The South Pole
I can't tell you what a thrill and an honor it is to be here at the South Pole! The temperature today is a summer-like 38 degrees below zero.
Below is an aerial photos showing what is basically here at the end of the Earth. The curved Dome you see mid-left is the last station that was used. It was completed in 1975, is 55 feet wide and 165 feet tall. It was designed to house 33 people, but ended up housing many more and lasting beyond expectations. Underneath the dome's protective curve were a few buildings. Now that the new station has been built, the dome is scheduled to be disassembled and is currently used for storage.
The billow of steam in the photo is coming from the Power Plant.
In the forefront of the photo is the new South Pole Station that is currently in use. As you can see they are still putting the grey siding on it; a slow process. The station is on stantions that are designed to lift the station up once the snow level rises.
We arrived on Monday after a 3-hour flight on a C-130 Hercules. We had an inbrief then were given our room assignment. It is obvious to us that we were given extrememly nice accommodaton here as our room is nearly four times the size of a normal room here. In the photo above, we are on the second floor of the topmost "wing" with a view of the dome. We feel very fortunate. Antz has been able to take some shots from the window in our room.
The elevation here is around 10,000 feet. We felt it right away. Picture a fish out of it's fishbowl. It's taken a couple days to adjust and even just the shortest walks have left us huffing.
Ok, enough talk, here's some more photos...
Here is a view of the dome, approximately the view we have from our room. The round thing in the front is a metal archway used for storage.
Snow removal is an everyday job, as evidenced by the huge pile of snow on the left.
Yesterday we were fortunate enough to get a peek inside the dome, especially since they are doing construction work just outside. We had to wear hardhats. The light is coming from a series of ventilation holes in the top of the dome. All the shelves are full of food. This is not, by any means, all of the food on station. There is a huge amount more stored outside behind the station.
Imagine working in these conditions! Here a worker is disconnecting flashing that holds this archway to the dome. For a lot of folks who have been around a while this is an emotional time as this historic station is being dismantled piece by piece.
The next day, Antz and I got out to set up one of the long-duration shots. This is the rig that Antz built to house the camera that would take his 48-hour fish-eye time-lapse. Yes, that is an ice chest (or chilly bin) with a hole cut in it. There is a bracket inside that the camera mounts to. The lens will point straight up through the plastic dome once he lays the bin on it's side. He built a heating element that goes inside the bin and both the camera and heater attach to a car battery (just seen next to the chilly bin) so that the camera can run continuously for a couple days.
All this Anthony does with the patience of a saint, in minus 40 cold, with cumbersome gloves on. He occasionally has to take his hands out of his gloves to do the "fiddley bits." He's a Kiwi though, he's tough.
Other observations: the air is so pure -- the cleanest air in the world is here. The horizon in all directions is flat, absolutely nothing out there. Blue above the line and white below the line. All the water on station is melted. So water conservation is paramount. Everyone is allowed only two 2-minute showers per week and one load of wash. The food is excellent, as we had heard. We have connected with some people we have known from past seasons.
More photos soon!
Below is an aerial photos showing what is basically here at the end of the Earth. The curved Dome you see mid-left is the last station that was used. It was completed in 1975, is 55 feet wide and 165 feet tall. It was designed to house 33 people, but ended up housing many more and lasting beyond expectations. Underneath the dome's protective curve were a few buildings. Now that the new station has been built, the dome is scheduled to be disassembled and is currently used for storage.
The billow of steam in the photo is coming from the Power Plant.
In the forefront of the photo is the new South Pole Station that is currently in use. As you can see they are still putting the grey siding on it; a slow process. The station is on stantions that are designed to lift the station up once the snow level rises.
We arrived on Monday after a 3-hour flight on a C-130 Hercules. We had an inbrief then were given our room assignment. It is obvious to us that we were given extrememly nice accommodaton here as our room is nearly four times the size of a normal room here. In the photo above, we are on the second floor of the topmost "wing" with a view of the dome. We feel very fortunate. Antz has been able to take some shots from the window in our room.
The elevation here is around 10,000 feet. We felt it right away. Picture a fish out of it's fishbowl. It's taken a couple days to adjust and even just the shortest walks have left us huffing.
Ok, enough talk, here's some more photos...
Here is a view of the dome, approximately the view we have from our room. The round thing in the front is a metal archway used for storage.
Snow removal is an everyday job, as evidenced by the huge pile of snow on the left.
Yesterday we were fortunate enough to get a peek inside the dome, especially since they are doing construction work just outside. We had to wear hardhats. The light is coming from a series of ventilation holes in the top of the dome. All the shelves are full of food. This is not, by any means, all of the food on station. There is a huge amount more stored outside behind the station.
Imagine working in these conditions! Here a worker is disconnecting flashing that holds this archway to the dome. For a lot of folks who have been around a while this is an emotional time as this historic station is being dismantled piece by piece.
The next day, Antz and I got out to set up one of the long-duration shots. This is the rig that Antz built to house the camera that would take his 48-hour fish-eye time-lapse. Yes, that is an ice chest (or chilly bin) with a hole cut in it. There is a bracket inside that the camera mounts to. The lens will point straight up through the plastic dome once he lays the bin on it's side. He built a heating element that goes inside the bin and both the camera and heater attach to a car battery (just seen next to the chilly bin) so that the camera can run continuously for a couple days.
All this Anthony does with the patience of a saint, in minus 40 cold, with cumbersome gloves on. He occasionally has to take his hands out of his gloves to do the "fiddley bits." He's a Kiwi though, he's tough.
Other observations: the air is so pure -- the cleanest air in the world is here. The horizon in all directions is flat, absolutely nothing out there. Blue above the line and white below the line. All the water on station is melted. So water conservation is paramount. Everyone is allowed only two 2-minute showers per week and one load of wash. The food is excellent, as we had heard. We have connected with some people we have known from past seasons.
More photos soon!
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