After days of work to install and test instruments, the IceBridge team loaded the DC-8 for its trip from NASA’s Dryden Aircraft Operation Facility in Palmdale, Calif., to its campaign base of operations in Punta Arenas, Chile.
The first leg of IceBridge’s trip south, an approximately 11 hour flight, started around 11 p.m. PDT on Oct. 8 (2 a.m. EDT Oct. 9). The IceBridge DC-8 landed at Santiago International Airport early in the afternoon of Oct. 9.
After an overnight stay in Santiago, IceBridge continued its journey south with a flight to Punta Arenas, Chile, arriving around noon on Oct. 10. After unloading the DC-8, the team will settle into what will be their new home for the next several weeks and prepare for a day of safety briefings, preparing scientific equipment and monitoring the Antarctic weather. The first of IceBridge’s Antarctic science flights is slated for Friday, Oct. 12.
For more about the flight from California to Chile, visit:
http://blogs.nasa.gov/cm/blog/icebridge/posts/post_1349806131590.html