February 22, 2004

Summer season coming to a close

   This year we had 329 Air National Guard LC-130 cargo flights into the Pole, breaking the old record by three flights.

   The temperatures have been falling rapidly and thus far, have been steadily in the forties and fifties — minus, that is. The extremely cold temperature at the South Pole is the principal variable upon which station closing is determined.

   Temperature restrictions of the LC-130 ski cargo aircraft, the only mode of transport and resupply to the Pole, do not allow them to fly below minus-58 degrees Fahrenheit. Below this temperature, the hydraulic system becomes problematic.

   The next flight into the South Pole will not occur until late October or early November. Thus, the long isolation of the 2004 Antarctic winter begins. The final winter-over population is 75.

   As the winter population prepares for the long, cold winter, summer-only employees are off to travel the world — one of the perks of working for Raytheon at the South Pole.

   After waving farewell to the last flight of the season, we set up a projector in the galley and, as tradition has it, watched both versions of the movie “The Thing” — old and new.

   During the next couple weeks, everyone will be moving into the new station or under the dome as we shut down temporary housing — James Ways and the Elevated Dorm. The Elevated Dorm is a square, blue structure with tinted bubble windows that has a futuristic appearance. In addition to housing approximately 20 people, it has a living and dining space that is akin to any suburban home. It also has its own bathing facilities. It is often referred to as the “Beaker Box,” because the scientists frequently use it as living quarters.

   Vehicles will be winterized and stored, which means that a season of snow plowing has come to end.

   The amount of snow that is moved throughout the summer is extreme. Bulldozers push mountainous amounts of snow to the down wind section of the station. Plowing begins very near the first day of station opening and continues 24 hours a day until station closing.

   Things typically slow down during the winter, but don’t be misled. There will be a lot of action occurring on the ice during these cold dark months.

   Facilities Engineering Maintenance and Construction (FEMC) will continue to work on the inside of the station.

   Science, which is our primary purpose, will continue as darkness grasps the continent. SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) has installed a telescope that will be searching for extrasolar planetary systems. This search will take place in the visible light range.

   There are other projects such as SPARO, AMANDA, Ice Cube, AST/RO, CMB/ACBAR, SPASE 2, and a variety of other confusing acronyms that will be mapping the skies, evaluating incoming cosmic rays, searching for neutrinos, mapping interstellar magnetic fields and characterizing and mapping the physical conditions of interstellar matter in nearby galaxies.

   I am coordinating and managing a study of 24 subjects on how mood is affected by extreme cold and darkness by analyzing thyroid levels, test-taking abilities and physical measurements. This is the last year of a three-year study designed by the University of California-San Diego’s School of Medicine.

   Each project allowed to deploy to the Pole is carefully scrutinized. Only those research projects that are potentially groundbreaking are invited.

   The sun, on Feb. 15, was 13 degrees above the horizon and slipping a bit northward each day. Officially, the sun will set March 20, 4:30 p.m., and rise Sept. 23, 2:30 a.m.

   We all wait with anticipation for the Southern Lights — Aurora Australis. The moon, so I am told, is spectacular during these winter nights. Its cycle keeps it above the horizon for two weeks to cast a dancing light across the frozen plateau. The first moonrise, after sunset, will occur April 6, and will be a full moon. These events are taken for granted by the majority of the world; however, we view them as events and milestones.

   The next 8˝ months will be full of challenges and excitement, and I’ll try to take you along for the ride.

   Stay tuned.

   Troy Wiles, a 38-year-old physician’s assistant from Frankfort, is part of a two-member medical team caring for about 600 researchers and staff at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station for a year. He is writing a journal for the Record-Eagle describing life at the pole.


NSF/USAP photo
A bulldozer plows snow to the downwind side of the station with Elevated Dorm on the right.


Special to the Record-Eagle/Troy Wiles
An aerial view of the station. Note the "river" of built-up snow, approximately 15 feet high.