IceCube staff members are on their way to the South Pole for our second season of installation. Approximately, 100 scientists and engineers from around the world will participate in activities at the pole. They hope to install and commission 7-10 new locations with digital optical modules (DOMs) on the surface and at depths in the ice between 1,500 and 2,500 meters.
IceCube Project staff will spend the first few weeks of the Austral season, November to February, unpacking equipment and setting up the equipment site for the hot water drill that is used to drill holes in the ice to a depth of 2,500 meters. Drilling the first hole is expected to commence mid-December. New this season is a second tower that will enable the drilling team to begin operations on the next hole while the deploying team uses the first tower to install the DOMs in the just drilled hole. Without this second tower the drilling team would have to wait until the deploying team completed their tasks before the tower could be moved to the next drilling location. This new tower will significantly increase number of holes that can be drilled each season.