![Click to enlarge](img/th_4038.jpg) | Heading back to Picton. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4039.jpg) | Heading back to Picton. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4040.jpg) | Sunset. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4042.jpg) | Sunset. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4043.jpg) | Sunset. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4045.jpg) | Sunset. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4047.jpg) | Sunset. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4048.jpg) | Sunset. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4049.jpg) | Sunset. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4052.jpg) | Sunset. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4056.jpg) | Sunset. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4058.jpg) | Sunset. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4061.jpg) | Reflected sunlight on the hills. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4062.jpg) | A ferry. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4064.jpg) | Sunset. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4069.jpg) | Sunset. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4072.jpg) | A secluded house. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4073.jpg) | Approaching the interisland ferry. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4074.jpg) | Approaching the interisland ferry. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4078.jpg) | We cut across the ferry's wake. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4079.jpg) | Overhauling the ferry. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4082.jpg) | Overhauling the ferry. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4088.jpg) | Overhauling the ferry. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4093.jpg) | Overhauling the ferry. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4095.jpg) | Overhauling the ferry. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4097.jpg) | Overhauling the ferry. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4101.jpg) | Overhauling the ferry. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4104.jpg) | Overhauling the ferry. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4109.jpg) | Overhauling the ferry. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4110.jpg) | Overhauling the ferry. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4111.jpg) | Heading into Picton. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4112.jpg) | Picton harbour. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4113.jpg) | Picton harbour. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4114.jpg) | The Mariner's Mall. I believe the flags are meant to spell "welcome". |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4115.jpg) | Scenery on the road back to Christchurch. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4116.jpg) | Scenery on the road back to Christchurch. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4117.jpg) | Scenery on the road back to Christchurch. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4118.jpg) | Scenery on the road back to Christchurch. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4119.jpg) | Scenery on the road back to Christchurch. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4122.jpg) | A break in the clouds. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4123.jpg) | A break in the clouds. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4124.jpg) | A one lane bridge on Highway 1. |
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![Click to Enlarge](img/th_img_4125_pano.jpg) |
(9967x5514, 10854.40 kb) The view from the second floor balcony of the Windsor. At left is Cranmer square. The Windsor is on Armagh Street.
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![Click to enlarge](img/th_4138.jpg) | 1928 Erskine. It belongs to the owner of the Windsor, where I'm staying in Christchurch. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4139.jpg) | Waiting for departure to McMurdo at the airport in Christchurch. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4140.jpg) | Waiting for departure to McMurdo at the airport in Christchurch. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4142.jpg) | My in-flight meal. It contains meat. |
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![Click to Enlarge](img/th_img_4143_pano.jpg) |
(5930x2504, 3240.96 kb) The view from my seat on the C17.
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![Click to enlarge](img/th_4146.jpg) | The manufacturer of my earplugs has trademarked the colour yellow. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4147.jpg) | At Pegasus, heading to the bus back into McMurdo. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4148.jpg) | The Basler (and several Hercs) parked at Pegasus. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4149.jpg) | Black Island and Hut Point Peninsula. |
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![Click to Enlarge](img/th_img_4151_pano.jpg) |
(8479x2458, 2908.16 kb) Arriving at Pegasus.
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![Click to enlarge](img/th_4155.jpg) | Matt in the BLASTPol control room. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4156.jpg) | Laura in the BLASTPol control room. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4157.jpg) | Steve and Tristan in the BLASTPol control room. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4158.jpg) | Waiting at Pegasus for our flight to Pole. |
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![Click to Enlarge](img/th_img_4159_pano.jpg) |
(11572x2505, 4114.43 kb) The view from Pegasus.
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![Click to enlarge](img/th_4165.jpg) | Greatest snow on Earth. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4166.jpg) | Boarding the Herc. |
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![Click to Enlarge](img/th_img_4168_pano.jpg) |
(11293x3193, 7159.81 kb) On the LC-130. The pile in front of us is our carry-on. The next pile is the crew's gear. At the back, on the ramp, is our checked luggage and a few other things for Keck.
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![Click to enlarge](img/th_4175.jpg) | A view from the flight deck. Unfortunately it was cloudy for most of our flight. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4176.jpg) | Flight crew. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4177.jpg) | A view from the rear of the LC-130. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4178.jpg) | Grant on the flight. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4179.jpg) | The view from one of the windows. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4180.jpg) | Lunch! Seasoned polies advised me to take the vegetarian option when leaving McMurdo. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4183.jpg) | Lunch: a bag of tortilla chips, salsa, applesauce, zesty snack mix, a bag of sunflower cubes, two soft-baked snickerdoodles, a collapsible spork (non-edible), and a temporary tattoo of a space monkey (probably also non-edible). |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4185.jpg) | The view from the window behind my seat. LC-130s are loud. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4187.jpg) | The same thing, but with blurry propellers, courtesy a neutral density filter. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4189.jpg) | The same thing, but with blurry propellers, courtesy a neutral density filter. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4191.jpg) | The wing. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4192.jpg) | And the other wing, in case you thought we might be missing one. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4193.jpg) | The last eleven inches of Compartment M is not floor space. Good to know. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4194.jpg) | A view from the front of the plane. The cooler contains the crew's lunches. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4195.jpg) | Our first view of the Transantarctic Mountains. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4196.jpg) | Transantarctic Mountains. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4197.jpg) | Transantarctic Mountains. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4198.jpg) | Transantarctic Mountains. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4199.jpg) | Transantarctic Mountains. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4200.jpg) | Transantarctic Mountains. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4201.jpg) | Transantarctic Mountains. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4202.jpg) | Transantarctic Mountains. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4204.jpg) | Killing time on the flight. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4207.jpg) | Touchdown at Pole. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4208.jpg) | Deplaning. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4209.jpg) | Our welcome party. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4210.jpg) | Our ride waits for unloading and refuelling. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4211.jpg) | The Elevated Station. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4212.jpg) | A first look at the Dark Sector. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4214.jpg) | The gymnasium. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4215.jpg) | Station map. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4216.jpg) | Station map. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4217.jpg) | Planting party at the greenhouse. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4219.jpg) | Planting party at the greenhouse. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4220.jpg) | The greenhouse is incredibly humid compared to the rest of the Station. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4221.jpg) | Planting party at the greenhouse. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4222.jpg) | Red char. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4223.jpg) | Zucchini. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4224.jpg) | Planting party at the greenhouse. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4225.jpg) | T-Rex. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4227.jpg) | My berth. |
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![Click to Enlarge](img/th_img_4233_pano.jpg) |
(3202x6424, 3786.75 kb) My berth. There's a bed, a chest of drawers, a desk, a chair, a window, a window shade, a light, another light, a third light, a shelf, a closet (not shown), another chest of drawers (also not shown), a clothesline (also not shown), a door (also not shown), a smoke detector (also not shown), a large space under the bed to store luggage, and a piece of cardboard for the window.
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![Click to Enlarge](img/th_img_4237_pano.jpg) |
(6299x4309, 4958.21 kb) Looking the other way in my berth. Some of the stuff listed above which were not shown now is.
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![Click to enlarge](img/th_4241.jpg) | Telecon time at MAPO on Thursday morning. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4242.jpg) | Robert prepares to hoist a compressor. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4243.jpg) | Raising the K2 cryostat. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4244.jpg) | The insides of the MCE power supply, which I spent far too long dealing with on Thursday. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4245.jpg) | Disassembly of the AST/RO hut. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4246.jpg) | MAPO in the foreground, with DSL behind. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4247.jpg) | Rush hour on the Dark Sector road. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4248.jpg) | The sun with horizon glow. |
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![Click to Enlarge](img/th_img_4249_pano.jpg) |
(22671x2239, 7944.19 kb) A 360 degree panorama from the Dark Sector road, where it intersects the
aircraft taxiway. The cut is roughly Grid Northeast. The first building
starting from the left, just right of an antenna mast is ARO, the Atmospheric
Research Observatory, at the edge of the Clean Air Sector. Then there's a
bulldozer grading the ARO road. Then comes another antenna, and then the
Ceremonial South Pole (surrounded by national flags).
A black line in the snow right of the Ceremonial Pole is the fuel line; then
comes the elevated station. There are a large number of support buildings right
of the Elevated Station, ending with the radar dome. On the far side of these
is the Quiet Sector. Then comes the ski-way (ie. runway), which marks the edge
of the Dark Sector.
Most of the next stuff is storage up on snow berms before we get to the Ice
Cube Laboratory, followed by a generator building and then the Dark Sector
Laboratory (DSL) containing the imposing South Pole Telescope, and the much
smaller BICEP2. Next is the Martin A. Pomerantz Observatory (MAPO) where Keck
is being built. The large orange flags in the Dark Sector indicate the
locations of the Ice Cube strands. At right a the black flags (which indicate
danger) mark out the location of Old Pole (the station built in the 1950s and
now buried). The red tents on the horizon is the Designated Camping Area, where
tourists are allowed to stay.
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![Click to enlarge](img/th_4264.jpg) | One of the warning beacons where the Dark Sector road crosses the airplane taxiway. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4265.jpg) | Justus's Scotch Money mug, alarmingly empty. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4268.jpg) | An MCE set up for testing. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4270.jpg) | Looking down into the empty K1 cryostat tube. |
![Click to enlarge](img/th_4272.jpg) | Heading back to station for dinner on Saturday. |