Ross Island and the surrounding area as viewed from a camera attached to the SPIDER scientific instrument at 118,000 feet. SPIDER (Sub-orbital Polarimeter for Inflation Dust and the Epoch of Reionization) is a millimeter wavelength polarimeter designed to probe for the signature of gravitational waves in the cosmic microwave background radiation. These observations will provide insight into the mechanism responsible for establishing the initial conditions from which our present universe has evolved, and may provide direct evidence of the quantum nature of gravity. The scientific instrument is carried into the stratosphere by NASA's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility's Long Duration Balloon (LDB) that takes advantage of seasonal antarctic circumpolar winds. To learn more about the LDBs visit www.csbf.nasa.gov/antarctica/payloads.htm. SPIDER is a collaboration between Princeton University, The University of Toronto, Case Western Reserve University, the University of British Columbia and Caltech. To learn more about SPIDER, visit www.princeton.edu/jones/research/. There is an identical photo to this one, without labels designating geographical features, entitled 'ross_island_full.jpg.'