LDB Ballooning Site at Williams Field, Antarctica (click for high resolution)

November 18, 2000 -  We have had another condition one storm this week, plus one of the largest snowfalls seen in recent history.  These problems with the weather have made it difficult to travel between McMurdo Station and Williams Field and, consequently, we have been forced to "take a few days off".  

Nevertheless, we continue to make progress in testing the ATIC detectors and assembling the instrument.  One major victory this week was finishing the setup of the pressure vessel.  As seen in the side panel the vessel is now undergoing leaks checks.  The sign attached to the vessel was taken from the LSU Department of Physics and Astronomy which is currently undergoing renovation.  The leak checking is currently going very well with the internal pressure holding very close to 4 psi for the last 48 hours.  Early next week we will increase to our flight operating pressure of 8 psi and monitor the vessel for several days.

Check out ATIC Pictures for some of our latest images.  Included are new views of the Silicon Matrix detector plus some interior views of Scott's "Discovery" Hut taken on a recent tour.  Finally, check out the McMurdo Information page which provides some data on temperature, snowfall and daylight amount.

The pressure vessel undergoing leak checks