There are eclipses that go exactly as planned. And there are eclipses that remind you why this work demands unconditional commitment.
The 2021 expedition took Solar Wind Sherpas to one of the most remote and inhospitable environments on Earth — Antarctica — to observe a total solar eclipse visible only from the southernmost continent. The team arrived, deployed instrumentation under extreme cold, and waited.
When totality came, so did the clouds. The corona was there, scientifically accessible for the first time from that part of the world, and the sky didn't cooperate. The equipment was packed. The data was not there. The team went home and began planning the next expedition.