2005-06 Summer Photos - IceCube Laboratory

Here is a conceptual view of the completed IceCube Laboratory (ICL), earlier known as the "counting house" (and still earlier as the Elevated Dorm and a few other things before it was moved into the middle of the drill field in 2004-05). The towers on either side of the structure serve as cable entries from the detector strings to the second-floor control room and electronics areas (JB).

A look at the southwest side of the place at the beginning of the summer before any of the action started. This side gets new doors and the major platforms, and all of the solar panels will go away (SJ).

Here's my "before" interior shot, taken during the 2005 winter. I'm looking down the mostly gutted second floor hallway.

First, work got underway on the southwest side of the structure, installing doors, erecting platforms, and removing the solar panels (JB).

A closer view of the platform assembly (JB).

Meanwhile, a foundation for the east cable tower (JB).

Tower construction begins (CB)...

...and continues (JB).

The upper portions of the tower were preassembled (JB).

The lower section is in place, and the ironworkers are waiting...(JB)

...for the upper section (JB).

The erected tower structure, with MAPO in the background, framed between the tower and the crane (JB).

A view of the east side. Note that the solar heating panels are going away (JG).

Here is another look. The doublewide is the temporary IceCube lab/countinghouse, to be in use until conditional occupancy of the permanent structure, which was scheduled for December 2006 (JG).

Almost done. The new South Pole Telescope (SPT) addition to DSL can be seen in the distance (JM).

Here's a view looking south (JM).

A closeup view of the completed platforms and tower with its corrugated aluminum skin, at the end of the summer construction season. And that snow ramp has made its first appearance (JM).

The end-of-summer view of the other side (JG).

Here's what the place looked like in the early winter dusk. (BB).

Winter interior construction finish work continued to support conditional occupancy in December 2006. Completion of the east tower cable bridge, and construction of the west tower, happened in the 2006-07 summer. Photo credits: Brien Barnett (BB), Craig Bell (CB), Jay Bollinger (JB), Jordan Goodman (JG), Scot Jackson (SJ), Jerry Marty (JM).

Okay, so what were the IceCube folks up to?