A law firm http://beegx.in.net/ www.beeg.com Funded with a $10 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the government shutdown came during a critical time for the project. When the shutdown went into effect, the National Science Foundation went into what is called “caretaker mode.” The only initiatives they were able to fund were those related to life safety or property maintenance. Foundation employees and other scientists already in Antarctica were laid off, and others were sent home to wait out the shutdown.