Dwelling and Working in Antarctica

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You may be surprised to know that both Dallas, Texas and the South Pole reach temperatures of 100 degree each July. The difference is that at the South Pole the temperature is 100 degrees below zero. This means you could freeze your skin off in mere seconds.

There are 28 people stationed at the South Pole for six months knowing that they will have no sunlight, virtually no contact with the outside world and no way to get away. These people are responsible for maintaining the U.S. polar base and to operate telescopes and other types of scientific equipment at the research station. Advancements in technology and communications are changing their work.

In the past, astronomers located in North America used satellites to operate the telescope at the South Pole observatory. That marked the first time another continent controlled equipment at the South Pole. Astronomers dream of one day being able to sit in a warm, comfortable office as they observe happenings at the South Pole.

People in Antarctica deal with the coldest, driest, and windiest conditions on Earth. They also have to be careful of breathing difficulties as the result of the high altitudes at the South Pole. This is a reason that only plants and animals which have adapted to the cold can subsist there, which includes penguins, seals, some forms of algae and tundra vegetation.

The people who accept the challenge of working through a winter in Antarctica are referred to as "winter-overs." To make the experience better, they are given excellent food, some exercise equipment, computers, a pool table, and a variety of videos to watch. In terms of what happens to the stations in the interval when they're at hope, Winter-overs don't really discuss the details very much, so few people know what occurs between February and October.

The ever increasing size of the research program at the South Pole has caused there to be insufficient power for all the equipment. The station has three oil-burning generators but they have not been able to generate enough power to stay abreast of the increasing demands of computers, telescopes, lasers and other power intensive devices. Winter-overs have to deal with the power outages that occur as a result of this, which doesn't help the cold.

Several traditions have been developed to help the crew better endure their assignment. One is the "300 Club" which requires a day where the temperature is at least 100 degrees below zero. This is when winter-overs get the sauna temperatures up to 200 degrees. Then, they run from the 200 degree sauna out into the 100 degree below temperature air, and then back inside.

The also look forward to the airdrop. Every June, a U.S. Air National Guard military transport plane will fly over the South Pole to drop deliver pallets of food, mail and other supplies. The winter-overs quickly go outside, utilize heavy equipment, and bring the supplies inside. Airdrop is the closest thing to contact with the rest of the world that winter-overs have during their six-month assignment.

In their stay in Antarctica, the winter-overs are never able to see a tree or go more than a mile from the pole. They look forward to the one week of vacation they get at McMurdo Station, a U.S. Antarctic base. They take advantage of this time to camp out in lovely 25-degree weather, bake in the sun on the beach, and relax in t-shirts and jeans.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

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