March 15, 2004

South Pole Journal

In the darkness, our station gets down to science

   In the last week of February, groups of volunteers braved the elements to establish flag lines that extend from the new station to the outlying science buildings, some of which are three-quarters of a mile away.

   Several times a week, scientists and science technicians make their way to the Atmospheric Research Observatory (ARO) and Martin A. Pomerantz Observatory (MAPO), where they maintain a variety of scientific instruments. Some projects require daily maintenance. Thus, flag lines are established to help guide them back to safety when the moon is down and winds are up, which renders your visual senses null and void. Getting lost is a frightening proposition when it is 85 degrees below zero.

   Those I have spoken with who have returned for another season say anyone who travels regularly out to the Dark and Clean Air sectors during the winter will find themselves lost at least once. To a person, the story is the same: a moment of panic, then gather yourself and re-evaluate.

   The South Pole is in complete darkness for several months during the winter. No external lights are allowed, and all windows are sealed on the inside with inserts made from cardboard boxes. The station must be in a blackout status due to the light sensitive scientific instruments.

   Now that the summer is filed in the annals of history, and things have slowed, I intend to detail station design and operation, as well as scientific research, in coming installments.

   NEW STATION

   The new station is progressing well. Construction began in the year 2000, and is on schedule with a target completion date in 2007. The projected lifespan of the station is 50 years and, when finished, it will be capable of housing 150 people. The cost of building the station, which includes important environmental upgrades, such as new fuel tanks and troughs to catch any potential leaks, is $160 million.

   We have moved the store, which was located under the Dome, into the new station. The grand opening of the store was celebrated with an evening of wine tasting. Currently, the greenhouse is nearing completion and, with any luck, we will have two greenhouses for the winter. This means more freshies! A fresh tomato is music to the palate, and the welcomed visual stimulus of sunflowers floating in bowls that occasionally adorn the dining facility.

   In addition to the store, other completed areas include the quiet reading room, new dining facility, storage rooms, laundry, medical and two sections of berthing. The station population for the winter is the largest ever at 75 personnel.

   The majority of the population lives in the new station, but there are a several die-hards who enjoy living under the Dome in the Annex and Upper Berthing, where men and women share a common multi-stalled bathroom. Yes, you might be using the restroom with the opposite sex next to you doing the same. The new station has separate facilities for each sex. Progress.

   SCIENCE

   For the first time, the SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) has erected an optical telescope, one that sees in the visible light wavelength, to search for extrasolar system planets by using a method that measures the dimming of a star when a planet crosses, or transits, the side of the star that faces the earth. This is called the “transit method.”

   To date, only one planet has been found using the transit method.

   The transit method measures the amount of dimming that takes place, as well as the time over which the dimming occurs. This will tell you the period of the orbit, or the amount of time it takes to make one revolution around the star, or its sun. From Kepler’s Law, you can then calculate the distance between the planet and its sun.

   Once you have the above information, “simple physics” gives you the size of the star. If you know the size of the star, you can determine the size of the planet.

   Once a suspected planetary body has been identified, for example, scientists verify the signal to ensure that it is not artifact or some other heavenly body.

   This transit method is used in other locations, such as California and Chile. However, these observatories have to contend with many hours of daylight, which decreases their daily search time, extends the overall search time drastically, and reduces the chances of them actually finding a planet. The 24-hour period of darkness that occurs during the Antarctic winter, coupled with the low humidity, makes it the best place on Earth for such research.

   The SETI telescope is searching for large gaseous planets similar to Jupiter that have relatively short periods — days to months — for the time it takes to make one revolution around the star. The star must be large enough and far enough away from the star to be seen. A planet the size of Earth is too small and too close to the sun to be seen, because the amount of light blocked would not be enough to be appreciated.

   This is the first year of a two-year project, due to start after March 20 (sunset). Because of the excellent viewing environment nestled in the cold, dark, dry Antarctic plateau, statistics indicate that SETI scientists should discover 10 to 15 more extrasolar planets. For every one chance at discovering a new planet, the telescope must survey at least 2,000 stars.

   “In the areas selected, the field of view of the telescope can see about 7,000 to 11,000 target stars which are the F0 to M5 dwarfs and these represent about 10% to 50% … of the total number of starts in the field of view,” says Dana Hrubes South Pole research assistant.

   F0 stars are those stars that are approximately the same size as our sun. M5 stars are substantially larger in size, but not in mass. If positioned as our sun, the M5 star would extend out to about Mars, but would be considerably more diffuse than our sun.

   Well, that’s about it for now. — except that I’d like to wish my daughter, Brooke, a very happy birthday. She turned 7 years old on March 9.

   Until next time ...

   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.




Special to the Record-Eagle/Troy Wiles
Troy Wiles with the SETI telescope atop its mount. The telescope faces down until sunset to prevent sunlight from striking the lens and ruining fragile light-sensitive components.