Monday, December 11, 2000

My flight arrived in Auckland, New Zealand about 8:00 PM. Because we passed the International Date Line, I lost a day. I waited in the airport for several hours for my flight to Christchurch. At about 11:30 AM, I took a one-hour flight. Upon arrival, a member of the Polar Services team warmly greeting two other travelers and me. We were brought to a room where all of the gear that we needed was displayed.

At 2:00 PM, a member of the Clothing Distribution Center (CDC) lectured us on the clothes we needed and what we should expect tomorrow. After a short video, we went in a large room, where we found our clothes ready.

Since CDC used sizes that we gave them several months ago, we needed to try on each item. In the warm hall, we had to fully dress, below is a picture of me after putting on one of my outfits. It sure was warm wearing them.

After making sure everything fit, I went to my hotel, the Windsor, near downtown Christchurch. Tomorrow, I will leave the hotel at 5:45 AM to get ready for my flight to Antarctica.

On Day 1, I mentioned that we detect neutrinos. However, how can we measure a particle that is neutral and does not interact readily with matter? Fortunately, someone thought up a trick. As particles enter the earth they are all absorbed except for neutrinos. Neutrinos can pass through the whole earth. Fortunately, there are a few that do not. Those neutrinos that enter the earth and then interact on their way out produce a particle called a muon. Muons are charged and are readily detected. Amanda can detect these muons. Consequently, Amanda measures neutrinos that enter the earth in the Northern Hemisphere and then almost reach the South Pole where they interact and produce a muon.