sofia_nz_2015flitecamLogo IR Lab

In June, 2015, FLITECAM took a
trip to the southern Hemisphere.

It was part of the New Zealand deployment of SOFIA, and used with two other instruments to image the Pluto Occultation on
June 30, 2015.

Through hard work and determination of so many, the mission was a resounding success.

These web pages document the mission photographically. But they are far from all-inclusive.

Except where noted,
All content & images
Copyright © 2015
Chris Johnson
UCLA Infrared Lab

Day Nine - Packing


All good things... We lost an entire day sleeping and recovering, so the instrument was removed in our absence, and the process of attaching it to its shipping mount begun. Here it sits alone in the warehouse.


FLITECAM and its current less-than-astronomical target, a shipping crate.


[WARNING: Clicking this picture will load a 75 Megabyte video] There was much excitement at high noon, because a leap second was being added! Ted hooked up one of his GPS monitors, and Peter his laptop. Five minutes after this photo, we faithfully watched the clocks turn 57-58-59, and the unusual 60 seconds! Click the picture to watch the video.


Back to work. Tom, John, Eric, and Ken discuss a lifting strategy for FLITECAM.


Any time a science instrument is moved, it's a "critical lift." This means that safety and quality assurance personnel need to be on hand. Eric pilots the forklift; Ken, Sarah, and Craig watch; Mark directs traffic.


FLITECAM rests safely on the pallet -- ready for the next phase of packing.


Small aside -- the windows of the Antarctic Base are teeming with stickers from past expeditions. This is a good example of the many past missions.