SPIDER will search the Cosmic Microwave Background, or CMB, for the signal of inflation, the thermal afterglow of the Big Bang
After spending 16 days suspended from a giant helium balloon floating 115,000 feet (35,000 meters) above Antarctica, a scientific instrument dubbed SPIDER has landed in a remote region of the frozen continent. SPIDER’s goal is to search the cosmic microwave background, or CMB, for the signal of inflation, the thermal afterglow of the Big Bang.
This image from prior to launch, shows the team has laid out the parachute and hang lines in front of SPIDER, seen in the distance. The long-duration balloon that would carry SPIDER into the sky is attached to the end of the parachute shown here in the foreground. Credits: Jeff Filippini