to the US for various types of disposal - recycling, incineration, reuse for some of the things that still work just aren't used here any more.  There are probably some toxic materials in there, but they keep good track of it all so they will know how to handle it.  But they can't leave it here!
The South Pole Station has only been around since the 1950s, so the oldest thing in there could only date back to then.  This doesn't count the alien spaceship which has been buried for at least 100,000 years I believe, according to John Carpenter's The Thing.
The IceCube and IceTop sensors we are installing this year are only a part of the whole thing - about 60% of the DOMs were already installed in previous years.  Those previously installed DOMs have been collecting data already, and yes, every day we detect neutrinos - but so far they are mostly neutrinos created in the atmosphere, not the ones from out in the galaxy and universe that we are hoping to find.   As for your other question: the ratio of male/female is about 75%/25% or maybe 70%/30%.  So out of that 25% or 30%, yes, some of them are pretty cute.
Autumn - yes I am missing Costa Rica and looking forward to going back!  The burnable waste is generally things like paper products soiled with food so it can't be recycled, or biohazard materials.  They try to sort stuff to maximize recycling - different kinds of metals and plastics, wood, paper, etc.
I need to measure my beard again and post the data so we can see if it's faster or slower.  I'd like to take pictures, if my mac had the built-in iSight camera it would be easy.  Maybe next time.
Temp differences vary widely here - summer is around -25 to -30 degrees Celsius; winter is around -60 celsius.  The highest temperature ever recorded at the south pole I think was +5 degrees fahrenheit, which is about -15 celsius (in the summer); and the lowest was well below -100 fahrenheit (in the winter).
The ice cream was not as good... because we made it with powdered milk instead of half-n-half...
It is really hard falling asleep when the sun's up 24 hours a day.  Your brain ties sleep cycles into patterns of light and dark, and when you miss those cues, your sleep cycles get messed up.  I will post a video that shows a day at the pole - daylight the entire 24 hours.
The crab was a little overcooked or maybe just because it had been frozen - but still very good, especially considering they had to cook it for 250 hungry Polies.  We installed 56 DOMs for IceTop this season, and the last few (I think only 24 are left to do) will be installed next year.  
Landing in snow - do you mean the plane landing?  it didn't seem much different than a regular landing on concrete... maybe a little softer but maybe it's just because the pilot was that good!
I have not played frisbee golf because I did not think to bring a frisbee.  Next time for sure!  There is a christmas tree in the Summer Camp, though it's not a real tree... and it's about a 15 minute walk from the station all the way to the far end of the Berms.  It's also about a 15 minute walk from the station out to where I have been working.  On sunny days it's a nice refreshing walk and very enjoyable.
Well I hope you are all doing well, and I hope you all ace your finals including mine.  I look forward to seeing you all in 2010!
--Mr. O'Hara