UPDATE: NASA’s Ultra High Altitude “Zero Pressure” Balloon Instruments Have Been Recovered, Near McMurdo Station — On The Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica…

We now have seen news that the team has recovered the payloads, from late last year — on the ice shelf at the bottom of the world.

Here’s that, from NASA and NSF:

…The first of NASA’s Astrophysics Pioneers missions to launch, PUEO took off Dec. 20, 2025, from NASA’s Long Duration Balloon Facility near McMurdo Station, Antarctica, and flew for 23 days before landing approximately 120 miles (200 km) from the South Pole. The full payload has been recovered, including the data drives. The PUEO team is currently analyzing the data collected—an undertaking that may take up to a year due to the complex nature of the task….

To improve sensitivity to extensive air showers produced by cosmic rays and potentially neutrinos, PUEO incorporated a new low-frequency instrument that deployed once the payload reached float altitude (it would have been much too large to fit in the allowable launch volume in its flight configuration). This new low-frequency instrument incorporated antennas that are sensitive down to 50 MHz, and extended PUEOs sensitivity to air showers….

Now you know. All as the Russians are spacewalking on NASA+, live at the ISS this late morning. Onward, grinning.

नमस्ते