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United States Antarctic Program The Antarctic Sun - Sunset at McMurdo Station
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The Stratospheric Terahertz Observatory is prepared for launch from the Long Duration Balloon facility on the McMurdo Ice Shelf in January 2012. The telescope carried high-tech
The Stratospheric Terahertz Observatory is prepared for launch from the Long Duration Balloon facility on the McMurdo Ice Shelf in January 2012. The telescope carried high-tech "radios" to tune into the violent dust clouds from where stars are born in galaxies.

A helicopter lifts off from the sea ice on McMurdo Sound carrying a transmitter loop capable of creating a magnetic field that can penetrate into the ground. The instrument can tell scientists the kind of material below the surface based on its conductivity or resistivity. Scratching Beneath the Surface
A method originally developed to find groundwater in Denmark might have research applications in Antarctica, from mapping the geology of a unique valley system and determining the ecological relationships with the subsurface structures to finding geothermal connections between the marine system and an active volcano.

A picture by photographer Chris Linder of Adélie penguins from his 2007 trip to Ross Island for a story about the work done by penguin scientist David Ainley, which was included in Linder's recent book about polar research called Embedded with scientists
Chris Linder has taken part in two dozen research expeditions over the last decade, many of them to the polar regions. It seemed only a matter of time before he produced a book on his experiences from four of those expeditions, including one to Antarctica and a visit with the continent's iconic bird, the Adélie penguin.

The research vessel Nathaniel B. Palmer lowers a Zodiac into the water to help transport victims of a shipboard fire, still burning in the far distance, in the Ross Sea from the Jeong Woo no. 3 fishing vessel. The Palmer then steamed to the ice edge near McMurdo Station, which evacuated the injured to New Zealand. To the rescue
It only took about 10 minutes for the research vessel NATHANIEL B. PALMER to pull up its scientific instruments when the distress call came in at around 3:30 a.m. New Zealand time on Jan. 10. About 48 hours later, it had transported seven victims of a shipboard fire in the Ross Sea to the safety of McMurdo Station.

Jamie Ward, a carpenter from Scotland, works to restore the exterior of the Terra Nova expedition hut at Cape Evans. It was from here that Capt. Robert F. Scott and his companions  launched their bid to be the first people at the South Pole 100 years ago. Preserving the Past
The Antarctic Heritage Trust is a New Zealand-based nonprofit organization devoted to conserving the historic structures built during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration at the turn of the 20th century. It will complete major restoration efforts to Capt. Robert Falcon Scott's expedition hut on the 100th anniversary of when he reached the South Pole.

Site Curator: Peter Rejcek, Raytheon Polar Services | NSF Official: Winifred Reuning, OPP | Last Updated:  Friday - 2/3/2012
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