A researcher works with equipment that drills deep holes in the ice to study cosmic rays.
Two months ago, physics professor Greg Sullivan sat on a cargo plane with his knees interlocked like zipper teeth with those of 100 other passengers. He was on a seldom-made voyage to the farthest end of the Earth.
Sullivan is one of four university researchers who have made the grueling trip to Antarctica for the IceCube neutrino telescope project in recent years. IceCube is an international effort of 20 universities and is funded by the National Science Foundation. The researchers are using ice and light sensors to find the source of cosmic rays from beyond this galaxy.
As integral members of the project, research assistants Erik Blaufuss and Tyce DeYoung and graduate assistant John Pretz went to the icy continent, where the ever-present sun moves in mysterious ways, showers are scarce and long underwear is a must.
After stepping off the plane, it takes a while to become oriented, Sullivan said.
“The cold bites you and it’s very bright, but the strange thing is it’s not the cold but getting your bearings with the altitude and walking with gear,” Sullivan said. “You get winded.”
The trip begins with a flight from Washington to Los Angeles, then a 13-hour flight to Christchurch, New Zealand, where they are outfitted at the Clothing Distribution Center. To cope with an seasonal temperature of -30 degrees Fahrenheit at the South Pole, researchers receive gloves, boots, wind pants, a parka and other equipment.
“You could literally show up in Christchurch naked and they would give you everything you needed to survive down there,” Pretz said. “The only thing I think you might need would be underwear. That having been said, they even give you long underwear.”
The worst part of the trip, the researchers agreed, was the five-hour flight on a U.S. Air Force C-141 to McMurdo Station on the coast of Antarctica. Passengers sit on cargo netting seats with little room to move.
“So there’s a guy sitting [right in front of you] with his knees in front of you and you’re wearing these [big boots], so you can’t even move for five hours,” Blaufuss said. “If you have to get up to go to the bathroom, everybody has to stand up and let you walk by.”
Pretz had to stay in Christchurch for a week because the plane to McMurdo turned back midflight because of weather problems, Sullivan said. Once researchers reach McMurdo, a three-hour flight is made to the South Pole on an Air Force C-130 equipped with skis for proper snow landings.
Researchers on the South Pole stay in domed shelters. Diesel generators provide energy to heat the shelters, run equipment, provide hot water or other power needs. Professional cooks prepare meals and research groups take turns doing the dishes and other chores. Packaged food is shipped by plane to the camp, making fresh fruits and vegetables a rare treat, Sullivan said.
“People get excited,” Sullivan said. “They make an announcement over the PA that ‘freshies’ arrived and they unload the plane.”
Showers are limited to two, two-minute showers per week to preserve fuel. Water used for drinking and cooking is outside ice that is melted using fuel. It takes three gallons of fuel to make one gallon of water, DeYoung said, making it expensive.
Sleeping arrangements in the stations are similar to dorms, with each person getting his or her own bunk. It is quiet at all hours, Sullivan said, because there is always someone sleeping because of rotating IceCube shifts. There is room for socializing at a small bar inside the station.
Communications are needed to send scientific data, but phone calls are limited to the 12 hours of satellite service during the day.
“Typically when I go places now for work it’s a couple days during the week,” he said. “I go to a meeting in Wisconsin or a meeting in California. This was just a long time away from the family.”
There was some entertainment in early February, Sullivan said — the Super Bowl was taped and shown at the camp two days later.
“It’s possible to find out the result beforehand, but if you say something you’re taking your life into your own hands.”
Working outside presents a few challenges, but the gear stood up to the elements, Sullivan said.
“As long as you’re covered, you’re good,” Sullivan said. “But if you have to take your glove off for a second, it’s quite uncomfortable.”
The university team’s duties included lowering lines of sensors into the ice. One Swedish researcher had to be airlifted off the continent after some equipment broke a couple of ribs. He was at the hospital within 24 hours.
“It took me a week to get down there and they can get this guy out [in 24 hours],” Blaufuss said. “Because it’s more urgent, they can really go out of their way. It was amazing, and he’s perfectly fine now.”
DeYoung traveled to Antarctica three years in a row, from December 1997 to January 2000. Sullivan went in 2003 and from Jan. 26 to Feb. 12 of this year. This year also was the first trip for Blaufuss and Pretz. Blaufuss was there from Jan. 10 to Feb. 5, and Pretz from Jan. 11 to 21.
“You can compare it to the ocean, how monumental and massive it is,” DeYoung said. “People are not meant to be here. Humans know how to live almost anywhere on Earth, but we can’t live here without this huge logistical effort.”
