Dr. Mark Vincent stayed for 10 days at the South Pole. He worked on the Viper telescope which is designed to study the cosmic microwave background radiation at millimeter wavelengths. What makes Viper so interesting is that it is located at the South Pole to take advantage of the thin, cold and VERY dry air. How cold, well it was -56°F with a -107°F wind chill when he first stepped off the LC-130 at the Pole on November 2, 1999. Believe it or not, it’s easy to break into a drenching sweat.
Dr. Vincent gave a talk to the Lowbrows about his stay at the South Pole on February 18, 2000. “Ten days in an upside-down world, or whatsa Lowbrow doin’ at the South Pole.”