Station Interior Part 2

The elevated station having approximately 66,000 square feet of usable space accommodates a lot of different spaces. There are a few different conference rooms that are regularly used.

A computer lab affords the station residents computer use for work and personal matters. Many do not bring personal computers to the south pole.

There is a communications room that is heavily used during the summer season (summer is relative around here) when there are many flights in and out of the South Pole.

We also have a very well equipped medical facility where a physician and physician's assistant can perform many life saving procedures if needed. Hope we don't need them to do a thing!

The science team has a science lab where they work when not in the outlying science buildings.

I even get my own office to work out of!  Most have to call me on the radio since I'm rarely at my desk preferring the outdoors. No sense in being at the South Pole if you are going to be cooped up in a cubicle. Right?

And when we need to unwind there are a variety of game, reading and movie lounges. Today I played a few rounds of pool. Have not done that in over a decade!

Next Post? Station Interior Part 3

Last Flight

The last NSF flight left on Tuesday the 16th of February, taking with it the last of the station summer crew. We are now 48 on station and we will not see another flight until October (at the earliest). Seeing that last flight leave was a mixed bag of emotions. Being cut off from the rest of the world except for satellite communications is a feeling that I have not experienced before. Someone commented that in the event of an emergency the crew of the ISS would get to earth quicker than we could get off the continent. Scott Kelly ain't got nothing on us! Well, maybe a better view and zero G :)

The C-130 getting ready to taxi.

Setting up on the slip'n slide for takeoff.

Once in the air the plane turned around for the traditional flyby, buzzing the station and banking north (really) towards McMurdo Station.

It was very thrilling to see, hear and feel the plane as it maneuvered over our heads.

In a few weeks the station population went from 157 to 48. Now we settle in to our work routines and get the station ready for the long night ahead. Yes, we are here to work and we are fortunate to have a stellar crew. 

Almost forgot....We all gathered to watch all three "The Thing" movies after the last flight. Another Pole tradition. Later in the winter we will be watching "The Shining".  Don't ask :)

Next Post? Back to regularly scheduled programming.

Station Interior

For those of you that think we are living in tents or igloos. The station has everything one needs to survive and thrive in an environment not very friendly to humans.

Yes, it is currently -76.9 F with windchill and we do go outdoors, but when we get back to the comfort and safety of the station we get out of our gear and enjoy some sense of normalcy with surroundings that almost let you forget that you are in one of the most dangerous environments on earth. 

In the galley you can find some of the hardest working folks on the continent serving up three meals a day and more.

This area is the "town square" where you can find someone hanging out, having a snack, hot beverage or just chatting at just about any time, day or night (it's 24hr daylight right now)

Once you have had your fill (or before) you can get your workout on at the gym or the basketball court. Yes, we have an indoor court.

The indoor court is used for a variety of activities like morning stretching, as a movie theater (see the screen on the back wall?) and sometimes as emergency overflow sleeping (see the mattresses in the corner?). Oh yeah, and basketball too.

If you are musically inclined there are a variety of instruments to pick from and sometimes bands form with excellent results. Who knows? I might learn to play the guitar here.

Next Post? Station Interior Part 2

The Station

If you could imagine a space station, almost completely self sufficient in the most inhospitable place on earth, this would be it. The station is elevated and can be further raised as needed to allow for snow and ice accumulation that eventually crushes and consumes everything left out.

It is hard to see in the above image but to the left of the flag sits a pole with a cardinal point indicator. All point north. No mater which way you look, you are looking north. Pretty wild.

There are various support buildings that are adjacent the station. The Vehicle Maintenance Facility (VMF) and the Logistics Arch (LO) among others. These arches provide the storage and work space for everything needed to maintain the station and it's inhabitants. 

There are various outlying small structures that are used on a seasonal basis for overflow housing and work areas. These exterior buildings for the most part will see no use during the dark, cold winter and will be shut down.

Next Post? Station Interior

The South Pole

Upon arriving at the South Pole the first thing noticed was the lack of any natural land features. No hills, mountains or trees. Nothing can be seen for miles but the cleanest white snow stretching to the horizon. The second thing noticed was the temperature! Few things can prepare you for that first blast of cold air as it hits your face and flows right into your lungs. And this was a good day.

As we entered the station we were greeted by familiar faces that we had met along the way. They got to the South Pole on the flight that we had been bumped from a few days prior. It was nice to see them. They had no idea we were on that plane. They had come over to see the Hot Rod DC-3! We all had a good laugh. Then it was time for more orientations room assignments (I get my own room this time) and taking it easy for the next few days while acclimating to the altitude. Some of us took advantage of the adrenaline and excitement and went out for a few pictures. I know, more Hero Shots but hey, it's for the kids :)

Yeah, I won't be wearing jeans out anymore. My "Mario" overalls are much warmer. At times I had to remove ice from my eyelashes in order to see. Eyes frozen shut! And this isn't winter yet.

Next Post? The Station

Pole Flight! - Leg 5 of 5

I got a ride out of McMurdo! And on the Basler! Now for those of you that might have doubted that I'm really in Antarctica and really flying around the continent in a hot rod DC-3. I give you my first official "Hero Shot" (term used for pics of yourself frolicking on the ice)

By the way, we are on ice that is over water not land. After all of our bags got loaded we were shown our seats. Fortunately there were only four of us on this flight to the South Pole aside from the crew of three. There was plenty of room and windows to look out of. Once settled in we started down to the ice runway for takeoff. The Slip'n Slide for airplanes and off we went. What a ride!

More Polies!

I quickly found out that the cabins in these hot rods are not pressurized meaning that you WILL feel the altitude. Fortunately there were oxygen ports that one could plug into with provided tubing and nose gear similar to what you would get at the hospital. I opted out as did the two other gents settling for the altitude acclimation that would occur during the 4 1/2 hr. flight over the Trans-Antarctic mountain range and on to the South Pole Station sitting at 10,000 feet elevation. 

Along the way we saw some marvelous works of nature. Glaciers that have been moving for thousands of years, mountains that in some cases may be as tall as Everest but just have the tops showing since the rest is swallowed by the ice.

At one point the crew chief indicated that we had been flying at 10,000 feet for some time and that soon we would be climbing to 13,000 feet to clear the mountain range. We were feeling the altitude. Breathing became a conscious effort, elevated heart rates were felt and a general feeling of tiredness overcame the body. The only thing that kept me going was the sheer amazement and adrenaline running through my veins as I looked below realizing that no person had ever set foot on any of what I saw. Truly a moving experience.

At 13,000 feet I snapped the above image as we cleared the mountain range through a passage. At this point we were feeling the full brunt of the thin oxygen we were breathing. It got much colder so more layers went on and we kept hydrating, drinking lots of water as it helps when at altitude and extreme dryness. You are probably wondering why the black paint on the wings. Well, black absorbs heat and the fuel tanks in most planes are in the wings. This helps keep the fuel from turning into a gel that would not circulate through the fuel system to the engines.

Next Post? At The South Pole!

On the Ice at McMurdo Station - Part Deux

So, I'm still here! In McMurdo on my 3rd day now. I was scheduled to leave for the South Pole yesterday (second attempt) and the flight got scrubbed. Flight Ops is prioritizing getting folks off ice from remote field camps and making fuel runs where needed. One plane is down with mechanical issues, which is apparently normal around here. Putting things into perspective, one of my roommates (yes, we have roommates here, 4 to a room for those just transiting through) just got back from a West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) field camp and mentioned that on his deployment out he had to spend a whole month at McMurdo before getting to his field camp. Guess I can't complain...

Last night Flight Ops asked if I would consider flying out to Pole on a Basler (a DC-3 on steroids) and I accepted the offer since that would be like showing up to prom in a '67 Corvette. This morning that flight got scrubbed and now I'm back on the board awaiting the availability of a C-130, the same type plane that I flew in on from NZ.

From the looks of it there are 6 of us going to Pole as most of the team left on the flight that I and others got bumped from. In the meantime I get to relax and enjoy the sights, not to mention the grub. By far the most hard working folks here are those that operate the Galley or Dinning Facility or Chow Hall or whatever else you would like to call it. Most call it the Galley as that name has carried over from the days when the Navy ran the show in Antarctica. They work almost round the clock preparing food for the 1000 on station. Not an easy job. Oh, and there is also a barber on station among other things. Got myself a clip yesterday :)

Next Post? Pole Flight - Leg 5 of 5 (I hope)