SRON_Spectrum_2016

shoe size Pipo de Clown. Air insulates really
well, so the idea is to capture as much of it as
possible in the clothing. And indeed we all
look like Michelin men but then red ones.
In the transport plane to McMurdo, a C17,
I choose a jump seat opposite a pallet with oil
drums. Even with my legs stretched out I do
not touch them. Fantastic, so much space.
As the plane taxis the pallets shift backwards
and forwards on the roller track. Is that meant
to happen?
And then the engines go full throttle and we
journey on a road across the ice it is surpri -
singly bumpy. McMurdo turns out to be not
particularly beautiful… but definitely special.
It is far more than just
the landscape: it is the light,
the cold, the wind, and
the unbelievable distances
In a room we are given another briefing, this
time about the dos and especially about the
don’ts on Antarctica. The entire continent is
protected by a series of treaties and one of
After dinner I go for a short walk. With the
wind from behind and the sun in my face it
does not feel too cold. What a fantastic view
across the Ross Sea. On the other side gigantic
glaciers flow into the sea. The air is so clear
and dry that you can easily see over a distance
of 100 km. That is one of the reasons why
we are here. However this makes estimating
distances really difficult and it distorts your
observation of the area. On the way back the
wind picks up and then I suddenly realize
what a difference a jacket can make. With
my head buried inside the hood of my jacket
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SRON Spectrum
take off. What a unique experience. After
about five hours in the air the pilot brings the
plane down softly on the ice. Once we have
stopped, the large tailgate at the back of the
plane opens. Outside an entirely new world
beckons: white, clear, bright light, mountains,
a smoking volcano, and a large red lorry with
a people carrier that will bring us to McMurdo.
We are on Antarctica!
14 November 2015, Antarctica:
First warning
In the bus after the landing I notice that for a
the most important is that it must remain undamaged.
Everything that comes in must also
go out again. Even spilling coffee on the snow
must be reported as an incident and neatly
cleaned up. This will ensure that the unspoiled
character of the area will be con served for
the future. I share my room with John, an
American colleague from the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory. The idea of sharing a room for
5 weeks takes a bit of getting used to.
The heater is on 10 and the sun shines into
the bedroom. Yet outside it is -20˚C: long
underwear weather.
I keep walking. My cheeks quickly start sting -
ing and then they go numb, which is not
good. Fortunately I only have a short way to
go but I got the message: at -20˚C things can
go wrong quickly. Next time I must take the
balaclava in my pocket. But what a fantastic
landscape.
Inside our hanger is the balloon gondola. It is
almost ready for use. We are going to incorporate
our instrument in the cryostat, a sort
of large thermos flask filled with liquid helium
that cools the entire instrument to about