They’re getting close to drilling at the South Pole. Last week saw a continued influx of IceCube personnel, including some drillers and integration experts. The week’s primary focus was taking stock and working on final tasks in each work area. Crews tested the brakes on the large reel for the main drill cable, which is the orange cable seen above in a view from the drill tower. Others worked on hanging the drill head in the operations tower, connecting water hoses to two large tanks, and practicing module installation at the test hole. At the end of the week, they held a readiness review to compile a “punch list” of final items to complete before drilling begins.
