Explorations
South Pole Diary
Douglas CowenCourtesy Department of Physics
Penn State physicist Doug Cowen was at the South Pole this past Christmas to help construct the "Ice Cube" telescope. This is a device for detecting neutrinos (high energy particles from outer space).
While he was at the Amundsen-Scott Station, which is located at the geographic South Pole, Cowen kept an audio diary that documents what it's like to live and work in this extreme environment.
Scroll down for audio clips produced by WPSU's Cynthia Berger.
Getting There is Half the Fun
(To the pole by plane and "Ivan the Terrabus")
Living Quarters
(Life at 40 below with perpetual daylight)
Christmas at the Pole
(Gourmet food and ping pong)
The Ice Cube Telescope
(It goes 2 miles into the ice!)
The "Race Around the World"
(A Christmas Tradition at the Pole)
The "300 Club"
(One of the world's most exclusive clubs)
Moving the Pole
(A yearly chore!)
Douglas Cowen, Ph.D., is associate professor of physics and astronomy & astrophysics. He can be reached at cowen@phys.psu.edu. Cynthia Berger is producer of news and features for WPSU-FM. She can be reached at cberger@psu.edu.