http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/ Featured news items and articles displayed on the Antarctic Sun web site. Thu, 02 May 2013 17:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/contentHandler.cfm?id=1192 en-us websupport@usap.gov Public Domain; Courtesy of the United States Antarctic Program Anthony Powell has been working on his documentary about the world's coldest continent for about a decade now. Finally, Antarctica: A Year on Ice will start hitting movie theaters this summer. Artists and Writers Thu, 02 May 2013 17:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2844 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images4/rss-2844_soundmix-sm.jpg Sound engineers at Park Road studio in New Zealand perform the final sound mix for Anthony Powell's documentary, 'Antarctica: A Year on Ice.' The National Science Foundation released its 2014 fiscal year budget this month, requesting $7.6 billion. The request includes nearly $465 million for the Division of Polar Programs, which includes funds to kick start a long-term plan to modernize facilities for the U.S. Antarctic Program. Operations Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2842 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images4/rss-2842_mcm2011-sm.jpg The National Science Foundation is requesting $18 million in fiscal year 2014 to begin addressing facility upgrades at McMurdo and Palmer stations. When scientists who come to Palmer Station need access to the islands and ocean waters nearby they have had only a few options available. Until this season. The R/V Point Sur, which is part of the UNOLS research vessel fleet, made a guest appearance in 2013. Operations Fri, 12 Apr 2013 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2839 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images4/rss-2839_PointSur-sm.jpg The research vessel POINT SUR docked at the Palmer Station pier earlier this season. Charles Hood's latest work, South x South, celebrates Antarctica's aviation history and unique culture through a series of poems, from the playful to the meditative. His work was supported by a grant from the NSF's Artists and Writers Program. Artists and Writers Program Fri, 12 Apr 2013 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2836 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images4/rss-2836_lc130-sm.jpg A South Pole Station airfield worker directs an LC-130. NSF Artist and Writer Charles Hood's South x South celebrates Antarctica's aviation history. The New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing marked its 25th anniversary of supporting the U.S. Antarctic Program during the 2012-13 summer field season. Operations Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2835 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images4/rss-2835_lc130offload-sm.jpg A New York Air National Guard LC-130 offloads fuel at the South Pole Station in December 2012. The Fuels Department at McMurdo Station keeps the U.S. Antarctic Program moving. It's not a job for the faint of heart, as fuelies must work on the coldest days, whether it's tranferring fuel across 14 miles on an ice shelf or emptying a tanker ship of five million gallons of gas. Operations Thu, 28 Mar 2013 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2830 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images4/rss-2830_laurelnelson-sm.jpg Fuelie Laurel Nelson confirms that a clamp on the fuel line to Pegasus Airfield has been opened. The sun set at the South Pole Station on March 23 at 2:31 a.m. for the next six months. It will return on Sept. 21, 2013. The 44 winter-overs will conduct science and maintain the station facilities during the dark winter months when the temperatures can drop below minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Life on the Ice Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2827 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images4/rss-2827_spsunset-sm.jpg A last glimpse of the sun from the South Pole Station before it set on March 23 at 2:31 AM for the next six months. The marine-based Palmer Station, located off the western edge of the Antarctic Peninsula, relies on Zodiacs for scientific work around the region. The inflatable boats now have a home of their own at Palmer to improve small-boat operations. Operations Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2828 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images4/rss-2828_smboatpier-sm.jpg The new small-boat pier at Palmer Station in front of the main pier, where the research vessel POINT SUR is docked. It took an extra four days, but McMurdo Station closed the doors on the 2012-13 summer field season on March 9, 2013 when a New Zealand Royal Air Force B-757 departed with 62 passengers, leaving 143 people to winter-over at the U.S. Antarctic Program's largest research station. Life on the Ice Fri, 15 Mar 2013 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2825 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images4/rss-2825_mcmdeparture-sm.jpg A Royal New Zealand Air Force B-757 departs Antarctica with 62 passengers on March 9, 2013. Larissa Min's family is originally from Korea. She was born in Brazil. At age 12, her family migrated from South America to the United States. The creative writer naturally tackles themes of identity and displacement. Her next continental shift will take place in Antarctica. Artists and Writers Program Fri, 15 Mar 2013 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2826 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images4/rss-2826_larissamin-sm.jpg Artist Larissa Min assists with an experiment in the McMurdo Dry Valleys during her visit to Antarctica in 2012-13. A large iceberg broke off from the Erebus Ice Tongue at the end of February. The iceberg is currently floating in McMurdo Sound where the U.S. Antarctic Program's McMurdo Station is located on Ross Island. Life on the Ice Thu, 07 Mar 2013 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2823 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images4/rss-2823_erebusicetongue-sm.jpg An iceberg calved from the Erebus Ice Tongue floats in McMurdo Sound, not far from McMurdo Station. A perfect storm of warm temperatures and a big blow of dust caused disruptions at McMurdo Station's airfield for nearly two months. It started with a wind storm that scoured Black Island in early December. It finally ended in early February with the return of the C-17. Operations Fri, 22 Feb 2013 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2816 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images4/rss-2816_pegasusmelt-sm.jpg Dirty snow can be seen around the fuel pits at Pegasus Airfield. A wind storm from Black Island in December deposited a layer of dark mineral dust at the airfield. A century after the end of the Terra Nova Expedition, a historic artifact from that era will be returned to its rightful place in Antarctica. A set of wooden skis belonging to Edward Atkinson has been donated to New Zealand's Antarctic Heritage Trust. And Shackleton's whisky is back on the Ice. Back in the Day Thu, 14 Feb 2013 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2815 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images4/rss-2815_atkinsonskis-sm.jpg The wooden skis of Edward Atkinson, left, were recently donated to the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust. Talk about the ultimate road trip. The primary South Pole operations Traverse spent nearly 100 days away from McMurdo Station during the 2012-13 season, traveling more than 3,500 miles across the Ross Ice Shelf and East Antarctica to shuttle cargo and fuel. Operations Thu, 14 Feb 2013 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2814 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images4/rss-2814_sptraverse13-sm.jpg A windy day blows snow across the tractor train as it climbs the Leverett Glacier to the polar plateau. Four vessels will visit McMurdo Station as the 2012-13 field season begins to wind down. The parade of ships includes a research vessel and Russian icebreaker, along with cargo and fuel vessels chartered under the Military Sealift Command. Operations Thu, 14 Feb 2013 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2813 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images4/rss-2813_threeships-sm.jpg The research vessel Nathaniel B. Palmer, left, is tied up along the fuel tanker ship M/T Maersk Peary at the station's ice pier. The Antarctic community mourned the loss of three men who were killed when their de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter crashed in the Transantarctic Mountains last week. A memorial service at the South Pole Station was one of several acts of remembrance that took place. Life on the Ice Tue, 29 Jan 2013 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2805 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images4/rss-2805_spmemorial-sm.jpg A memorial service is held at the South Pole Station for the three men who were killed when their plane crashed in Antarctica last week. As tradition dictates, on New Year's Day the geographic South Pole marker was moved to its freshly surveyed position, and the new brass-and-copper plaque that tops the marker was revealed. Life on the Ice Fri, 11 Jan 2013 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2790 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images4/rss-2790_2013polemarker-sm.jpg The 2013 geographic South Pole marker was installed on January 1. This year's version was created by science machinist Derek Aboltins during the 2012 winter It only took Clive Oppenheimer about 15 minutes to find a piece of history on the flanks of Antarctica's southernmost active volcano. The volcanologist used historical photos and journals to find two century-old field camps occupied by a team of British explorers. Back in the Day Fri, 11 Jan 2013 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2791 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images4/rss-2791_erebussummit-sm.jpg Members of the Mount Erebus research field team stand on the volcano's summit on Dec. 12, 2012, after reenacting a historic climb. No one likes to visit the dentist. So Dr. Bob Koff makes it a point to spend as much time among the McMurdo Station community as he can outside the dental clinic. It's not a surprise: Community service has been a cornerstone of the well-traveled dentist's entire career. People Profiles Fri, 04 Jan 2013 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2787 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images4/rss-2787_bobkoff-sm.jpg Dr. Bob Koff performs dental work at the McMurdo Station medical clinic. A trip to Antarctica is often a dream come true for many. It happened for Frank Abbatecola, a heavy equipment operator at McMurdo Station for nearly a decade. But he gave up life on the Ice to pursue an altogether different dream as a rock star in Denver. People Profiles Fri, 21 Dec 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2783 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images4/rss-2783_monroemonroe-sm.jpg Rock band Monroe Monroe performs at a Denver venue earlier this year. The Antarctican Society started in Washington, D.C., in 1960. In just a few years, it grew from a local club to an organization with members from around the world. Today, the Society continues to preserve the past but looks to change with the times. Back in the Day Fri, 21 Dec 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2782 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images4/rss-2782_hutpoint-sm.jpg Historic Hut Point near McMurdo Station during the 1960-61 summer. The canon of Antarctic history is by no means small. Yet author Jason Anthony has found a fresh way to tell the story. His account deals with human endurance and dramatic exploits. And the role of food through the brief decades of human occupation in Antarctica. Life on the Ice Fri, 14 Dec 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2781 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images4/rss-2781_jasonanthony-sm.jpg Former U.S. Antarctic Program participant Jason Anthony at a field camp in the Ford Ranges. The time for the research vessel Laurence M Gould's return to Chile had come and the voyage to southern hemisphere finds winter awaiting. Perspectives Wed, 21 Nov 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2773 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images3/rss-2773_LMGwake-sm.jpg The research vessel LAURENCE M. GOULD leaves a foamy wake as it steams through Chile's "inside passage". An international meeting to discuss marine conservation in Antarctica resulted in several measures to strengthen protections in the Southern Ocean. Operations Wed, 21 Nov 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2776 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images3/rss-2776_DebenhamGlacier-sm.jpg Debenham Glacier looking east toward the Ross Sea, where the United States and New Zealand had hoped to establish a marine protectd area. An international team of ham radio operators will take part in an expedition to a remote island that was once a regular stop for U.S. Navy ships that supported the U.S. Antarctic Program. Back in the Day Fri, 02 Nov 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2763 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images3/rss-2763_ussthomasjgary-sm.jpg The USS THOMAS J. GARY anchors at Campbell Island in October 1966. Between 1957 and 1968, the U.S. Navy deployed Destroyer Escort (DE) class ships to the region for navigation beacons in support of operations in Antarctica. The loneliness of the long-distance winter at South Pole Station is over. The first flights to the U.S. Antarctic Program's most remote station since mid-February arrived on Oct. 19. Operations Mon, 22 Oct 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2756 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images3/rss-2756_firstflight12-sm.jpg Basler and Twin Otter aircraft, operated by Kenn Borek Air in Canada, passed through the South Pole en route to McMurdo Station. Airmen from the 62nd and 446th Airlift Wings, deployed from Joint Base Lewis-McChord , Washington, completed a milestone event when they flew the 500th C-17 Globemaster III Special Assignment Airlift Mission into Antarctica. Operations Fri, 19 Oct 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2755 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images3/rss-2755_globemaster500-sm.jpg Airmen from the 62nd and 446th Airlift Wings pose in front of a C-17 Globemaster III. The fact that many on the research vessel Laurence M. Gould had been through the Panama Canal before did nothing to diminish our sense of anticipation. Crossing that narrow ribbon of water and commerce that connects two great oceans is not something that one tends to shrug off. Perspectives Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2751 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images3/rss-2751_panamacanal-sm.jpg Ships enter the Gatun Locks in Panama Canal. The 2012-2013 Antarctic research season began Monday, October 1st, 2012. A United States Air Force C-17 Globemaster and an Australian Airbus-319 transported cargo and 130 US Antarctic Program participants from Christchurch, New Zealand to McMurdo Station. Operations Mon, 01 Oct 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2748 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images3/rss-2748_passengers-sm.jpg Newly arrived passengers get on a transport vehicle to be taken from the Ice Runway to McMurdo Station. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced it will begin a five-year project to renovate housing at McMurdo Station as part of a larger improvement project intended to address the long-term needs of the U.S. Antarctic Program's largest research facility. Operations Fri, 21 Sep 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2740 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images3/rss-2740_mcmurdodorms-sm.jpg Dorm buildings at McMurdo Station. The National Science Foundation has announced that it will begin a five-year project to renovate the housing at McMurdo Station. The United States and Russia signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in Antarctica earlier this month during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Vladivostok, Russia. Operations Fri, 21 Sep 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2741 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images3/rss-2741_signatoryflags-sm.jpg The flags of the original 12 signatory nations of the Antarctic Treaty fly next to a bust of Adm. Richard Byrd at McMurdo Station. The recent discovery off the coast of Greenland of the remains of the SS Terra Nova, the ship that carried Briton Robert F. Scott and his team to Antarctica in 1910, generated headlines around the world. Back in the Day Fri, 14 Sep 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2738 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images3/rss-2738_ssterranova-sm.jpg The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Atak in 1942. The converted trawler was the ship that came to the rescue of the SS TERRA NOVA on Sept. 13, 1943. Those not familiar with the workings of large ships may fail to appreciate the challenges involved in keeping to a schedule. Neither the ships themselves nor the seas they cross care much for human planning; they have their own timetables. They also enforce their own version of Murphy's Law. Operations Fri, 14 Sep 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2739 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images3/rss-2739_lmginchile-sm.jpg The research vessel LAURENCE M. GOULD sits at the Punta Arenas pier in March 2011. Late August storms around McMurdo Station delayed the first U.S. Antarctic Program flights to Antarctica since March, but the last of six planned flights finally took place on Aug. 31 (local time), officially ending the winter fly-in period called Winfly. Operations Fri, 31 Aug 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2730 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2730_C17disembark-sm.jpg Passengers disembark from a U.S. Air Force C-17 plane at McMurdo Station. Six flights from New Zealand to McMurdo flew in late August. Blood Falls, one of the more bizarre features found anywhere in Antarctica, has fascinated scientists since it was first discovered a century ago by Griffith Taylor, the senior geologist on Capt. Robert F. Scott's Terra Nova expedition. Operations Fri, 31 Aug 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2731 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2731_bloodfalls-sm.jpg An iron-rich, saline liquid percolates from a briny subglacial pool somewhere underneath Taylor Glacier, giving Blood Falls its distinctive coloration as the liquid oxidizes. The ship that lent its name to one of the most famous expeditions to Antarctica has been found off the coast of Greenland. The wood-hulled S.S. Terra Nova, which carried the doomed polar explorer Robert F. Scott to Antarctica in 1910, was discovered last month to a research cruise. Back in the Day Fri, 24 Aug 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2725 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2725_pontinShipTerraNova1910-sm.jpg Photographer Herbert Ponting's iconic image of the SS TERRA NOVA in December 1910 during Capt. Robert F. Scott's expedition that attempted to be the first to reach the geographic South Pole. The remains of the ship were recently found off the Greenland coast. The first flights to McMurdo Station since early March are expected to land at Pegasus White Ice Runway beginning on Aug. 20, marking the beginning of about a 10-day operation to prepare the U.S. Antarctic Program for the 2012-13 summer research season. Operations Fri, 17 Aug 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2724 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2724_pegasusC17-sm.jpg Cargo from a U.S. Air Force C-17 is unloaded at Pegasus White Ice Runway. The first plane since early March is scheduled to land at McMurdo Station on Aug. 20, as part of a short series of flights to prepare the U.S. Antarctic Program for the summer field season, which begins in early October. Efforts to save perhaps the most historic of the nation's ice-breaking vessels ended in the scrap yard in July. Meanwhile, one of the two remaining U.S. Coast Guard's heavy-duty icebreakers got a six-month reprieve from a similar fate. And NSF recently announced that a Russian icebreaker would again help resupply McMurdo Station. Operations Fri, 27 Jul 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2716 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2716_glacierW4-sm.jpg The GLACIER was originally commissioned in 1955 in the U.S. Navy but was transferred to the Coast Guard in 1966. She was decommissioned in 1987. Efforts by the nonprofit Glacier Society to save the ship as the centerpiece of a nautical museum ended in the scrap yard earlier this month. An independent committee charged with assessing the logistics requirements for the U.S. Antarctic Program to support research into the 21st century has urged the National Science Foundation and White House to invest heavily in infrastructure improvements over the next five years. Operations Wed, 25 Jul 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2712 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2564_mcmHeloTown-sm.jpg A helicopter returns to McMurdo Station. The U.S. Antarctic Program's largest research station is in need of major infrastructure improvements, according to a Blue Ribbon Panel established by the National Science Foundation and the White House. Several hundred people travel to the bottom of the world each year to conduct research and support science. Now, millions of people can visit the South Pole and other remote sites in Antarctica thanks to a relationship between Internet giant Google and the Polar Geospatial Center. Life on the Ice Fri, 20 Jul 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2711 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2711_mapsShakes-sm.jpg A computer screen shot of the 360-degree panorama imagery of explorer Ernest Shackleton's hut in Antarctica now available online thanks to a partnership between the University of Minnesota's Polar Geospatial Center and Google. Research stations across Antarctica marked the beginning of the end of winter this week. The winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere fell on June 20, a traditional day of celebration for those spending the winter in Antarctica. Life on the Ice Fri, 22 Jun 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2689 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2689_mcmAtNight-sm.jpg McMurdo Station during the winter of 2011. The research station joined with the rest of the Antarctic bases in celebrating the winter solstice, a tradition that dates back to the early explorers. At the South Pole, liquid helium has been used since the 1980s to super-cool special telescopes designed to peer into the mysteries of the early universe. Over the last decade, station personnel helped develop a system to conserve the limited resource, though the era of liquid helium may be coming to an end. Operations Fri, 22 Jun 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2691 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2691_heliumPolePlane-sm.jpg A 4,000-gallon helium dewar is unloaded from an LC-130 at the South Pole Station. Such shipments may soon cease as experiments move away from using liquid helium to cool telescope sensors. Some people pass the long winter months of isolation at McMurdo Station trying to learn a new language. Matthew Nelson has turned a keen interest in polar history into a project to document and research the explorers who once scribbled their names on the wooden walls of an iconic structure that dates back more than century. Back in the Day Fri, 15 Jun 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2686 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2686_DUNIH23-sm.jpg A 1904 photo shows some of the crewmembers from Capt. Robert F. Scott's Discovery expedition to Antarctica. Some of the men literally left their mark on the continent by signing the wooden walls of their expedition base near McMurdo Station, where satellite engineer Matt Nelson is spending the winter documenting the "graffiti." Polies don't leave a job undone. Last summer, a few Antarctic veterans installed the crown of the South Pole Station dome in the newly built Seabee Museum in California. But one thing was missing: the iconic American flag that flew from the top for more than three decades. Now the exhibit is complete. Back in the Day Fri, 18 May 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2665 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2665_spDomeTopper-sm.jpg Steve Bruce, left, and Lee Mattis put the American flag in place on the crown of the South Pole dome that was installed in the newly built Seabee Museum last summer. Ernie Hand recalls the gasoline fireball filling the plane up to his ankles. He had managed to bring the U.S. Navy P2V-7LP Neptune back to the edge of the ice shelf before the crash landing that sent the converted bomber skidding across a half-mile of ice. Fifty years later, a memorial to the men who died and survived that tragedy was erected in Antarctica. Back in the Day Fri, 11 May 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2658 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2658_wilkesStanErniePlaque-sm.jpg Stan Wilson, left, and Ernie Hand unveil a plaque to memorialize the tragic crash of a U.S. Navy P2V airplane that occurred on Nov. 9, 1961, shortly after taking off near Australia's Wilkes Station. The plaque was taken from Australia and placed near the site of the wreckage last month. During the 2010-11 field season, personnel at the South Pole Station used a series of small explosions to collapse several old buildings, which had been buried under the ice but that had become a hazard to surface travel. Was it now safe to travel over an area known as Old Pole? The U.S. Antarctic Program enlisted Yeti the robot to find out. Operations Fri, 4 May 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2653 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2653_yetiSurvey-sm.jpg Yeti conducts a systematic autonomous GPR survey across the site of the Old Pole station to determine whether any subsurface hazards remain at the site. Yeti can survey sites that could otherwise pose hazards to people. Ten years ago, the idea to drive across more than 1,000 miles of Antarctic wilderness to resupply the South Pole Station with fuel and cargo was just an audacious idea. Today, two heavy vehicle trains are in operation, and engineers are testing robotic tractors and developing autonomous crevasse detection capabilities. Operations Fri, 4 May 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2650 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2650_traverseAndyJager-sm.jpg The South Pole Traverse makes its way up the Leverett Glacier in 2011. The 1,000-mile route between McMurdo and South Pole stations has become a key operation in the U.S. Antarctic Program over the last decade. A unique gathering of polar veterans recently met for the eighth annual Polar Technology Conference. The conference brings together engineers and polar scientists to exchange information on the latest research needs and technology solutions that have been successful in polar environments. Operations Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2649 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2649_AGOfieldCamp-sm.jpg A field camp is set up to work on an automated geophysical observatory (AGO) in East Antarctica. The space weather station, with its communication and power requirements, was a topic of conversation at the annual Polar Technology Conference. It's no secret that the South Pole in Antarctica is one of the coldest places on Earth. But this year it got really cold faster than ever, breaking a 30-year-old record for the earliest the temperature has dropped below minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit, reaching the mark on April 7, 2012. Life on the Ice Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2643 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2643_moonSPT-sm.jpg The moon rises over the South Pole Telescope on April 5, a couple of days before the temperature plunged below minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit on April 7 (local time), the earliest it had reached the mark. Who needs outer space when you have the South Pole? Not Robert Schwarz. His aspirations to be an astronaut never quite worked out. But he's spent more time at the bottom of the Earth than any human has orbiting the planet. People Profiles Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2642 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2642_spud2012-sm.jpg South Pole winter-over Robert Schwarz stands within the SPUD telescope ground shield (the telescope's five detectors are behind him) just before the 2012 sunset. The South Pole Station can be seen in the background. Schwarz is on his eighth winter at the South Pole. One hundred years ago, Robert Falcon Scott perished in Antarctica, offering a tragic end to the famous Race to the South Pole. On March 29, 2012, winter-overs at McMurdo Station honored his memory with a climb to the top of Observation Hill where a memorial to Scott and his companions stands. Back in the Day Fri, 6 Apr 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2637 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2637_obHillMemorial-sm.jpg Photo Credit: Jonathan Haeussler During the International Geophysical Year, a period in the late 1950s of unprecedented scientific discovery, the United States established seven research bases in Antarctica, including McMurdo and South Pole stations. Lesser known are the small field camps and weather stations used by the U.S. Navy. Back in the Day Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2630 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2630_littleRockford-sm.jpg Photo Courtesy: Richard and Charlotte Koch/Antarctic Photo Library From a unique vantage point, spanning the end of one century and the beginning of another, Karl Erb, soon to step down as the longest-serving director of the Office of Polar Programs, reflects on the future of the U.S. Antarctic Program by looking backward at what has changed in the past dozen years. People Profiles Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2628 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2628_erbPoleDedication-sm.jpg Karl Erb, far left, watches former NSF Director Arden Bement raise the U.S. Antarctic Program flag above the new South Pole Station in January 2008. As the longest-serving director of NSF's Office of Polar Programs, Erb oversaw construction of the new facility. He retires at the end of March 2012. A Royal New Zealand Air Force B757 departed McMurdo Station shortly after 6 p.m. on March 6, bringing the 2011-12 summer field season to an end. The winter crew includes 153 people, who will maintain operations through the six months of darkness and cold, until flights resume around mid-August. Life on the Ice Fri, 9 Mar 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2622 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2622_lastFlightRKeat-sm.jpg A Royal New Zealand Air Force B757 departed McMurdo Station shortly after 6 p.m. on March 6, bringing the 2011-12 summer field season to an end. The movement of supplies and cargo from the United States across thousands of miles of ocean to Antarctica to support scientific research on the southernmost continent relies on a certain serendipity. When that fails, send in the Army. That's what the National Science Foundation did when the ice pier at McMurdo Station failed. Operations Fri, 2 Mar 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2608 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2608_greenWaveCauseway-sm.jpg Cargo is unloaded from the MV GREEN WAVE onto a temporary pier built by the U.S. Army. The ice pier normally used for the cargo operation in Winter Quarters Bay failed to solidify this season. National Science Foundation Director Subra Suresh presented President Barack Obama's 2013 budget request for the agency in February, seeking about a 5 percent bump over last year's enacted budget, to $7.3 billion. Antarctic research looks to receive a proposed 9 percent increase over last year. Operations Fri, 2 Mar 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2611 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2564_mcmHeloTown-sm.jpg A helicopter returns to McMurdo Station, the hub of the U.S. Antarctic Program. The proposed 2013 NSF budget contains about $250 million for infrastructure, logistics and transportation involved in running the U.S. facilities, camps and vessels. The radio station at McMurdo got a makeover during the 2011-12 season, updating to a fancy new digital-analog radio station system. But the set-up includes a couple of turntables for the station's rare vinyl collection, which some say includes records from Vietnam once spun by famous Army DJ Adrian Cronauer. Life on the Ice Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2604 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2604_radioDJ-sm.jpg Volunteer DJ Tristan Eames of New Hampshire queues up a song on the new McMurdo radio station software, which includes thousands of songs from country to rock. Defense Media Activity upgraded the radio station this season, but included a pair of turntables for the station's unique vinyl record collection. U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa David Huebner traveled to Antarctica Feb. 4-8, 2012, to visit the National Science Foundation's McMurdo and Amundsen-Scott South Pole stations to observe firsthand the activities of the U.S. Antarctic Program. Life on the Ice Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2594 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2594_ambassador-sm.jpg U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa David Huebner traveled to Antarctica Feb. 4-8, 2012, to visit the National Science Foundation's McMurdo and Amundsen-Scott South Pole stations to observe firsthand the activities of the U.S. Antarctic Program. South Pole Station winter-overs waved farewell to the last LC-130 aircraft of the 2011-12 field season on Feb. 15, as it headed north back to McMurdo Station. Fifty people will spend the next eight months or so at the world's southernmost research station, isolated from the rest of the world except for Internet and voice communications. Life on the Ice Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2601 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2601_poleLastflightCrowd-sm.jpg South Pole Station winter-overs waved farewell to the last LC-130 aircraft of the 2011-12 field season on Feb. 15, as it headed north back to McMurdo Station. Fifty people will spend the next eight months or so at the world's southernmost research station, isolated from the rest of the world except for Internet and voice communications. 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. Artists and Writers Program Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2584 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2584_linderHillsidePenguins-sm.jpg 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 "Science on Ice." 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. Operations Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2583 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2583_rescueZodiac-sm.jpg 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. 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. Back in the Day Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2574 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2574_evansHutCarp-sm.jpg 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. A century ago, Briton Robert Falcon Scott and Norwegian Roald Amundsen raced to be the first people to reach the geographic South Pole, one of the last great feats of polar exploration. Today, two men with similar names are in Antarctica during the centennial season. People Profiles Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2579 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2579_krisAmundson-sm.jpg Kris Amundson, IT network engineer at the South Pole Station, speaks with Norwegian State Secretary Hans Kristian Amundsen on Dec. 12, 2011, just before the 100-year anniversary of when Roald Amundsen arrived at the South Pole. Amundson says he is distantly related to the famous polar explorer. A large but somewhat somber crowd gathered outside of the South Pole Station on Jan. 17, 2012, to pay tribute to Briton Robert Falcon Scott and the four men who had accompanied him to the bottom of the world a century ago in a bid to be the first humans to stand at the point where all directions point north. Life on the Ice Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2578 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2578_scottAnniversaryWorsley-sm.jpg Lt. Col. Henry Worsley of the Royal British Legion, a descendant of an early polar explorer, reads from Robert Falcon Scott's diary during a ceremony on Jan. 17, 2012, to commemorate the arrival of a British expedition to the South Pole a century ago. Scott and his men lost the Race to the Pole to Norwegian Roald Amundsen. The National Science Foundation has awarded a multiyear contract to Lockheed Martin for logistical support for the U.S. Antarctic Program. Lockheed will begin providing logistical support on April 1, 2012. Operations Tue, 3 Jan 2012 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2564 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2564_mcmHeloTown-sm.jpg A helicopter flies over McMurdo Station, one of three year-round research stations that are part of the U.S. Antarctic Program. The National Science Foundation recently announced that Lockheed Martin would assume the logistical support role for the USAP beginning on April 1, 2012. Government, business and academic leaders spent the first week of December visiting the research facilities and field camps of the U.S. Antarctic Program as part of a process to develop a long-term vision for research in a world where the polar regions play an increasingly important role for understanding climate change. Operations Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2562 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2562_brpAutoSupply-sm.jpg Members of the Blue Ribbon Panel, led by Norman Augustine, top of stairs, enter an automotive warehouse at McMurdo Station. The group of government, business and academic leaders visited USAP facilities as part of a process to develop a long-term vision to support research in the future. A rare white Christmas at the South Pole brought with it a record-breaking heat wave for a day. The temperature officially hit 9.9 degrees Fahrenheit about 3:50 p.m. on Dec. 25, shattering the old record by more than two degrees. Life on the Ice Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2563 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2563_poleAerial-sm.jpg The South Pole Station, which saw a record high of 9.9 degrees Fahrenheit on Christmas Day, shattering the previous record of 7.5F set 33 years ago. The warm temperatures were accompanied by a rare bit of snow. A celebration of the achievements of the past and the promises of the future received a warm reception in a very cold place this week, as the National Science Foundation hosted Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Back in the Day Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2554 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2554_poleNorwgnCrmnyPM-sm.jpg Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg addresses a crowd of people from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, along with numerous visitors who arrived by Dec. 14 to celebrate the achievements of Norwegian Roald Amundsen, who led the first successful expedition to the South Pole 100 years ago. One of the iconic images that has survived from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration shows Norwegian Roald Amundsen and three members of his party gazing sublimely upon a small tent pitched at the South Pole. A century later, the search to locate the artifact of polar history, now buried deep under the ice sheet, continues as a cerebral scavenger hunt. Back in the Day Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2551 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2551_tentClassic-sm.jpg Polar explorer Roald Amundsen and three members of his South Pole party look upon the Norwegian flag that flies from the pole on Polheim, the tent erected and left by the team to mark their successful journey to the bottom of the world. The location of the tent has intrigued many over the last 100 years. Virtually unknown outside the world of academia and polar adventurers, the Transantarctic Mountains bisect the continent of Antarctica for 2,400 kilometers. Few people are as intimately knowledgeable about Antarctica's great mountain range as geologist Edmund Stump, who has written a book about the region's early expeditions. Back in the Day Fri, 9 Dec 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2549 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2549_edmundStump-sm.jpg Geologist Edmund Stump climbs a rock face in the Transantarctic Mountains. Stump has conducted research in Antarctica's great mountain range over the last 40 years. He recently published a book about the early exploration of the Transantarctics. An aerial sweep of the sea ice that fills McMurdo Sound reveals a few small, snow-streaked islands. And then there are the telephone poles, vehicle trailer and Jamesway building sitting half-buried in snow. How the McMurdo Station ice pier ended up there is an easy question to answer. The more difficult problem is getting all that stuff off the ice-locked pier before it floats out to sea. Operations Fri, 2 Dec 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2548 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2548_icePierShovel-sm.jpg Kevin Pettway, lead environmental specialist at McMurdo Station, shovels out a truck trailer on the McMurdo Station ice pier that broke away in a late storm and then froze in the sea ice during the winter. At left are environmental technicians Nate Williams and Corey Chan. Subra Suresh, the director of the National Science Foundation, visited U.S. Antarctic Program stations and field camps during a five-day visit in November, accompanied by the heads of some of the nation's leading science agencies. Life on the Ice Fri, 2 Dec 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2547 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2547_subraSuresh-sm.jpg Subra Suresh, the director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), visited U.S. Antarctic Program stations and field camps during a five-day visit in November, accompanied by the heads of some of the nation's leading science agencies. One hundred years after the epic race between explorers Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott to reach the South Pole first, adventurers and politicians are expected to visit this once most inaccessible of sites on Antarctica's polar plateau to commemorate the achievement. Life on the Ice Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2543 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2543_tourismLastDegree-sm.jpg Three tourists ski the last degree to the South Pole, a journey of 60 miles. Hundreds of visitors are expected at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of its namesakes, including the prime minister of Norway. The U.S. Antarctic Program builds a temporary airfield on the sea ice in McMurdo Sound every year for use by both ski-equipped and wheeled aircraft that provide transportation to and from the continent, as well as those that support research to far-flung field camps. Operations Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2541 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2541_mcmIceRunway-sm.jpg Airfield rebuilt every year on annual sea ice near McMurdo Station Two Basler BT-67 aircraft landed at the South Pole Station on Oct. 17, ending about eight months of winter isolation for 49 scientists and support personnel at the U.S. Antarctic Program's southernmost research base. Operations Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2533 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2533_poleBasler-sm.jpg Two Basler BT-67 aircraft landed at the U.S. Antarctic Program's southernmost research base on Oct. 17 (local time), ending about eight months of winter isolation for 49 scientists and support personnel. Preparing McMurdo Station for the summer field season in Antarctica is never an easy task. But this year has been a real battle with the elements by support personnel, especially those who drive the big vehicles that are used to build runways, roads and piers made of ice. Operations Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2534 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2534_mcmCrack-sm.jpg Dan Mahon, with McMurdo's Field Safety Training Program, inspects a crack in the sea ice. Heavy storms and warm temperatures caused many cracks that stubbornly refused to freeze up enough for tracked vehicles to safely pass during September. The popular imagination usually conjures up a picture of the South Pole as a white, desolate place with bone-chillingly cold and gale-force winds that could knock over a building. The reality is that the geographic South Pole on the high polar plateau is not particularly windy. But storm conditions converged the last week in September to bring record-breaking winds. Life on the Ice Fri, 14 Oct 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2527 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2527_poleStormTent-sm.jpg Storms in late September brought recording-breaking winds to the South Pole Station, culminating on Sept. 27 with the all-time strongest wind speed ever recorded at the South Pole. The peak wind speed was clocked at 58 miles mph. The long winter for those hunkered down at McMurdo Station is finally over. The first flight of the 2011-12 summer field season landed Oct. 4 (local time) at a runway constructed on the nearby sea ice in McMurdo Sound, a day later than scheduled due to earlier blizzard conditions in that part of Antarctica. Operations Tue, 4 Oct 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2523 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2523_c17FirstFlight11-12-sm.jpg Heavy equipment operators work on constructing a new ice pier in Winter Quarters Bay for the 2011-12 summer field season. The first flight of the summer arrived on Oct. 4 (local time) for what promises to be another busy field season, with more than 100 research projects planned. Welcome to the party, Malaysia. The Southeast Asian country will become the 49th party to the Antarctic Treaty, an international agreement that preserves the continent for peaceful, scientific pursuits. This year marks the 50th anniversary of when the treaty went into effect. Life on the Ice Fri, 9 Sep 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2508 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2508_atcMadrid-sm.jpg An Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Madrid, Spain, in 2006. Currently, there are 48 parties to the Antarctic Treaty, an international agreement that preserves the continent for peaceful, scientific pursuits. Malaysia recently announced it would accede to the treaty. There are few places in Antarctica as heavily researched as the McMurdo Dry Valleys, which is home to unique ecosystems that range from the saltiest lake on Earth to a microhabitat of ancient microbes that live under a glacier. It now boasts the most comprehensive environmental management plan yet to ensure all of its scientific values are safeguarded in the future. Operations Fri, 9 Sep 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2505 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2505_ashworthUndergrads-sm.jpg Scientists conduct research in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, the largest ice-free region in Antarctica. The site receives environmental protection under the Antarctic Specially Managed Area designation. The ASMA plan was recently revised. It's a mission that the U.S. Air Force has trained for during the last five years of supporting research in Antarctica, but it was the first time that a C-17 Globemaster III made an airdrop at the South Pole in winter. Operations Fri, 2 Sep 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2504 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2504_airDropC17Inside-sm.jpg A C-17 Globemaster III loadmaster with the U.S. Air Force's 304th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron prepares to airdrop supplies near the South Pole Station on Aug. 29 (local time). Both bundles were successfully received by a ground crew, which had set up "burn barrels" for the pilots to spot the drop zone using night-vision goggles. After weeks of speculation about whether the U.S. Antarctic Program would be without an icebreaker for the 2011-12 summer field season, the National Science Foundation announced that it had reached an agreement with a Russian company to charter a diesel icebreaker. Operations Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2500 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2500_buck2-sm.jpg The USNS Paul Buck, right, delivers 5 million gallons of fuel to McMurdo Station in late January 2010. The ship in the distance is the Swedish icebreaker Oden, which was not available this year to break ice to McMurdo. Instead, a Russian icebreaker will clear a channel in the sea ice for the 2011-12 season. Historian Edward Larson believes an important thread is missing from the vast tapestry of lore that has been spun about the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Many of the men who toiled, suffered and even died in the early 20th century did so first and foremost in the pursuit of science. Artists and Writers Program Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2499 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2499_robertScottHerbertPonting-sm.jpg Capt. Robert F. Scott writes in his journal in the Cape Evans hut during the winter of 1911 before his ill-fated journey to the South Pole. A new book by historian Edward Larson focuses on the untold story of how the early explorers were motivated by science as much as exploration. Of all the places in the world, one would not think of the South Pole as the home of a state-of-the-art cryogenic facility. After all, it is one of the coldest places on the planet. Although too cold to support life, even the South Pole is not cold enough to accommodate the advanced astrophysical research that is done there. Operations Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2498 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2498_cryoHeloDelivery-sm.jpg Steffen Richter and Nick Strehl deliver a 250-liter liquid helium dewar to the BICEP telescope during winter at the South Pole. The telescope uses sensitive detectors that require super cool temperatures to search the universe in the microwave spectrum. The sun has returned at McMurdo Station. And the first light heralds the arrival of Winfly, a six-week-long period beginning in August when the U.S. Antarctic Program flies in a few early season planes to bring in several hundred new people and supplies. This small surge in support helps the station ramp up for the main research season, which begins in early October. Operations Fri, 19 Aug 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2495 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2495_pegasusC17-sm.jpg A U.S. Air Force C-17 sits on the ice at Pegasus airfield in January 2011. The first flight of Winfly was scheduled to arrive on Aug. 20 (local time), ushering in the 2011-12 field season for the U.S. Antarctic Program. The August flights bring in people and supplies to prepare for the main research season, which begins in October. Poet Katharine Coles went to Palmer Station on an Antarctic Artists and Writers grant from the National Science Foundation. What compelled her to go? She answers as only a poet can: Truth, of course. Cheek-to-cheek contact with the sublime. Insight into the nature of reality. Artists and Writers Program Fri, 19 Aug 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2494 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2494_kateGlacierSusanMoran-sm.jpg Katharine Coles hikes on a glacier near Palmer Station. The poet finds overlapping goals between science and poetry. Both seek insight into the nature of reality, she says. The iconic South Pole Station Dome may be gone but it's not forgotten. And thanks to the efforts of three men, it never will be, after the top section was enshrined in a new Navy museum dedicated to the Seabee construction battalion in Port Hueneme, Calif. Back in the Day Fri, 29 Jul 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2468 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2468_spDomeFixDudes-sm.jpg Lee Mattis, left, and John Perry, far right, assemble the hardware used to hang the top section of the South Pole Station Dome from the roof of the new Seabee Museum in Port Hueneme, Calif. Mattis, Perry and Jerry Marty have been working for years to save the dome and see it enshrined in a museum. Norm Augustine, the former chair of the National Academy of Engineering, will lead an upcoming strategic review of U.S. science-support operations on the continent of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and National Science Foundation (NSF) announced in July. Operations Fri, 15 Jul 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2464 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2464_augustinePole-sm.jpg A work crew makes final adjustments to the platform entrance of the South Pole Station in December 2010. The new research station, dedicated in January 2008, was built with impetus from a 1997 report by an external panel led by Norm Augustine. Augustine has just been appointed to lead a new review of the USAP. Most of the big science at the South Pole Station goes on year-round. But other research takes advantage of the darkness of the winter sky and the proximity of the geomagnetic pole. It's up to the South Pole research associates to brave some of the world's coldest temperatures to ensure the instruments work through the long winter night. Operations Fri, 15 Jul 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2462 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2462_poleSciRedLight-sm.jpg Research associate Marco Tortonese inspects one of the all-sky cameras on the roof of the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station on July 4, 2011. Only red lights can be used while the cameras are operating. That prevents damage to the very sensitive light detectors in the cameras. Dr. Steven Untracht is the physician at Palmer Station for the austral winter in Antarctica. When not attending to his duties, the station surgeon spends as much time as possible with the researchers because "science is Antarctica's culture." He offers a perspective on some of the ongoing studies and the implications of climate change for the Antarctic Peninsula. Perspectives Fri, 1 Jul 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2455 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2455_palmerDocDivers-sm.jpg Members of the chemical ecology team return to Palmer Station after a dive among the islands of Arthur Harbor. Dr. Steven Untracht reports on some of the science that takes place at the research station, as well as his observations on the environmental changes under way. Antarctica's most revered holiday was celebrated around the continent today. June 21, 2011 (local time), marks the winter solstice, the shortest 'day' of the year in the Southern Hemisphere. Midwinter is a cause for celebration among the wintering parties in Antarctica, a tradition that dates back to the hearty explorers of the early 20th century. Life on the Ice Mon, 20 Jun 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2450 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2450_mcMurdo4-30-11-sm.jpg McMurdo Station entered the long Antarctic winter night in late April. The sun won't return until August. June 21 marks the winter solstice in Antarctica, when wintering crews from around the world pause in celebration that the long months of isolation are half over. It's the classic story of trying to build a better mousetrap. In this case, the invention has nothing to do with catching rodents but capturing data on the thousands of items of cargo shipped by the U.S. Antarctic Program to the ice-covered continent each year. Operations Fri, 17 Jun 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2449 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2449_scannerTest-sm.jpg Connor Coltharp, an electrical engineering student at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, scans a barcode with a device that he and fellow students designed to withstand the cold temperatures in Antarctica. The test took place at the National Ice Core Laboratory. Susan MacGregor doesn't have your typical South Pole winter-over position. Her job takes her daily into an environment of bright lights, high humidity and delightful warmth as operator of the South Pole Food Growth Chamber. Perspectives Fri, 20 May 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2431 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2431_susanMacGregor-sm.jpg Susan MacGregor is spending the winter at the South Pole Station overseeing the growth chamber, which grows the only fresh fruit and vegetables available to the research station residents for the eight months of isolation. Antarctica is a natural laboratory that draws hundreds of scientists down to the southern hemisphere each year to conduct research. However, an experiment under way this winter falls a bit outside the norm. The National Science Foundation and Department of Energy have teamed up on a project to test just how well an all-electric vehicle might fare in the coldest place on Earth. Operations Fri, 13 May 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2424 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2424_eTruck2-sm.jpg One of two electric-powered vehicles is driven off an Air Force C-17 jet at McMurdo Station's Pegasus Airfield. The small utility trucks will be tested over the next year to see how they fare in Antarctica's harsh climate. John Moriarty is one of those ordinary people who never seem to pass up an opportunity to do something extraordinary. In 1968, Moriarty's sense of adventure propelled him to join a team of arctic adventurers that became the first to make an overland traverse to the North Pole using snowmobiles. People Profiles Fri, 6 May 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2419 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2419_utMoriarty-sm.jpg Utility mechanic John Moriarty, 71, makes his rounds checking on the furnaces at McMurdo Station. The Minnesota native has made four trips to Antarctica, and more than 40 years ago took part in the first confirmed overland traverse to the North Pole. W. Barclay Kamb, a long time professor at the California Institute of Technology and a prominent Antarctic researcher, died at his home on April 21, 2011. He was 79. Back in the Day Fri, 6 May 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2422 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2422_kambDrill-sm.jpg Drillers use the Kamb-Engelhardt Hot Water Drill in Antarctica, an instrument partly named after W. Barclay Kamb, a leading glaciologist from Caltech who passed away in April. Kamb was instrumental in the study of ice streams, fast moving rivers of ice. Anyone who works in Antarctica knows you never bring just one of anything, whether it's a battery or a scientific instrument. Success on the Ice is all about redundancy. That's the mantra of engineers and construction workers who completed a major seven-year project this past austral summer at McMurdo Station to upgrade the power and water plant systems. Operations Fri, 29 Apr 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2418 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images2/rss-2418_pwrPlntEngineRm-sm.jpg Nathan Hoople, left, and Tim Briggs look over the new Caterpillar engines in the McMurdo power plant. A major project to provide power - and water-generating capabilities at both the water and power plants came to a close during the 2010-11 season. The central Transantarctic Mountains field camp may have been the busiest place south of McMurdo Station during the 2010-11 field season. Scores of scientists made their way through the camp over the two months that it operated, keeping the support staff bustling to ensure the researchers made the most of their time in the field. Operations Fri, 8 Apr 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2400 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2400_ctamCampHercGrunberg-sm.jpg CTAM field camp manager Julie Grundberg was in charge of a mini airfield during the 2010-11 season, including LC-130 airplanes that carried passengers, fuel and cargo. Geologists, paleontologists, glaciologists and dozens of other researchers returned once more to the central Transantarctic Mountains to study a host of scientific mysteries, from the tectonic evolution of the region to the sorts of critters that once lived there millions of years ago. The CTAM field camp supported 18 teams of scientists over the two months it operated in Antarctica. Operations Fri, 8 Apr 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2398 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2398_ctamCamp-sm.jpg The CTAM field camp near the Beardmore Glacier duing the 2010-11 Antarctic field season. The camp supported upwards of 80 people at one time, with 18 science teams passing through over a two-month period. Racing against the wind is never a good bet in Antarctica. But for a team with NASA doing a major upgrade to a 10-meter antenna housed in a golf ball-shaped dome, the gamble paid off. The refurbished NASA McMurdo Ground Station started receiving its first data for a new international collaboration earlier this year. Operations Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2392 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2392_radomePedestalLift-sm.jpg A crane lifts a part of the antenna pedestal into the air for placement into the uncorked radome at right. The operation to do a major upgrade and refurbishment to the NASA ground station required calm winds because of the danger that an item dangling from the crane could become airborne. Talk about a road trip. Three semi-trailer trucks, each pulling 20-foot-long refrigeration containers, rolled into Denver this month after a 24-hour trip across the southwest corner of the country to deliver ice cores that had been drilled in West Antarctica some 11,000 miles away. Operations Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2391 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2391_niclWaisCntnr-sm.jpg USAP refrigerator mechanic Steve Mikel attends to the refrigeration unit on one of the 20-foot conatiners used to transport the WAIS Divide ice cores from Antarctica to the National Ice Core Laboratory in Lakewood, Colo., near Denver. Most people have seen the pictures of the crumpled Christchurch Cathedral or watched the video of a woman plucked from the roof of a collapsed building to safety by a fire crew. But was the destruction wrought by the 6.3-magnitude earthquake on Feb. 22 as bad as it looked in media reports? It was worse, say USAP personnel caught in the quake. Life on the Ice Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2385 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2385_chchQuakeCthdrl-sm.jpg The Christchurch Cathedral in the center of the city after the Feb. 22 earthquake. Many USAP personnel were in the central business district when the 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit. Nothing is easy about working and living at the U.S. Antarctic Program's South Pole Station, located on a plateau of ice nearly two miles high. Even being a firefighter there makes routine tasks more difficult. Operations Fri, 11 Mar 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2384 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2384_poleFdElephantMan-sm.jpg A Caterpillar tractor, dubbed "Elephant Man," serves as the fire truck for the Antarctic Fire Department' Fire Station No. 3 at the South Pole Station. The professionally trained firefighters are responsible for airfield safety while the New York Air National Guard flies during the summer field season. One of the busiest field seasons in recent memory for the U.S. Antarctic Program ended at McMurdo Station on March 5. That's the day the last plane, an Australian Airbus A319, departed with 33 passengers, leaving about 150 people to winter-over at the USAP's largest research station. Operations Mon, 7 Mar 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2378 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2378_ctamTents-sm.jpg One of the busiest field seasons in recent memory for the U.S. Antarctic Program ended at McMurdo Station on March 5. Martin Robinson is not unlike many support personnel who work for the U.S. Antarctic Program. He has an office job in McMurdo at the station's IT Help Desk. He loves the lifestyle, and has returned to the Ice every year since 2005-06, taking advantage of the long off-season to travel. But there's one difference: He heads to Thailand to train and fights as a pro Muy Thai boxer. People Profiles Fri, 4 Mar 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2376 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2376_martinComputer-sm.jpg Martin Robinson works the computer help desk at McMurdo Station. Every year at the end of the summer field season in February, Robinson heads to Thailand, where he trains and fights as a nak muay farang, a foreign boxer, in the national sport of Muy Thai. The automated South Pole Station Food Growth Chamber offers comfort and nutrition for people living and working at the bottom of the world. It's also proving to be a model for supporting missions to other worlds as well. Operations Fri, 4 Mar 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2375 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2375_poleGreenhouse-sm.jpg The South Pole Food Growth Chamber at full bloom. The hydroponic greenhouse was built during the winter of 2004, and it went into full operation the next year. It's a model for how colonies on other planets might grow food - or, closer to home, in crowded urban environments. The break-up of the sea ice in McMurdo Sound to an extent not seen in 12 years has welcomed in a plethora of wildlife to the area. There is one unwelcome development to the deterioration of the ice: The snow road from Ross Island to Pegasus airfield on the ice shelf may need to be moved this winter. Life on the Ice Mon, 28 Feb 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2371 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2371_openWaterScottBase-sm.jpg The sea ice in front of New Zealand's Scott Base breaks apart last week. The station manager reported that open water has not been seen in front of Scott Base since 1998. And then there was one. Last year, the U.S. Antarctic Program disassembled the iconic Dome Station after it had far outlived its shelf life. This austral summer, the original station, built in little more than a month by a handful of U.S. Navy Seabees for the International Geophysical Year of 1957-58, was demolished for safety reasons. Operations Fri, 25 Feb 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2368 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2368_poleDemoHotWater-sm.jpg Keith Frazer, assistant explosive handler, John Rand, consultant engineer for CRREL and Jason Dietz, general assistant, from left, use a hotwater drill system to make a hole in the snow above Old Pole so explosives can be lowered down. The area above the first South Pole Station had become unstable. The sea ice in McMurdo Sound has broken up to an extent not seen since 1998. The ice this year has broken out so far into McMurdo Sound that McMurdo Station fuel tanks to Pegasus airfield for safety reasons. Operations Fri, 25 Feb 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2367 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2367_mcmIceBreak-sm.jpg Ice in McMurdo Sound breaks up in dramatic fashion not seen since 1998 The National Science Foundation presented President Barack Obama's fiscal year 2012 budget request of $7.767 billion last week, an increase of nearly $900 million, or 13 percent, over last year. NSF's Office of Polar Program would receive $477.41 million under the 2012 fiscal budget plan, a 5.8 percent increase. Operations Fri, 25 Feb 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2366 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2366_mcmHeloCrary-sm.jpg The Albert P. Crary Science and Engineering Center at McMurdo Station, with the chalet administration building at right and helicopter pad in the foreground. Antarctic sciences would receive more than $76 million under President Obama's proposed budget. Longtime U.S. Antarctic Program researcher Bruce D. Sidell died on Feb. 8, 2011, at the age of 62. He was a professor and founding director of the School of Marine Sciences at the University of Maine, Orono. He traveled to Antarctica numerous times since the 1980s and received numerous awards for his work. Life on the Ice Fri, 18 Feb 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2362 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2362_iceFishBruce-sm.jpg Bruce Sidell, foreground, assists with deploying fish traps during a 2007 science cruise.Sidell died on Feb. 8, 2011, at the age of 62. He was a professor and founding director of the School of Marine Sciences at the University of Maine, Orono. Their bags were picked and they were ready to compete in the annual McMurdo Ice Marathon. But a last-minute flight cancellation stranded the three hopeful runners at the South Pole. Disappointed but undaunted, the trio, with the help of their friends, put on only the second marathon held at the South Pole. Life on the Ice Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2356 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2356_poleMrthnVictory-sm.jpg Rickey Gates crosses the finish line during the South Pole Contingency Marathon, held in January after Gates and fellow runners Christina Knoblock and Marco Tortonese failed to make it to the annual McMurdo Ice Marathon after a flight was diverted to West Antarctica. Charles Hood's book will explore the relationship between aviation and science in Antarctica. He wonders: Is there really a strong relationship between flying and doing research? The answer from the scientists themselves: It's simple. No airplanes means no science. Artists and Writers Program Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2357 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2357_hoodAN1-sm.jpg Lake Hoare camp manager Rae Spain hooks a sling load onto a helicopter at Lake Bonney in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Helicopters are vital to the research conducted by the U.S. Antarctic Program. The Antarctic and the city of Detroit: These two places, separated by more than 9,000 miles and residing in different hemispheres, would seem to be far apart from one another in more ways than just geography. Yet filmmakers John Major and Frida Waara see a common message between the white continent and one of America's most blighted and downtrodden cities. Artists and Writers Program Fri, 4 Feb 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2355 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2355_mcmLoneTractor-sm.jpg A lone tractor crawls along the sea ice in front of the Royal Society Range across from McMurdo Station. Filmmakers John Major and Frida Waara want to compare life in the Antarctic against inner city Detroit in a project sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Penguins truly are one of the feel-good animals in the popular imagination. But there is very little fun loving or playful about the lives of Adélies. They live in the most brutal environment in the world. Yet these birds are masters in their environment, yet do no damage, supreme in their ability to survive. Perspectives Fri, 28 Jan 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2346 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2346_pennycookJean-sm.jpg Jean Pennycook observes the Adélie penguins at Cape Royds on Ross Island, Antarctica. Pennycook is the education and outreach coordinator for a long-term research program on the penguin colonies around the Ross Sea led by David Ainley. The National Science Foundation allocated $3 million from its portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to replace the heat-trace system at McMurdo Station. The electrical system carries heat along some nine miles of plumbing to keep the water from freezing in the pipes, which is an obvious concern in frigid Antarctica. Operations Fri, 14 Jan 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2334 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2334_heatraceIvan-sm.jpg A member of the heat-trace project crew works on a utility line at McMurdo Station. The National Science Foundation allocated $3 million from its portion of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to replace the station's heat-trace system. The project will save about $300,000 in energy costs per year. In the last four years, Rickey Gates has competed around the world as a top mountain runner. Now the 29-year-old Coloradoan can truly say he's literally run around the globe. Gates took first place in the annual Race Around the World at the South Pole Station on Christmas Day 2010. Life on the Ice Fri, 7 Jan 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2330 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2330_gatesRunning-sm.jpg Professional mountain runner Rickey Gates goes on a training run at the South Pole, where he took a job in the station kitchen for the austral summer. Gates added the fastest time to finish the two-mile South Pole Race Around the World to his impressive résumé of international records and runs over the past four years. A new year and an old century merged at the South Pole on Jan. 1, 2011. U.S. Antarctic Program personnel gathered at 90 degrees south latitude on the first day of the new year to unveil and place the geographic marker for 2011. This year marks the 100th anniversary of when a group of Norwegian adventurers first reached the South Pole. Life on the Ice Mon, 3 Jan 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2332 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2332_poleMarker2011-sm.jpg The 2011 South Pole geographic marker is in the shape of a sextant, an instrument used for navigation by early explorers. This year marks the centenary of the achievement of the South Pole by a team of Norwegian adventurers led by Roald Amundsen. The bronze marker was designed and fabricated by USAP personnel during the 2010 winter. New Year's is always a rocking time in Antarctica. The annual IceStock outdoor music concert and festival featured more than six hours of music that ranged from classic rock to original tunes to a genuine barbershop quartet. Life on the Ice Mon, 3 Jan 2011 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2331 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2331_iceStock2011-sm.jpg The annual IceStock outdoor music concert and festival had the good fortune of falling on New Year's Eve this year, allowing personnel at McMurdo Station to ring in 2011 with more than six hours of music that ranged from classic rock to original tunes to a genuine barbershop quartet. Now entering its second half-century, the Antarctic Treaty seems to have withstood its tests. International Antarctic science is more robust than ever. Since 1985, the treaty has added another 15 members. The 47 treaty nations represent two-thirds of the world's human population and four-fifths of its economy. Back in the Day Fri, 31 Dec 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2323 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2323_heloLanding-sm.jpg A helicopter lands behind the main communications and cooking tents at the Beardmore field camp in the Transantarctic Mountains during the 2003-04 field season. About 25 years ago, the science camp, revived about once a decade, hosted a diplomatic meeting concerning the Antarctic Treaty. A new camp is under way in 2010-11. An artifact from the dawn of biological research in McMurdo Sound has been recovered from the seafloor and turned over to the Albert P. Crary Science and Engineering Research Center at McMurdo Station for display. Back in the Day Wed, 22 Dec 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2322 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2322_daytonArtifactMerge-sm.jpg At left, scientist Paul Dayton deploys an experiment in McMurdo Sound in the 1960s. At right, a 'benthic grab' recovered from one of the lost experiment sites by Dayton and a team of divers in October 2010. The instrument's use dates back to the 1950s. The South Pole Operations Traverse, which uses tracked Caterpillar and Case tractors to haul bladders of fuel and sleds of cargo across the continent, was stopped in its tracks for about four days from one of the worst storms in recent memory. Operations Wed, 22 Dec 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2321 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2321_traverseStorm-sm.jpg Snow buries the South Pole Operations Traverse en route to 90 South after a raging storm stopped the tractor train in its tracks. The crew eventually dug its way out and made it to the South Pole Station on Dec. 19. The traverse was scheduled to travel another 450 miles to East Antarctica to retrieve a field camp. Journalist Fen Montaigne traveled to Antarctica in 2005 on a grant from the National Science Foundation to write a book about Bill Fraser's decades-long research on the seabirds of the Antarctic Peninsula, particularly the Adélie penguins. The book chronicles life among the scientists during a summer season in Antarctica. Artists and Writers Program Fri, 17 Dec 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2320 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2320_frasersTheManHimself-sm.jpg Researcher Bill Fraser stands near the last remaining Adélie penguin adult and chicks on Litchfield Island off the Antarctic Peninsula. Within several days, the colony was wiped out by brown skuas, bringing to an end at least 500 years of Adelie habitation on Litchfield Island. Journalist Fen Montaigne's new book chronicles Fraser's work and the plight of the penguins. David Huebner, United States ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, went to Antarctica this past week, his first visit to the icy continent since being sworn into the post in December 2009. Life on the Ice Fri, 10 Dec 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2311 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2311_nzAmbassador-sm.jpg David Huebner, United States ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, arrives at the South Pole Station on a New York Air National Guard C-130 last week during a visit to Antarctica. Huebner was sworn into his post in December 2009. South Pole Station residents gather at the geographic pole on Veteran's Day in honor of the holiday. The U.S. military has a long history of involvement in Antarctica, which continues today with logistical support mainly from the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard. Life on the Ice Fri, 19 Nov 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2301 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2301_poleVetsday-sm.jpg South Pole Station residents gather at the geographic pole on Veteran's Day. An unusually strong summer storm at South Pole stopped flights from arriving for four days. But it didn't slow down hardy Polies from continuing to work in support of the busy science field season. Life on the Ice Fri, 19 Nov 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2300 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2300_poleStorm-sm.jpg Polie Ethan Good braces himself at the geographic South Pole during a storm that grounded flights for four days. Several weather records were broken during the storm, with wind gusts flirting near 40 knots. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made a special visit to the U.S. and New Zealand Antarctic programs in Christchurch on Nov. 5 during a two-week diplomatic tour through Asia and the Pacific. Life on the Ice Fri, 5 Nov 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2293 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2293_hillClinton-sm.jpg Chair of Antarctica New Zealand Rob Fenwick, left, shows U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton a map of the Antarctic region as NSF Christchurch representative Art Brown looks on during an event on Antarctic cooperation at the International Antarctic Centre on Nov. 5. Although 21st century technology has diminished the need and requirement of ham radio, the popularity, goals and achievements of the Amateur Radio Service has not diminished. The excitement of hearing people from the outside world never gets old, and the interest in obtaining a license and joining in the fun led eight Polies to that end this winter. Life on the Ice Fri, 29 Oct 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2287 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2287_hamRadioTraining-sm.jpg Eight South Pole winter-over personnel take an exam to join the ranks of the Amateur Radio Service. It required "bending" a few rules normally applied to the process to make the test happen in the middle of the Antarctic winter. A pair of turbo-propped airplanes landed at the South Pole Station on Oct. 17, officially ending eight months of isolation for the world's southernmost research base in Antarctica. Operations Mon, 18 Oct 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2282 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2282_poleFirstBasler-sm.jpg The loneliness of the long-distance winter-over at the South Pole Station is finally over. Two Basler BT-67 aircraft landed at the U.S. Antarctic Program's southernmost research base on Oct. 16 (local time), ending about eight months of isolation for the 47 scientists and support personnel spending the winter. One doesn't have to go to the library to read the stories that shaped Antarctica. A different sort of narrative can be found on the covers of postal envelopes, many stamped with imagery from different expeditions or military-sponsored operations. The canceled marks pinpoint not just a date in time but also a moment in the historical development of a continent. Back in the Day Fri, 15 Oct 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2277 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2277_postalCoverByrd-sm.jpg A cover from the second Byrd expedition in 1933-35 in Scott Smith's collection. It is one of the more common covers from the earlier days of polar philately. Colin Bull, professor emeritus at The Ohio State University and pioneering polar scientist, passed away on Sept. 7, 2010. He was the leader of the 1958-59 Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition to the McMurdo Dry Valleys during the International Geophysical Year, the beginning of a lifelong association with the cold continent. Back in the Day Fri, 8 Oct 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2275 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2275_bullReading-sm.jpg Colin Bull reads a book from his vast collection of Antarctic works at his home outside of Seattle circa 2003. He passed away on Sept. 7, 2010, while on a cruise to the Arctic with his wife Gillian. On Jan. 15, 1940, during Adm. Richard E. Byrd's third expedition to Antarctica, a special moment in polar history occurred. George Gibbs Jr. became the first person of African descent to step onto the continent. Gibbs' daughter, Leilani Henry, is writing a memoir about her father's life to keep that story alive. Back in the Day Fri, 15 Oct 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2268 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2268_gibbsShip-sm.jpg George Gibbs Jr. on the deck of the USS Bear, one of two ships used during Adm. Richard E. Byrd's third Antarctic expedition. On Jan. 14, 1940, Gibbs jumped off the ship to tie her up, propelling himself into the history books as the first person of African descent to step foot on the continent. An Australian Antarctic Division Airbus A319 landed at McMurdo Station on Sept. 23, officially kicking off the summer field season for the U.S. Antarctic Program. Operations Wed, 29 Sep 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2267 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2267_airBusFirstFlight-sm.jpg An Australian Antarctic Division Airbus A319 landed at McMurdo Station on Sept. 23, officially kicking off the summer field season for the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP). An early-morning 7.1-magnitude earthquake that hit near Christchurch, New Zealand, on Sept. 4 (local time) caused widespread damage throughout the South Island's largest city but did not significantly affect U.S. Antarctic Program operations or facilities. Operations Tue, 7 Sep 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2257 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2257_chchEarthQuake-sm.jpg Central Christchurch was severely damaged during the Sept. 4 earthquake that rocked New Zealand's South Island. The city's iconic cathedral, seen in the distance, escaped harm thanks to recent renovations that strengthened the building. The first U.S. Antarctic Program flight to Antarctica landed safely at Pegasus airfield near McMurdo Station on Aug. 15, 2010, ushering in the 2010 Winfly season. Operations Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2232 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2232_firstFlightAug-sm.jpg The first U.S. Antarctic Program flight to Antarctica landed safely at Pegasus airfield near McMurdo Station on Aug. 15, 2010, ushering in the 2010 Winfly season. Winfly is the time between winter and the summer when additional support personnel, such as carpenters and cooks, arrive to prepare the station for the upcoming science field season. McMurdo Station held the third annual International Winter Film Festival in July, drawing a record 41 entries from 21 research stations around the Antarctic. Life on the Ice Fri, 6 Aug 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2227 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2227_filmFestFlyer-sm.jpg The flyer for the McMurdo Station international film festival. The event drew a record 41 entries from 21 research stations around the Antarctic. The annual film festival includes several categories, with the winning entry for Best Film coming from Australia's Davis Station. The first sunrise at McMurdo Station following the dark, cold winter isn't until Aug. 19. That's nearly a week after the first Air Force C-17 Globemaster III is scheduled to land on an ice runway with passengers and cargo, ending nearly six months of isolation for the 198 people at the U.S. Antarctic Program's largest research station. Operations Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2217 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2217_mcmAuroraMoon-sm.jpg An aurora over McMurdo Station during the 2009 winter. The first flights of the 2010-11 field season will start to fly in August to prepare the station for the main field season. The first three flights will use night-vision goggles to land. Many of the artists, writers and photographers who venture down to Antarctica are usually trying to capture some element of what life is like on the Ice or something about the ongoing research into the unique polar environment. Elise Engler tries to document it all. Artists and Writers Program Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2216 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2216_englerHorizntl-sm.jpg Artist Elise Engler draws landscapes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. The New York City-based visual artist changed her pictographic style to capture the beauty of Antarctica during a visit last year on an Antarctic Artist and Writers Program grant. Dozens of artists and writers, from painters and poets to filmmakers and photographers, have visited Antarctica over the years at the invitation of the National Science Foundation to offer their own interpretations of the white continent. But it's safe to say that no one has done a marionette puppet production about Antarctica. Until now. Artists and Writers Program Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2205 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2205_puppetsPenguins-sm.jpg Musician and marionette artist Erik Sanko records the sounds of penguins in Antarctica. Sanko and his wife Jessica Grindstaff, co-founders of Phantom Limb Company, went down to the Ice to research and collect material for a marionette play about Ernest Shackleton. With 10 years of experience working on cruise ships in Antarctica, Palmer winter-site manager Lisa Trotter is no stranger to the Ice, even if it is her first time working for the U. S. Antarctic Program. People Profiles Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2195 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2195_trotterEseal-sm.jpg A leopard seal picture by Lisa Trotter, the new Palmer Station winter site manager. Trotter has worked for the last decade in Antarctic tourism. Her love of the Antarctic has led to a project to help educate the public about leopard seals, a sometimes maligned predator. The U.S. Coast Guard announced in June that an unexpected engine problem aboard the icebreaker Polar Sea may keep the ship from providing standby capability for cutting a channel to the U.S. Antarctic Program's McMurdo Station for the 2010-11 field season. Operations Fri, 9 Jul 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2190 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2190_wideAngleBow-sm.jpg The bow of the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Sea pushes through bergy bits of ice in the channel to McMurdo Station in January 2007. That was the last time ship visited Antarctica. After a long career providing communications support, including a decade at the South Pole, NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite 1 (TDRS-1) was retired in June 2010. Operations Fri, 9 Jul 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2191 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2191_SPTR2-sm.jpg The South Pole Tracking Relay-2 (SPTR-2) satellite communications ground station with completed radome around antenna. The ground station is used to track other TDRS satellites after TDRS-1 was no longer in use last year. The NASA satellite was formally retired in June 2010. Charles R. Stearns, the father of the U.S. Antarctic Program's Automatic Weather Station system and a pioneer in polar meteorology, died on Tuesday, June 22, 2010. He was 85. Life on the Ice Thu, 24 Jun 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2181 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2181_stearnsWthrStn-sm.jpg Charles R. Stearns, inset, spent nearly 30 years as the principal investigator on a project that created a network of automatic weather stations across Antarctica. The pioneering meteorologist died on June 22, 2010. He was 85. Historic interest in the world's coldest continent often focuses on the great polar explorers of the past. Earlier this year, a nearly forgotten footnote in Antarctic history got a permanent page in the record books with the dedication of a bronze plaque commemorating the first and only nuclear power plant to operate on the Ice. Back in the Day Thu, 24 Jun 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2175 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2175_nukePm3aNavy-sm.jpg The nuclear power plant on Observation Hill overlooking McMurdo Station, circa 1965. The plant was part of a military experiment to construct mobile nuclear power plants at remote places. Centuries? A thousand years? It was hard to estimate the wealth of polar experience gathered in the small auditorium on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus. One thing was for sure: This had to be one of the most unique meetings of Antarctic and Arctic scientists and explorers in recent history. Back in the Day Fri, 4 Jun 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2144 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2144_apsBentleyPPShow-sm.jpg Charles Bentley talks about his experiences traversing Antarctica during the 1950s and 1960s, when basic facts about the continent were just beginning to be discovered, at a conference of the American Polar Society. Palmer Station is a small place that seems to loom larger-than-life for those who live and work there for any amount of time. Palmer Station is part town, part laboratory and part warehouse. About half of those who live there are the carpenters, electricians, cooks, mechanics, technicians and others who keep Palmer running. Life on the Ice Fri, 21 May 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2125 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2125_palmerStation-sm.jpg Palmer Station, bottom left, clings to the side of Anvers Island. Beyond is a string of small islands that are home to penguins, seals and other wildlife in the productive summer months of the southern summer. The U.S. Antarctic Program got a major communications upgrade in 2009-10 thanks to ongoing work to establish a key satellite receptor site at McMurdo Station for a new-generation weather and climate satellite system for the United States. Operations Fri, 14 May 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2114 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2114_NPOESS_BI-sm.jpg The Black Island communications facility near McMurdo Station. Upgrades to satellite antennas have significantly increased the bandwidth available to the U.S. Antarctic Program, which is hosting a key receptor site at McMurdo for a new weather and climate satellite system that must move large amounts of data back to the United States. Antarctica's raw beauty has been a natural setting for numerous books of fiction and nonfiction over the years. Lucy Jane Bledsoe, a two-time recipient of a grant from the National Science Foundation's Antarctic Artist and Writers Program, has been repeatedly drawn back to the icy continent over the last decade. She recently published her fourth book based on her Antarctic experiences. Artists and Writers Program Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2107 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2107_lucyJaneBledsoe-sm.jpg Author Lucy Jane Bledsoe on Petermann Island off the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula during the 2003-04 field season. She recently published her fourth book based on her experiences in Antarctica. Her trip was sponsored by the NSF's Antarctic Artist and Writers Program. The antenna riggers make up a small corps of specialized workers whose domain is above the ice and snow of Antarctica. It's a job that requires creativity, stamina and a wee bit of patience when that much-needed tool drops 90 feet to the ground. Life on the Ice Fri, 23 Apr 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2097 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2097_riggersDuo-sm.jpg Antenna riggers Andrew Asher and Michiel Lofton work on a tower on Black Island near McMurdo Station. The riggers make up a small corps of specialized workers whose domain is above the ice and snow of Antarctica. Site of a former joint U.S. and New Zealand research station, Cape Hallett is home to a huge colony of Adélie penguins, and a diverse range of lichens, moss and tiny invertebrates. It's also become a new model for how the U.S. Antarctic Program would like to approach conservation of Antarctic resources in the future. Operations Fri, 16 Apr 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2076 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2076_hallettCount-sm.jpg Kevin Pettway, the lead environmental specialist at Raytheon Polar Services Co., counts penguins on Seabee Hook to collect data for a revised Cape Hallett ASPA plan, as well as for ongoing Adélie research in Antarctica. Pettway's team conducted the most thorough assessment ever of an ASPA. Some came looking for answers and allies in future endeavors. Others to share their successes and failures. And most everyone in attendance at the sixth annual Polar Technology Conference learned just what science could be accomplished in the polar regions with a little ingenuity, even in some of the worst conditions imaginable. Operations Fri, 16 Apr 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2077 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2077_byrdSrfcCamp3-sm.jpg An aerial view of Byrd Surface Camp in West Antarctica, which used a newly developed portable Iridium Multi-channel System for various communication needs, including instant messaging. The Polar Technology Conference focused on Iridium communication. Dr. Joanne Feldman had no intentions of following her father into medicine. The job seemed to be nothing but grind, but she never saw the amazing part of it. Now she works as the sole physician at Palmer Station for the 2009-10 summer field season. People Profiles Fri, 9 Apr 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2066 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2066_palmerDoc-sm.jpg Dr. Joanne Feldman checks an oxygen bottle in the Palmer Station medical clinic. Feldman started working on her medical degree at the age of 36 after falling in love with wilderness medicine. She now travels the world as a doctor. Genevieve Ellison was on her routine rounds ensuring the rubbish at the South Pole Station was secure and snug when she made an unimaginable discovery. She describes the beauty and the cold that exists at the bottom of the world. Perspectives Fri, 9 Apr 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2067 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2067_beautyTrash-sm.jpg Destination Zulu at South Pole Station, where a line of cardboard triwalls sit filled with all manner of debris. Genevieve Ellison is the waste management specialist in charge of maintaining and corralling all that rubbish during the winter. Anil Ananthaswamy began a long trip in October 2005, one that would take him to a Chilean desert to Siberia and South Africa to the bottom of the world in Antarctica and beyond. He was on a quest to understand the universe. Artists and Writers Program Fri, 2 Apr 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2063 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2063_cream5-sm.jpg An experiment called CREAM (Cosmic Ray Energetics and Mass) is prepared to launch from a site near McMurdo Station on a long-duration balloon in 2008. Author Anil Ananthaswamy highlights these high-flying experiments and others taking place in Antarctica and around the world in a new book. The dome is down, marking the end of an era and completion of major modernization efforts at the U.S. Antarctic Program's South Pole Station. Operations Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2057 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2057_domeisdown-sm.jpg The South Pole's geodesic dome was more than half disassembled as of Jan. 7, 2010, only about a week before the last panel was taken down. The online version of The Antarctic Sun is only the latest incarnation of the newspaper whose roots go back to the 1950s. In 1990, the winter-over crew at McMurdo Station documented their lives through a special winter publication, The Antarctic Nite Times. Prepare to go back in time. Back in the Day Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2053 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2053_mcmWinter-sm.jpg McMurdo Station during the 2009 winter, when 24-hour darkness blankets much of Antarctica. Raytheon Polar Services Co. recently announced an extension to the charter for the ARSV Laurence M. Gould with Edison Chousest Offshore, Inc. The charter has been extended for five years, until July 2015, with an option for an additional five years. Operations Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2054 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2054_gouldNetDeploy-sm.jpg RPSC marine technician Justin Smith, left, and Chance Miller deploy a net off the stern of the ARSV Laurence M. Gould during the Palmer LTER science cruise in January 2010. The ship has supported the month-long cruise since 1997. The National Science Foundation is asking the U.S. Congress for $7.4 billion for the 2011 fiscal year, an 8 percent increase over 2010. The NSF's Office of Polar Program, which manages the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) and funds Arctic research, would increase to $528 million, 17 percent above the FY 2010 level of $451.16 million. Operations Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2055 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2055_mcmTownCenter-sm.jpg McMurdo Station after a summer dusting of snow. The research station is the logistics hub of the U.S. Antarctic Program. The NSF has asked Congress for $2 million to help fund energy efficiencies at McMurdo, among other budget requests. The powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck central Chile Feb. 27 and spawned tsunami warnings did not affect any of the U.S. Antarctic Program research stations or research vessels. However, ongoing disruptions to Chilean infrastructure and transportation may delay an upcoming science cruise later this month. Operations Wed, 3 Mar 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2045 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2045_quakeStation-sm.jpg Palmer Station sits at the edge of Anvers Island. The tsunami warning that resulted from the Feb. 27 earthquake in Chile prompted station personnel to initiate an emergency plan, pulling boats out of the water and moving material to higher ground. It's not hard to get excited about the food at Palmer Station. The menu would challenge the most ambitious five-star restaurants in the United States. Life on the Ice Fri, 5 Mar 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2046 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2046_cooksStacie-sm.jpg Stacie Murray prepares dinner in the Palmer Station kitchen. A classically trained French chef, Murray also loves to cook northern Italian food and says, "I like cooking for an enthusiastic crowd." The packaging on sundry items like paper towels and glass cleaner is in Spanish. The wine bottles in the store carry Chilean labels. The avocadoes are also from South America. All signs that the logistics link to Palmer Station from the United States is very different from the rest of the U.S. Antarctic Program. Operations Fri, 5 Mar 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2047 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2047_cargoBrack-sm.jpg Jon Brack moves a pallet of gas cylinders next to the pier so they can be loaded onto a boat. Brack is part of the two-person logistics department at Palmer Station that is responsible for moving and tracking materials to, from and around the station. The National Science Foundation allows up to 12 tourist ships each year to visit Palmer Station, which is located in a hotspot for wildlife and dramatic scenery. Visitors are eager to come here not only for the wonders of nature but for the chance to see a working Antarctic research station. Life on the Ice Fri, 12 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2028 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2028_participantTalk-sm.jpg U.S. Antarctic Program participants talk about science and other topics to guests aboard the tourist vessel Vandeem in January 2010. Increased tourism at Palmer Station has led to more outreach and education of the USAP in recent years. Tony D'Aoust likes to say he found enlightenment while living in a converted city bus, but he seems to have found his purpose in life while working for the U.S. Antarctic Program. He recently returned in a support role after a more than 10-year absence. People Profiles Fri, 5 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2027 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2027_tonyDAoust-sm.jpg Tony D'Aoust preps the MOCNESS, a special sampling net for collecting marine organisms, aboard the ARSV Laurence M. Gould. A commercial fisherman in Alaska, D'Aoust has worked a variety of jobs in the USAP since 1988. Underwater images of Antarctica often show an unearthly realm of gigantic sponges, alien jellyfish, and Adélie penguins shooting through the water like bulbous bullets. But three divers tasked with making repairs to Palmer Station's 43-year-old pier didn't see much wildlife during the cold hours they spent in the water. Operations Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2012 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2012_palmerPierRepair-sm.jpg Travis Matoush, right, checks the hoses running to diver Steve Rupp's wetsuit. Rupp, Matoush and Rob Robbins are diving in the nearly freezing water near Palmer Station to repair its aging pier. Electrical power generation has gotten a different spin for two Antarctic research bases with the official completion of a new wind farm. The United States and New Zealand expect the new turbines to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels. Operations Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2014 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2014_windFarm-sm.jpg A new wind farm built over two field seasons is now operational. The three turbines can supply nearly 1,000 kilowatts of power, enough energy to power 100 U.S. homes. The USAP hopes to replace fossil fuels with wind power and other alternative energies when possible. Scientists and support personnel aboard a U.S. icebreaker encountered unusually thick summer sea ice in the Weddell Sea as they attempted to push south along the eastern edge of the Antarctic Peninsula. The unexpected conditions sent them to Palmer Station on the other side of the peninsula to make new plans. Operations Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2011 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2011_helicopter-sm.jpg A helicopter from the RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer lands in the "backyard" near Palmer Station. Maria Vernet, a scientist aboard the vessel, had come to the station to review satellite imagery of the region in an effort to make a backup plan after sea ice stymied the ship in the Weddell Sea. Crossing the Drake Passage between Punta Arenas, Chile, and the Antarctic Peninsula is a necessary evil for researchers who study the ecosystem. The ARSV Laurence M. Gould has made the rough sea trip countless times in support of science. Operations Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2006 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2006_LMGCraneZodiac-sm.jpg A crane on the ARSV Laurence M. Gould lifts a Zodiac inflatable boat aboard the vessel. The Gould made a two-day port call at the station in January before leaving for a month-long cruise in support of the Palmer Long Term Ecological Research project. It took Colin Bull 50 years before he published an account of his first Antarctic expedition, a groundbreaking study of the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Why did it take him five decades to write the story? He was too busy devoting his life to a career of polar studies. Back in the Day Fri, 8 Jan 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2002 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2002_4ExplorersDryValleys-sm.jpg Colin Bull, Dick Barwick, Peter Webb and Barrie McKelvey, from left, pose for a picture during their 1958-59 expedition to the McMurdo Dry Valleys. It was the first science expedition sponsored by a university. Bull recently wrote a book about the adventure. It's summer time in Punta Arenas, Chile, which means overcast skies and blustery winds. It's also one of the busiest times of the year for the U.S. Antarctic Program's marine operations. Both vessels are set to head off on major science expeditions to begin 2010. Operations Fri, 1 Jan 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2004 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-2004_twoBellCopters-sm.jpg Two Bell helicopters operated by PHI, Inc., are secured in a hangar aboard the RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer. This is only the second time in the ship's history that helicopters have operated from the vessel, which launched in 1992. The South Pole geographic marker doesn't just relocate to 90 degrees south each year on January 1. It also gets a new look, one of the many traditions that have evolved at South Pole over the years. Life on the Ice Fri, 1 Jan 2010 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1998 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1998_USFlagReloc-sm.jpg Personnel at the South Pole Station move the U.S. flag located at the geographic pole to its new location on Jan. 1, 2009. The flag and geographic marker are relocated each year because the ice moves about 10 meters a year. Back in the Day Air Force makes air drop over South Pole for training exercise Operations Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1997 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1997_airDrop-sm.jpg A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III from McChord Air Force Base in Washington State drops cargo over the South Pole Station on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009 (local time). It was never supposed to hang around this long. Perhaps that's why the South Pole Dome - a modestly sized structure spanning 164 feet and topping out at about 52 feet high - has loomed so large in the lore and legacy of polar history. Now, 35 years after its dedication, the icon is coming down. Operations Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1984 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1984_spDome-sm.jpg A South Pole construction crew removes the entrance to the dome along with several panels to make room for machinery needed for the deconstruction effort inside the building. The entire dome will be taken down this year, with the top crown and first two rows saved for a museum. If you happen upon the small wooden hut that sits at Cape Royds and wriggle yourself underneath, you'll find a surprise stashed in the foot and a half of space beneath the floorboards - two cases of Scotch whiskey left behind 100 years ago by Sir Ernest Shackleton. Back in the Day Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1983 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1983_roydsShackleton-sm.jpg Ernest Shackleton's hut at Cape Royds, home to an Adélie penguin colony, is undergoing extensive work by the Antarctic Heritage Trust to restore the historic hut to its original condition of a century ago. Conservators plan to recover two cases of Scotch whiskey frozen to the ground. Dr. Ed Ehrlich likes to say that he didn't fall back on excuses when he had the opportunity to go to Antarctica. He certainly had his reasons in 1955. Back in the Day Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1962 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1962_edEhrlich-sm.jpg Dr. Ed Ehrlich pauses on the steps to the Madison capitol building in Wisconsin. Ehrlich served as the medical officer at the IGY Little America V station from 1956-57. Today, he is a professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison People Profiles The year 1969 was one of those watershed periods in U.S. history, when the American dream expanded to include a diverse array of people and beliefs. But U.S. women were still barred from living and working in Antarctica. That was about to change when a handful of women arrived on the continent for the 1969-70 field season. Life on the Ice Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1945 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1945_antWomen-sm.jpg Rear Adm. David F. "Kelly" Welch (third from left) accompanies Terry Lee Tickhill, Lois Jones, Pam Young, Eileen McSaveney, Kay Lindsay and Jean Pearson, left to right, on their first steps at the South Pole. The six women became the first females to visit 90 degrees south, breaking the gender barrier that had existed for more than 10 years. At right is then Lt. Jon Clarke, aide to the admiral. Back in the Day Terry Tickhill Terrell was a 19-year-old undergraduate student in 1969 when she walked into the then-Institute of Polar Studies at The Ohio State University and announced that she wanted to go to Antarctica. Silent stares greeted her announcement. Women didn't go to Antarctica in those days. All that was about to change. Life on the Ice Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1946 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1946_ohioStateUWomen-sm.jpg The all-women science team from The Ohio State University, from left, Kay Lindsay, Terry Tickhill Terrell, Lois Jones and Eilenn McSaveney in Christchurch, New Zealand, before heading down to Antarctica in 1969. Jones and Lindsay have since passed away. Back in the Day It wasn't too long after the ranks of researchers opened up to women in 1969 that they started to fill support roles - first in the U.S. Navy and then increasingly among the civilian workforce that eventually took over most jobs today from the military. Life on the Ice Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1951 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1951_elenaMarty-sm.jpg Elena Marty uses a tractor to move a derelict Navy plane at South Pole in 1974. Marty was one of two women hired by contractor Holmes and Narver that season, the first time women had served in a civilian support role on the Ice. Back in the Day David J. Hofmann, one of the pioneers of stratospheric aerosol and ozone research, passed away in Boulder, Colo., on Aug. 11 2009. He was 72. Over a period of 30 years, he traveled to Antarctica 19 times, as a leader of University of Wyoming research teams, and as director of NOAA's facilities at South Pole. People Profiles Fri, 6 Nov 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1942 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1942_ARO_Hofmann-sm.jpg An aerial view of the Atmospheric Research Observatory at South Pole Station. ARO houses equipment used by NOAA for atmospheric research. David Hofmann, as director of NOAA's facilities at South Pole, traveled often to Antarctica. The first flights of the main austral summer field season in Antarctica started arriving Oct. 3 at McMurdo Station. In the words of one U.S. Antarctic Program participant on the influx of new people: "It goes from serene and familiar to mayhem and unfamiliar." Life on the Ice Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1924 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1924_hugs-sm.jpg A crowd gathers in the hallway of Building 155 at McMurdo Station to greet new arrivals and reconnect with returning friends when the first mainbody flight arrived on the Ice on Oct. 3. About 1,000 people will work out of the U.S. Antarctic Program's main research station during the height of summer. Richard Panek went to the South Pole on an NSF grant to see the astronomical facilities as part of the research for his next book. His topic is about a mystery that many researchers feel might be the most significant and profound in science today: What comprises the vast majority of the universe? Perspectives Fri, 2 Oct 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1915 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1915_auroraSoPoleTelescope-sm.jpg Auroras shimmer over the South Pole Telescope and Dark Sector Lab. The conditions at the South Pole make it one of the ideal places to observe the universe short of going into space. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is investing hundreds of billions of dollars to stimulate the U.S. economy, as well as to save or create several million jobs. Some of the stimulus money will buy goods and services-and employ Americans-for supporting scientific research in Antarctica. Operations Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1877 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1877_soPoleTraverseStimulus-sm.jpg The South Pole Traverse parked at the geographic pole on Dec. 16, 2008. The NSF is purchasing vehicles and equipment for a second traverse "train" to carry fuel and equipment between McMurdo and South Pole stations. Few people know the role Navy radar picket ships played in early communications for Antarctica. Former sailor Gene Spinelli tells the story of what it was like to serve aboard the ships during the 1960s. Back in the Day Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1870 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1870_ussCalcaterra-sm.jpg USS Calcaterra DER-390 investigates a large iceberg near picket station at 60 degrees south on Dec. 19, 1965. The picture was taken from the Calcaterra's motor whaleboat. In the past few years, the South Pole Dome has functioned as a warehouse. Soon the iconic structure will be disassembled and shipped north. A gigantic metal arch has been built near the new station for future storage, and over the winter, a small team has been busy preparing it for use this coming summer field season. Operations Fri, 28 Aug 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1867 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1867_intLogArchFacility-sm.jpg Interior work for the new logistics arch facility at South Pole has been under way all winter long in the unheated building. The old Dome station has served as an ad hoc storage solution, but it will soon go away. Crews will start moving materials into the new facility this summer. The first U.S. flights since February will begin landing at McMurdo Station on Aug. 20 to prepare the research station for the start of the main summer field season, which opens in late September. Operations Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1865 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1865_winFlyAirForceC17-sm.jpg A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III sits on the runway at Pegasus airfield after making a successful landing during a night-vision mission for Winfly in 2008. Another night-vision mission is planned this year, along with four daylight flights carrying passengers to McMurdo Station. A science team planning to hunker down in Bull Pass in Antarctica's central McMurdo Dry Valleys would today receive a fairly simplistic map to help it protect the fragile ecosystem. Recent work will ensure that 21st century mapping technology catches up with environmental management and protection of Antarctica. Operations Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1863 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1863_jeffScanloGPS-sm.jpg Jeff Scanniello uses a high-precision GPS to help geo-reference a satellite map of the McMurdo Dry Valleys. The new detailed maps will help manage and protect the fragile environment, which is used by scientists for a variety of biological and geological research, among other studies. Maps of Antarctica date back to the days of Roman geographer and astronomer Ptolemy, most of them widely creative but inaccurate until the 19th century. Today, the average person can zoom across Antarctica with Google Earth. And the imagery is only getting better. Operations Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1862 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1862_qkBrdSatImg-sm.jpg A Quickbird satellite image of a field camp in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. The high-resolution satellite imagery is so good one can pick out individual tents in a field camp. Paul Morin, principal investigator for AGIC, says it's like having an on-demand aerial survey capability. The thousand-mile haul between the U.S. Antarctic Program research stations at McMurdo and South Pole is already a reality. Now the USAP is looking to use its re-discovered traverse capabilities on new missions across the continent Operations Fri, 7 Aug 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1856 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1856_soPoleTraverse-sm.jpg The South Pole Traverse crosses the polar plateau in December 2008. Using tractors and sleds to transport material and fuel overland has returned in full force, with the NSF purchasing an entire second train of vehicles and equipment with stimulus money. An Adélie penguin colony can be a cacophonous place, with hundreds of birds braying in an unlikely chorus. That was one of the sounds that Cheryl Leonard wanted to capture, but it wasn't the most interesting one that she discovered. Artists and Writers Program Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1842 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1842_cherylLeonardMic-sm.jpg Cheryl Leonard records the sounds of brash ice in the frigid waters around Palmer Station. The San Francisco-based composer creates music using recorded sounds and "instruments" found in the natural world. A small handful of Antarctic winter-overs has the specialized task of ensuring ongoing research experiments hum along between summer field seasons. These are the research associates - engineer types who seem to know how to tinker and fix just about anything. MacGyvers of the beaker set. Operations Fri, 24 Jul 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1838 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1838_vlfDipoleAntenna-sm.jpg Robert Fuhrmann reassembles the seven-kilometer-long VLF dipole antenna during the summer at South Pole. The transmissions are received at Palmer Station. The system was out of commission for several years until the NSF approved funding to bring it back online. Oona Stern has built her career as an installation artist in urban and suburban environments. On the surface, then, there's not much to suggest what might interest the New York-based artist in Antarctic ice. But she sees ice as yet another type of structure to study. Artists and Writers Program Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1835 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1835_birdsEyeOonaStern-sm.jpg A bird's eye view of Oona Stern sketching natural features around Palmer Station on the Antarctic Peninsula. The New York-based artist spent about a month at the station for a project funded by the National Science Foundation's Artists and Writers Program. It seems only appropriate that a guy with the first name of Steele would work as a machinist during the winter at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. But machinist Steele Diggles stands out in a community known for its unique, well-traveled personalities thanks to a career that could be featured on television's popular Crime Scene Investigation (CSI). People Profiles Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1836 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1836_steeleDiggles-sm.jpg Steele Diggles at the machinist shop in MAPO at the South Pole this winter. In addition to being an accomplished machinist, Diggles has worked for law enforcement as a forensics expert. This winter he will manufacture the 2010 South Pole geographic marker, which he also designed. The winter solstice doesn't get much respect around the world, except in Antarctica, where those spending the dark, cold months pay homage to the shortest day of the year with various ceremonies and feasts. It's a tradition that dates back to the early Antarctic explorers. Back in the Day Fri, 3 Jul 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1825 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1825_midWinterMoment-sm.jpg The 2009 Midwinter greeting from McMurdo Station. A tradition of the modern digital age, Antarctic stations e-mail messages and pictures to each other to mark the winter solstice. Other traditions, such as the Midwinter dinner, date back to the early explorers. Perspectives Thirty years after Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashed into the side of Mount Erebus, New Zealand honored some of the Americans who assisted with the recovery mission with a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Back in the Day Fri, 3 Jul 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1826 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1826_mtErebus-sm.jpg Mount Erebus, where Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashed nearly 30 years ago. New Zealand recently honored the Americans who assisted in the recovery of the bodies with a ceremony in Washington, D.C. and the presentation of a special medal. Dr. Jerri Nielsen Fitzgerald, the former South Pole physician who was diagnosed with breast cancer during the middle of the Antarctic winter, succumbed to the disease on June 23, 2009. She was 57. Life on the Ice Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1812 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1812_jerrinielsen-sm.jpg RIP Dr. Jerri Nielsen Kerry Chuck is a New Zealander who works in two different cultures as the head of the U.S. Antarctic Program's office in Christchurch, New Zealand, the main gateway to Antarctica for many who head south for science and support. People Profiles Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1813 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1813_kerryChuck-sm.jpg Kerry Chuck poses at the South Pole, displaying the New Zealand flag at the ceremonial pole behind the research station (above) Antarctica's First Lady, Edith "Jackie" Ronne, wife of the famed polar explorer Finn Ronne and the first American woman to visit the continent in the 1940s, has passed away. She was 89. Back in the Day Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1808 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1808_edithRonne-sm.jpg Photo Courtesy: U.S. Navy The International Polar Year has officially ended, but it appears the National Science Foundation is only getting started in West Antarctica, with several large-scale research projects scheduled over the next half-dozen years. The revival of Byrd Surface Camp is a key component to support the robust fieldwork. Operations Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1792 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1792_scottTent-sm.jpg A Scott tent sits on the location of Byrd Surface Camp, a deep-field site that used to support science in West Antarctica. The NSF is resurrecting the field camp beginning this year to support a new array of science projects. At approximately 80 degrees south latitude and 119 degrees west longitude, Byrd Surface Camp has supported science in West Antarctica for more than 50 years, dating back to the International Geophysical Year. It has undergone many changes over the decades as it prepares to enter a new chapter of logistical support. Back in the Day Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1793 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1793_byrdSurfaceCamp-sm.jpg Byrd Surface Camp in 2001. The camp served as a year-round research station until 1972, when it was converted to a summer-only field camp. It was last used in 2004-05, but is being resurrected in a big way beginning this year. The National Science Foundation is seeking an 8.5 percent increase in funding for the 2010 fiscal year, with large investments requested in the Office of Polar Programs for climate research and energy security. Operations Fri, 29 May 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1781 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1781_mcMurdoMidWinter-sm.jpg McMurdo Station in the middle of winter, May 2009. The U.S. Antarctic Program research station may see investments in energy initiatives if Congress approves the National Science Foundation's 2010 fiscal year budget request. Antarctica is more accessible than ever before to scientists. But there are still places too dangerous, too remote or simply too expensive to send people and standard equipment to conduct polar research. Instead, robots are carrying out some of the scientific work today. Operations Fri, 15 May 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1772 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1772_meridianUnmanned-sm.jpg The Meridian unmanned aerial vehicle developed by engineers and students at the University of Kansas in Lawrence undergoes tests at a stateside airfield. A trio of storms in April blanketed McMurdo Station in Antarctica, breaking a 41-year record for snowfall and coming close to challenging a world record for wind speed. Life on the Ice Fri, 8 May 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1768 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1768_mcMurdoBuried-sm.jpg A McMurdo Station employee uses a snowblower to clear piles of snow away from the station's medical clinic. More than six feet of snow fell on McMurdo in April, including a record amount in one 24-hour period. Scientists, diplomats and others involved in supporting research in Antarctica and the Arctic converged in Baltimore, Md., this month for the 32nd Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting to discuss topics ranging from climate change to tourism. Operations Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1757 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1757_royalSocietyRange-sm.jpg The Royal Society Range of Antarctica bathed in late autumn light during March 2008, during the height of the International Polar Year. There's a saying that goes, "One man's garbage is another man's treasure." Michael Bartalos has taken one nation's trash in Antarctica and is turning it into a statement about global conservation. Artists and Writers Program Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1755 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1755_MBartalos-sm.jpg San Francisco-based graphic artist Michael Bartalos went to the Ice this past season to create a piece to highlight recycling efforts by the U.S. Antarctic Program. A new satellite communications system at the South Pole will help keep science data flowing after an older satellite operating well past its prime succumbs to old age. Operations Fri, 10 Apr 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1741 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1741_craneAndSat-sm.jpg A crane moves the SPTR-2 satellite dish into position at the South Pole. Jerry Marty first went to Antarctica in 1969, one of many Ice people to begin a life-long love affair with travel. But Marty has a passion for the continent surpassed by very few. He dedicated the last 15 years of his life to ensure 21st century science has a world-class home at the South Pole. People Profiles Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1729 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1729_thePeople-sm.jpg Jerry Marty, at far left, carries the American flag to its new place of honor near the Elevated Station after the Dome was decommissioned on Jan. 12, 2008. A February storm wrecked a field camp on Livingston Island off the Antarctic Peninsula, forcing the team of scientists to abandon their project earlier than planned. Life on the Ice Fri, 6 Mar 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1721 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1721_livingstonCave-sm.jpg The Livingston Island team takes shelter near a cave after a powerful storm wrecked their field camp. Even though though Elaine Hood married a chemist, it wasn't until two years later, when she met a Russian solar physicist, when it dawned on her that it really is the scientists who impress her the most. As she admits "If you see a 50-year old lady chasing a scientist down the hallway, begging for an autograph, it may be me. They're my rock stars." Perspectives Fri, 20 Feb 2009 10:26:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1718 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1718_samBowser-sm.jpg Sam Bowser studies single-celled organisms called foraminifera, or forams, in Antarctica. USAP participants who work on the Ice have the opportunity to meet some of the world's leading polar researchers, observes one fan of science. Climbing a mountain, rappelling down a crevasse, and preserving artifacts from two of the most famous explorers in human history, is not how Susanne Grive would typically describe her summer, but this is exactly what she did during a seven-month journey in Antarctica. Back in the Day Fri, 6 Feb 2009 10:26:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1714 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1714_brassPrimusStove-sm.jpg A brass Primus stove before, left, and after treated by conservators during the 2008 winter at Scott Base. The stove is an artifact from one of the historic huts left behind from the early explorers of Antarctica. Perspective Madey Ridge, located in Antarctica's Pensacola Mountains near the Ronne Ice Shelf, is named for a teenager who played a critical role in the lives of hundreds of Antarctic pioneers. Today, ask any number of retired Navy Seabees if they remember a Jules Madey and every one of them will happily tell you that Jules was one remarkable young man. Back in the Day Fri, 30 Jan 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1688 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1688_HamRadio-sm.jpg U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Adrey Garret uses a ham radio at Williams Air Operating Facility during the 1956 winter. Ham radio was the only means of voice communication with friends and family back in the United States for navy personnel living and working in Antarctica in the days before satellite telephone technology. Antarctic hams have met the space age. While the thrill of hearing a loved one's voice in the United States long ago vanished due to the ability of placing direct phone calls, Antarctic hams still get excited about opportunities to talk to members on the International Space Station. Life on the Ice Fri, 30 Jan 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1701 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-1701_HamRadio-sm.jpg South Pole ham radio operators, from left, Nick Powell, Henry Malgrem and Skip Withrow in the ham room at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Ham radio has been in continual use at the South Pole and elsewhere in Antarctica for more than 50 years. Antarctic hams have even been in contact with the International Space Station. Ben Bachelder braves Antarctic storms, high altitudes and persnickety stoves in the support of science. He tells the tale of setting up camp in the middle of East Antarctica, an area of high scientific interest and a useful place if you want to shed a few pounds as well. Perspectives Fri, 23 Jan 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1685 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-polarHaven_012209-sm.jpg Workers erect a polar haven at the AGAP South camp in East Antarctica in December. In January, scientists used the camp as a base to study a subglacial mountain range that may have served as ground zero for the East Antarctic ice sheet. Prince Albert II of Monaco made a month-long visit to Antarctica to view the impact of climate change at the Earth's southern tip. His visit included stops at McMurdo and South Pole stations. Life on the Ice Fri, 23 Jan 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1687 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-pMonaco_012209-sm.jpg Prince Albert II of Monaco stops at the geographic South Pole during a tour of Antarctica in January. The 50-year-old prince made a month-long journey to view the effects of climate change firsthand. The expedition also included a stop at McMurdo Station. Filmmaker Anne Aghion's latest documentary takes the viewer on a far-away journey to Antarctica, where she wants her audience to feel the wintery blasts of the wind and hear the empty silence of the continent. Artists and Writers Program Fri, 9 Jan 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1669 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-anneaghion-sm.jpg Filmmaker Anne Aghion, center, cooks up lunch for her film crew and a team of scientists working in the McMurdo Dry Valleys in 2006. Morton Beebe and Geoffrey Lee Martin shared in the adventure of the International Geophysical Year more than 50 years ago. Now they've reunited to write a book about one of the IGY's most pivotal figures - and hope to return to the Ice for a related movie project. Back in the Day Fri, 2 Jan 2009 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1667 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-geoffmartin-sm.jpg Geoffrey Lee Martin types out a newspaper story at Cape Royds, Antarctica, in January 1956. In many ways, the South Pole has become an ice-covered field of dreams. The continent's newest and most advanced research station has attracted major, multi-million dollar science projects. And more work keeps coming its way. Operations Fri, 19 Dec 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1666 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-poleauroras-sm.jpg An aurora appears to hover over the new elevated station at South Pole during the austral winter. Concluding 32 years of distinguished service for global communications, one of three aged communications satellites used to connect South Pole Station to the rest of the world was decommissioned in October after eight years of service to the station. Operations Fri, 12 Dec 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1639 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-marisatterminal-sm.jpg A silhouette of the South Pole Marisat-GOES terminal, which is now covered by a radome. Back in the Day Team McChord Airmen assigned to the Expeditionary Airlift Squadron in support of Operation Deep Freeze has completed four operational C-17 Globemaster III airdrops to the Antarctic Gamburtsev Mountain Province since last month. Operations Fri, 12 Dec 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1640 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-cargodrop-sm.jpg A C-17 Globemaster III drops cargo over the South Pole in December 2007. How does weather forecasting in Iraq prepare a person for work in the U.S. Antarctic Program? The only difference, according to meteorologist Mike Carmody, between a remote outpost in Iraq and a field camp in Antarctica is temperature. And maybe a few improvised explosive devices. People Profiles Fri, 5 Dec 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1637 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-carmody-sm.jpg Mike Carmody conducts a field meteorology class for Glenn Helkenn and Jonathan Hayden, from left, in September in Denver before they head south to Antarctica. Science doesn't just happen in sterile labs. Researchers interested in studying one of the world's fastest-changing ecosystems spend months at a time living out of a handful of wooden buildings on the South Shetland Islands just off the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Life on the Ice Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1620 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-copacamp-sm.jpg Snow covers the area around the Copa field camp early in the season when the scientists arrive in October. The small field camps that speck the islands of the Antarctic Peninsula are far from the main artery of USAP logistics, across the other side of the continent. But the peninsula is arguably where the planet is heating up and changing the fastest. A handful of scientists and support personnel make sure these important projects are successful year after year. Operations Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1617 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-copacabana-sm.jpg Penguins flock on the beach near the Copacabana field camp, seen in the distance, on King George Island. Anil Ananthaswamy talks about how cosmology today is in crisis. He asks, "Can the next generation of experiments in cosmology and particle physics help anchor the theories to reality?" Experiments at the South Pole may be key to answering that challenge. Perspectives Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1610 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-spt-sm.jpg The South Pole Telescope, left, and BICEP experiments collect data about the origins of the universe from the South Pole during the winter Scott Sternbach's portraits of those who work in the Antarctic might have been torn from the pages of history. Only the Carhartts, the synthetic fleeces and the various modern accoutrements of his subjects break the illusion. Artists and Writers Program Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1605 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-sternbach-sm.jpg Scott Sternbach prepares to shoot a picture with his 8X10-view camera at Palmer Station. More than 250 people labor at the South Pole each austral summer, supporting and conducting a dizzying array of scientific research. But scientists aren't the only ones attracted to the Pole. A handful of tourists venture south each year, and the number, while modest, has quadrupled in the last five years. Life on the Ice Thu, 6 Nov 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1594 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-feb08aerial-sm.jpg An aerial view of the South Pole Station from January 2008, when most tourists visit 90 degrees south. A complicated international air operation coordinated by the U.S. Antarctic Program, which is managed by the National Science Foundation, has successfully evacuated a badly injured employee of the Australian Antarctic Division from Antarctica to a hospital in Hobart, Tasmania. Operations Thu, 6 Nov 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1600 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-lc130liftoff-sm.jpg A ski-equipped LC-130 military aircraft uses jet rockets to aid in liftoff from a glacier. Martin A. Pomerantz, regarded by many as the father of South Pole astronomy, died Oct. 25, 2008, at his home in northern California, after a long bout with cancer. He was 91 years old. Back in the Day Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1592 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-pomerantz-sm.jpg An aurora shimmers in the night sky above the Martin A. Pomerantz Observatory at the South Pole during the 2008 winter in July. Flight Safety is serious business in the Air Force, and for one Air Force Reserve organization, it's so important they're willing to go to the ends of the Earth. Members of the 507th Air Refueling Wing's 1st Aviation Standards Flight (ASF) are in Antarctica to conduct airfield inspections. Operations Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1569 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-williamsaerial-sm.jpg An FAA Challenger 601 aircraft flies by the geographic South Pole. A team of inspectors from the Air Force Reserve and FAA is down in Antarctica to inspect the USAP's three airfields. A fire claimed one life, injured two people, and destroyed a two-story building at the Russian Antarctic Expedition (RAE) research station Progress in East Antarctica on Oct. 5. Life on the Ice Thu, 16 Oct 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1557 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-progressfire-sm.jpg A two-story building at the Russian research station Progress caught fire on Oct. 5, killing one person and completely destroying the structure. By definition, an adventure involves the unexpected. Author Nancy Etchemendy knew she was signing up for an adventure when she agreed to join a group of oceanographers studying icebergs in the Southern Ocean. She didn't know sea legs would be so hard to come by. Perspectives Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1554 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-etchemendypersp-sm.jpg Author Nancy Etchemendy stands on the deck of the RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer during a science cruise in June. Military personnel who support the National Science Foundation's U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) recently received recognition for their work in Operation Deep Freeze and other missions. Operations Fri, 3 Oct 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1552 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-lc130-sm.jpg An LC-130 sits on the South Pole airfield runway toward the end of the 2007-08 field season. Working behind the scenes to ensure safe travel to and from Antarctica is a team of air traffic controllers and meteorologists who feed updates on weather and other conditions to the pilots flying missions around the white continent. And those jobs are increasingly being done not on the Ice but back in the United States. Operations Fri, 3 Oct 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1551 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-firstflight08-sm.jpg The first flight of the 2008-09 summer field season in early September appears above the Transantarctic Mountains. It's been nearly 80 years since Adm. Richard Byrd made his famous flight over the South Pole, enough time surely for all aviation firsts to be inked into the record book. But a U.S. Air Force crew out of McChord Air Force Base recently added to polar history when it landed in Antarctica using night-vision goggles. Operations Fri, 26 Sep 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1544 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-nightlanding-sm.jpg Cargo is unloaded from a C17 Globemaster III on the night of Sept. 11 at Pegasus airfield in Antarctica. The flight was the first to land on the continent using night-vision goggles. Is anybody listening? That was the subject for a panel of science writers who recently participated in an energy and climate change symposium at the University of Colorado at Boulder. While climate change remains a complex issue for the public, there are signs that somebody is listening. Perspectives Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1543 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-gustav-sm.jpg Hurricane Gustav lashes Louisiana on September 1, 2008 in this satellite-based image from NASA. Get wind of this: Antarctica New Zealand will tap into the naturally blustery conditions around Ross Island to help power its research station and the U.S. Antarctic Program's McMurdo Station. Operations Fri, 5 Sep 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1527 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-windFarm-sm.jpg In this photo illustration, three wind turbines overlook New Zealand's Scott Base. The proof-of-concept project will begin this season, with completion slated for 2010. McMurdo will get about 15 percent of its annual electricity from wind. The first U.S. Air Force C-17s were scheduled to land at Pegasus Airfield near McMurdo Station this week, bringing in new personnel, equipment and some fresh food for the 125 people who spent the austral winter at the research station. The new season brings new challenges as the National Science Foundation addresses a severe budget shortfall blamed largely on rising fuel costs and a flat budget. Operations Fri, 5 Sep 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1524 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-fueltanker-sm.jpg The fuel tanker Lawrence H. Gianella arrives at McMurdo Station in January 2008. A ship brings fuel to McMurdo each year. That shipment will cost about $12 million more this year compared to last season, one of the main factors in the current budget crisis. Some folks down at the South Pole are in line for a MacGyver award after fixing a satellite communications dish that helps connect the isolated research station to the rest of the world. Operations Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1522 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-marisat1-sm.jpg A crew encloses the MARISAT and GOES satellite communications dish for the South Pole Station in a radome in 2004. The gears that move the dish up and down grinded to a halt this winter because the extreme temperatures froze the lubricant, but the Polies at the station were able to fix the problem. Photo Credit: Nick Powell/Antarctic Photo Library Most people will tell you that they joined the U.S. Antarctic Program for the adventure. In some ways, Paul Queior's decision to head south and take a job at Palmer Station seems more as if he's taking a break before the next great adventure of his life. People Profiles Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1521 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-paulq_denali2-sm.jpg Paul Queior and friend Matthew Hurley on Mount McKinley in Alaska a couple of years ago. Queior has taken a slight detour on his quest to climb the Seven Summits to work as an IT network engineer at Palmer Station. Photo Courtesy: Paul Queior The New York Air National Guard, which flies the ski-equipped Lockheed C-130 Hercules for missions around the continent on behalf of the U.S. Antarctic Program, has several initiatives in the works to make the unpredictable Antarctic environment a little less challenging while improving fuel and maintenance efficiencies. Operations Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1520 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-lc130upgrade-sm.jpg The 418th Flight Test Squadron replaced the four-bladed props on a Wyoming Air National Guard C-130H Hercules with eight-bladed propellers to test their efficiency for use in the U.S. Antarctic Program. Photo Credit: Senior Airman Julius Delos Reyes/Air Force The New York Air Natural Guard began a yearlong engagement at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, N.Y., in August to raise public awareness about its mission in the U.S. Antarctic Program, as well as draw attention to the ongoing International Polar Year (IPY). Operations Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1514 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-hercs-sm.jpg Four New York Air National Guard ski-equipped LC-130s sit on the sea ice runway. The planes are the workhorses of the U.S. Antarctic Program, and the star of a year-long exhibit and program at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, N.Y., to promote the Guard's mission in Antarctica. Photo Credit: Jordan Dickens/Antarctic Photo Library Byrd Polar Research Center was established shortly after the International Geophysical Year in 1960 as the Institute of Polar Studies at The Ohio State University. Its missions and focus have evolved over the years, but its commitment to broadening our knowledge of the polar regions has remained constant. Operations Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1434 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-bprc_series-sm.jpg Photo Credit: Peter Rejcek Entertainment can be hard to come by in Antarctica. Those spending the winter on the continent are participating in an international film competition sponsored by McMurdo Station to not only amuse themselves but foster community among nations. Life on the Ice Fri, 8 Aug 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1513 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-filmfest-sm.jpg Photo Credit: Chad Carpenter/Antarctic Photo Library Adult students in a New Orleans literacy class are swapping stories and e-mails with a group of people spending the dark, cold winter in Antarctica. It all started with a little geography lesson and a box of maps. Life on the Ice Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1500 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-aurora_pole-sm.jpg An aurora shimmers over the South Pole in this shot by Calee Allen, who is one of the Polie winter-overs corresponding with an adult literacy class in New Orleans. The post-Katrina residents are interested in everything from climate change to what's on the dinner menu. Photo Credit: Calee Allen/Antarctic Photo Library A career in science seems to sort of just happen for many at Byrd Polar Research Center. Each person has a different story to tell, but the motivation seems to be the same: to solve mysteries and discover new questions to answer. People Profiles Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1467 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-career_mike_steph-sm.jpg Stephanie Konfal and Mike Willis deploy instruments for the TAMDEF project in the Beacon Valley in 2005. Both were students under Terry Wilson at the time. Willis is now a post-doctoral fellow at Byrd Polar Research Center. Each researcher at Byrd has his or her own story about choosing a career in science. Photo Courtesy: Mike Willis Paul Ponganis is an Antarctic veteran researcher who has studied emperor penguins in the field for more than 20 years. He describes the research and field conditions with excerpts from his journal. Perspectives Fri, 6 Jun 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1449 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-ranch_penguins4-sm.jpg Emperor penguins gather around a dive hole at the Penguin Ranch on the sea ice in McMurdo Sound. Antarctic researcher Paul Ponganis believes that by studying emperor penguin physiology, he can help doctors better understand hypoxia in human patients. Photo Credit: Henry Kaiser/NSF Byrd Polar Research Center is one of the nation's premiere facilities for studying the Antarctic, Arctic and alpine regions of the world. The Antarctic Sun takes a closer look at the center and its faculty in a series of articles. Operations Fri, 23 May 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1428 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-bprc_campus-sm.jpg Orton Hall on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus houses the Department of Geology, which includes offices for several researchers affiliated with the Byrd Polar Research Center, including Terry Wilson and Larry Krissek. Photo Credit: Peter Rejcek No larger than a classroom, the Goldthwait Polar Library contains more than 12,000 titles about the polar regions. Operations Fri, 23 May 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1432 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-bprc_books-sm.jpg Books about the Antarctic and Arctic are packed into the Goldthwait Polar Library at Byrd Polar Research Center. The library boasts more than 12,000 titles and more than 1,000 maps. Photo Credit: Peter Rejcek You're alone for the next eight months of the year at the bottom of the world. What do you do to keep busy? You rock ... the South Pole Station held a major music festival last month to entertain the staff and scientists. Look out, American Idol. Life on the Ice Fri, 23 May 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1427 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-polestock7-sm.jpg South Pole band The ReTardis performs at Pole Stock 2008 at the gym in the Elevated Station. Five bands and two solo acts turned the event into a six-hour music marathon that featured everything from thrash metal to original acoustic tunes. Photo Credit: Heidi Lim Children's author Nancy Etchemendy, known for spinning science fiction and horror tales for young adults, hopes to tell the story of an Antarctic science expedition to the Weddell Sea through her own self-described "gothic sensibilities," as well as through the words of a curious boy named Gib Finney. Artists and Writers Program Fri, 9 May 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1420 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-etchemendy-sm.jpg Children's author Nancy Etchemendy will get a close look at some bergs in June aboard a research vessel, as she writes about the expedition for a series of books for kids and young adults. Nancy Farrell figured she would stick around the U.S. Antarctic Program for maybe five years before moving on to something new in her life. She's still goes down to the Ice, even after beating breast cancer. People Profiles Fri, 9 May 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1421 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-farrel-sm.jpg Nancy Farrell participates in the November 2007 Turkey Trot, a 5K run on the sea ice near McMurdo Station. Anthony Powell's normal day job is as a satellite communications engineer at McMurdo Station. He's on his sixth straight austral winter, monitoring and maintaining the satellite equipment that keeps McMurdo connected to the rest of the world. But he recently completed a short summer stint on the Ice as a photographer under the National Science Foundation's Antarctic Artists and Writers Program. Artists and Writers Program Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1402 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-powell-sm.jpg An aurora shimmers above New Zealand's Scott Base during the austral winter in Antarctica. Most freelance journalists tackle a different topic nearly every week. A lucky few may engage an assignment for several months. Lucia Simion has made Antarctica her own personal beat for the better part of a decade. People Profiles Thu, 3 Apr 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1400 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-simion-sm.jpg Lucia Simion gets a closer look at a penguin chick. Simion is an Italian-French photojournalist who has made Antarctica her personal beat for the better part of a decade. Canadian painter Linda Mackey co-founded the Polar Artists Group two years ago. Coordinating with the International Polar Year, most of the group's 50 artists, photographers, writers and filmmakers have traveled to the Arctic or Antarctic to create art to capture life in these extreme environments. Artists and Writers Program Fri, 21 Mar 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1380 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-soule-sm.jpg Geologist Adam Soule uses a LIDAR to map the lava flows at Mount Morning with the Royal Society Range in the background. Elke Bergholz has been to the bottom of the world twice in nine years as a teacher, though there are no children in Antarctica. She says the experience is about much more than just "having been there." In a personal essay, she writes the memories and experiences will linger with her forever. Perspectives Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1376 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-bergholz-sm.jpg Elke Bergholz Elke Bergholz carries a carbon dioxide collector field case back to the Atmospheric Research Observatory. Researchers studying the effects of climate change around the Antarctic Peninsula have data stretching back nearly 35 years. To protect the fragile ecosystem and the integrity of this natural laboratory, the U.S. Antarctic Program has proposed creating an Antarctic Specially Managed Area for the marine-based region. Operations Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1378 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-asma-sm.jpg An elephant seal pokes its head out of the water near Palmer Station. Environmental protection of Antarctica has long been a cornerstone of international policy, and many areas of special interest enjoy additional safeguards under various designations that dictate how national programs manage those sites. The management plans for six sites overseen by the U.S. Antarctic Program, called Antarctic Specially Protected Areas, are being tightened to further protect their special environmental values. Operations Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1377 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-aspa-sm.jpg Penguin researcher Grant Ballard walks around the Adélie penguin colony at Cape Crozier. The opportunity to recover his collection of chamber music that he left in Antarctica in the 1950's never presented itself, despite 15 trips to the Ice over six different decades, a total of 18 field seasons. Now, at age 78, Charles Bentley is back in Antarctica, the principal investigator with Ice Core Drilling Services (ICDS) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. People Profiles Thu, 6 Mar 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1370 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-bentley-sm.jpg Charles Bentley, far left, and the rest of the Byrd Station traverse team pose in front of a Tucker Sno-Cat in February 1958. The disappearance of thousands of tons of stuff -- from earplugs to engines -- is a part of a deliberate plan to remove excess and obsolete material off Antarctica. And this is the final season of the five-year retrograde project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Think spring-cleaning on a town-wide scale. Operations Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1365 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-retrograde-sm.jpg Emily Wampler, a materialsperson apprentice for the retrograde project, adjusts the forklifts on a vehicle referred to as a pickle. This year's mission for the South Pole Traverse team was to re-establish the 1,600-kilometer-long route between McMurdo and South Pole stations, conducting maintenance along the way. Operations Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1361 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-08traverse-sm.jpg Heavy equipment operator Dale Hill readies a traverse tractor for leaving the South Pole on January 13, 2008. Michele Gentille's stories conjure images of European chateaus and cavernous wine cellars, with her life like a cross between a Conde Naste travel article and a restaurant review in Food and Wine magazine. People Profiles Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1359 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-gentille-sm.jpg South Pole sous chef Michele Gentille prepares cheese enchiladas for lunch. Photo Credits: Peter Rejcek The National Science Foundation (NSF) is looking to boost its 2009 fiscal year (FY) budget by about 13 percent over the current budget year, with a request for $6.85 billion. The total budget request for the Office of Polar Programs (OPP) is a shade over $490 million, an 11 percent increase over OPP's estimated FY 2008 budget. Operations Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1358 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-budget09-sm.jpg The Swedish icebreaker Oden, left, and the cargo ship American Tern at the McMurdo Station ice pier on Feb. 11, 2008. Photo Credits: Chris Demarest/Antarctic Photo Library The opportunity to come to Antarctica was just one in a series of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, as far as "Shuttle" Joe Kendall is concerned. But it's an opportunity that the 78-year-old Illinois farmer pursued for six years. His perseverance netted him a position this summer season as a shuttle driver at McMurdo Station. People Profiles Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1348 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-kendall-sm.jpg "Shuttle" Joe Kendall took up ceramics as a hobby during his time at McMurdo Station, creating a brood of penguins for his family. Photo Credits: Peter Rejcek The South Pole International Film Festival lets Polies exercise their creativity in their free time -- and document this unique living environment at the same time. Life on the Ice Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1349 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-spiff-sm.jpg An aerial view of the South Pole Station, site of the fifth annual South Pole International Film Festival. Photo Credits: Emrys Hall/NSF Snowmobile mechanics Bob Sawicki and Toby Weisser at McMurdo Station did some heavy duty dumpster diving this season to assemble the hippest ride on rubber track anywhere on the continent. Life on the Ice Thu, 7 Feb 2008 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1341 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-snowchopper-sm.jpg McMurdo Station snowmobile mechanics Bob Sawicki, standing, and Toby Weisser show off their snowmobile chopper. Photo Credits: Peter Rejcek A Catholic priest from New Zealand, the Rev. John Jolliffe led the Midnight Mass on Christmas at the Chapel of the Snows at McMurdo Station. The event marked the 50th anniversary since the Rev. Ron O'Gorman of the Christchurch Diocese traveled via icebreaker to Antarctica to become the first Kiwi priest to celebrate mass on the Ice on Dec. 25, 1957. Life on the Ice Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1334 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-nzchaplains-sm.jpg The Rev. John Jolliffe performs mass in the Chapel of the Snows at McMurdo Station. Photo Credits: Fleet Ratliff Most artists who travel to Antarctica express the continent's jaw-dropping landscapes or its scientific importance through photography, painting, the written word and even the ice itself. Andrea Polli wants you to hear the continent, whether through the natural rush of water under its glaciers or the sizzle and hiss of scientific data translated into sound. Artists and Writers Program Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1337 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-artofsound-sm.jpg Sound artist Andrea Polli at work in the weather tower at Williams Airfield near McMurdo Station. Photo Credits: Andrea Polli One era ended and another began on Jan. 12, 2008, when the American flag was lowered from its place on top of the iconic South Pole dome and then raised over the new multi-million-dollar elevated station. A delegation of federal officials from the United States joined station personnel in dedicating the new Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Operations Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1315 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-polededication-sm.jpg The new Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station was officially dedicated on Jan. 12, 2008. Photo Credits: Peter Rejcek The road to Port Hueneme on California's southern coast slices through strawberry fields and rural fruit stands, a bucolic drive that ends at quiet beaches and a naval base that is home to the U.S. Antarctic Program's logistics nerve center. Operations Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1321 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-pthueneme-sm.jpg Mike Lewis, Port Hueneme receiving supervisor, logs recently arrived materials. Photo Credit: Peter Rejcek New Zealand legend Sir Edmund Hillary died January 11 in an Auckland hospital after a lifetime of adventure and charity work. People Profiles Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1314 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-hillarypassing-sm.jpg New Zealanders from Scott Base lower their national flag during a brief memorial service on Jan. 11 (local time) for Sir Edmund Hillary. Photo Credit: Cpl. Nancy Cox The Clothing Distribution Center in Christchurch, New Zealand, may just contain more extreme cold weather gear than any outdoor shop on the planet, outfitting about 2,000 people each year as they head south to Antarctica. Operations Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1309 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-cdc-sm.jpg The Clothing Distribution Center (CDC) in Christchurch, New Zealand, has more than 140,000 pieces of extreme cold weather (ECW) gear for issue to U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) participants. Photo Credit: Peter Rejcek Getting to the South Pole went a little less smoothly for carpenter Mark Freeland than the operation to lower the historic sign that has hung over the entrance to the iconic dome for three decades. People Profiles Wed, 2 Jan 2008 15:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1291 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-freeman-sm.jpg Mark Freeland and the heavy carpenter crew remove the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station sign. Photo Credit: Ethan Dicks A C-17 Globemaster III, flown by airmen from McChord Air Force Base in Washington, airdropped more than 20,000 pounds of cargo at the South Pole on Dec. 19 in a training exercise designed to keep personnel sharp in the case of an emergency. Operations Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1302 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-airdrop-lg.jpg A C-17 Globemaster III, flown by airmen from McChord Air Force Base in Washington, airdropped more than 20,000 pounds of cargo at the South Pole on Dec. 19. Photo Credit: Chad Carpenter The National Science Foundation (NSF) is teaming up with NASA and a private company to test an inflatable habitat that the space agency may use for a return expedition to the moon. Operations Thu, 6 Dec 2007 15:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1290 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-tothemoon-sm.jpg This inflatable building will be erected at McMurdo Station in Antarctica to test its resiliency for a future NASA moon mission. Photo Credit: Jeff Cole Guy Guthridge spent 35 years of his life with the National Science Foundation working to create the foundation's unique Antarctic Artists and Writers Program. The program has drawn the likes of well-known photographer Norbert Wu and filmmaker Werner Herzog to the Ice in recent years. Artists and Writers Program Thu, 29 Nov 2007 15:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1285 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-guthridge-sm.jpg Guy Guthridge gives a lecture about the National Science Foundation's Antarctic Artists and Writers Program. Photo Credit: Peter Rejcek A grant recipient of the National Science Foundation's Antarctic Artists and Writers Program, Rogers spent about six weeks on the Ice in 2005. A writer and college professor who specializes in editing anthologies, her own love affair with the continent began as a young girl listening to her father's stories about the South Pole. Artists and Writers Program Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1280 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-susanrogers-sm.jpg Writer and editor Susan Fox Rogers, right, spent six weeks in Antarctica to develop an anthology of Antarctic writing. Photo Courtesy: Susan Fox Rogers Ann Curry and the Today Show crew reporting live out of McMurdo Station make one last effort to reach the South Pole. Weather has grounded all airplanes to the Pole since Oct. 31. Life on the Ice Thu, 8 Nov 2007 15:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1271 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-anncurry-sm.jpg Today Show anchor Ann Curry reports live from McMurdo Station. Photo Credit: Myrna Gary This season marks The Antarctic Sun's 10th year as the U.S. Antarctic Program's official news source for everything you wanted to know about Antarctica, the cutting edge science that takes place, and the people who make it happen. Operations Thu, 1 Nov 2007 15:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1262 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-sunanniversary-sm.jpg The Antarctic Sun has covered cutting edge science for a decade. Photo Credit: Peter West (left) and Andrew Colhoun A U.S. scientist writes about his red beans-and-toast experiences aboard the HMS Endurance as a guest of the British Antarctic Survey during a science cruise to evaluate historic structures along the Antarctic Peninsula. Perspectives Thu, 1 Nov 2007 15:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1264 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-arenz-sm.jpg Built in 1940, East Base is the oldest extant U.S. station in Antarctica. Scientist Brett Arenz traveled to the site. Photo: Brett Arenz Today's South Pole is only the latest incarnation in a steady stream of historical watersheds. Countless reminders of past glories sit in glass displays and hang from the walls of those spotless hallways, witness to 50 years of habitation and human drama. Back in the Day Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:26:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1208 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-polespast-lg.jpg Winter Site Manager Andy Martinez worked in his spare time to refurbish many of the frames that held pieces of polar history. It's a mild September day in Arvada, CO, a suburb west of Denver, with bluebird, cloudless skies. But the firefighter trainees are perspiring heavily in their yellow bunker gear, the sweat pouring off noses and down necks like candle wax melting. Life on the Ice Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1210 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-fireschool-sm.jpg Dave Breitenfield, center, helps direct an exercise for South Pole firefighter trainees. Photo by: Peter Rejcek Working as a courier at McMurdo Station transforms all of town into a circuit workout. Get out of the truck. Walk into the building. Climb up the stairs. Drop the envelope. Climb down the stairs. Walk out of the building. Get into the truck. Drive to the next building. Repeat. Life on the Ice Sun, 14 Jan 2007 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1216 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-couriers-sm.jpg LaVonne Hynes Weber, left, and her sister Lorraine Weber work as McMurdo's couriers. Photo by: Steven Profaizer As George Blaisdell looks around Antarctica, he does not see so much what is here as what might be. As operations manager in the Office of Polar Programs of the National Science Foundation, his job covers the spectrum of how things get done, from getting electricity to the stations to giving aircraft a safe place to land. Operations Tue, 9 Oct 2007 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1222 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-watertruck-sm.jpg A truck spreads water on the roads to help keep the dust down. McMurdo Station will be a key link in a new environmental satellite system that will not only benefit meteorological forecasting and climatic research but also triple the local bandwidth for communications by as early as January 2008. Operations Sun, 4 Feb 2007 10:40:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1203 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-npoess-sm.jpg Anthony Powell, satellite communications tech, and Cleve Cleavelin, McMurdo IT operations manager, look over the old NASA dish. Photo by: Steve Martaindale South Pole residents can relate to the famous lament of this mariner, surrounded by undrinkable water. The station sits on top of a two-mile-thick ice sheet, which stretches to the horizon in every direction, gently rolling like a calm sea. Operations Sun, 4 Feb 2007 09:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1205 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-poleaeriel-sm.jpg The South Pole station rests on the Polar Plateau, an area of polar desert. Photo Credit: Robert Schwarz Take almost any town in the United States and watch the comings and goings of its goods. The same thing happens in Antarctica, but a symphonic representation would be more like Joseph Haydn's "Surprise Symphony," 51 weeks of calm materialistic existence startled awake by the annual unloading and reloading of the supply vessel. Operations Sun, 4 Feb 2007 10:12:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1204 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-recycling-sm.jpg Janitors Jenny Hilts, bottom, and Lisa Purvis empty recycling containers in a McMurdo Station building. Photo by: Steve Martaindale McChord Air Force Base pilot Lt. Col. Greg Pyke has flown countless trips to Antarctica, but nothing prepared him for the cargo he had the honor of carrying on his final mission Jan. 18. Pyke learned that Everest conqueror Sir Edmund Hillary was due to return to Antarctica to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the New Zealand base he built there. Operations Sun, 28 Jan 2007 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1215 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-hillary-sm.jpg Sir Edmund Hillary (left) sits in the cockpit of a C-17 aircraft with aircraft commander Lt. Col. Greg Pyke. Photo by: John Henzell Miami artist Xavier Cortada came to Antarctica to spread the word about climate change and to educate the public in the little-known scientific and historic facts about the seventh continent. But he didn't quite expect for his brief journey here to change his own artistic style so radically. Artists and Writers Program Sun, 21 Jan 2007 10:00:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1213 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-cortada-sm.jpg Miami artist Xavier Cortada puts the finishing touches on a painting. Photo by: Peter Rejcek "I was 38 years old when I realized that I had probably retired at 35." Dr. Harry Owens had just completed three years cruising up and down the Amazon River in the rainforests of Brazil on a hospital boat, bringing medical education and care to isolated villages. People Profiles Sun, 4 Feb 2007 10:14:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1221 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-owens-sm.jpg Dr. Harry Owens has made a medical career out of tending to patients in the most out-of-the-way areas. Photo by: Steven Profaizer At first glance, Kevin Field does not look like someone who should be reminiscing about "the old days" in Antarctica. But the shaggy-haired lead mechanic at McMurdo Station has spent 18 summer and three winter seasons in the Antarctic since 1980, when he came down to the Ice for the first time. People Profiles Sun, 4 Feb 2007 10:16:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1220 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-field-sm.jpg Kevin Field works as a lead mechanic for the McMurdo Station heavy shop. Photo by: Peter Rejcek At 86 years old, Sladen would be promptly forgiven for handing out cards that say, "Retired - No Job - No Worries," but a quick conversation gives the impression that he has no interest in slowing down, especially while visiting the continent he first saw just shy of 60 years ago. People Profiles Sun, 4 Feb 2007 10:18:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1207 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-sladen-sm.jpg William J.L. Sla.Sladen, right, shows Sir Edmund Hillary where he signed a book. Photo by: Peter Rejcek Looking back 40 years, John Evans tells the story that conquering Antarctica's tallest peak was made possible through a decision based on a nation's pride. Looking back less than four weeks, he tells the story of an attempted re-conquest that came down to swallowing one's individual pride. People Profiles Sun, 28 Jan 2007 10:20:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1217 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-evansgroup-sm.jpg The original members of the American Antarctic Mountaineering Expedition pose for a photo. Photo by: Val Carroll Ten months ago, I was sitting at my desk grading papers at the Zoo Academy - a Cincinnati Public School on the grounds of the Cincinnati Zoo where I'm a botany and physics teacher - when I received a phone call that would change the focus of the next year of my life. Perspectives Sun, 4 Feb 2007 10:22:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1219 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-schulte-sm.jpg The original members of the American Antarctic Mountaineering Expedition pose for a photo. Photo by: Val Carroll My travels in the last couple of years have taken me from the sand and heat of Mesopotamia to the ice and cold of Antarctica. No mortars here - just dive-bombing skuas. Helicopters on the Ice carry scientists rather than wounded soldiers. I've traded armored Humvees for PistenBullys and a Kevlar vest for a big red parka. Perspectives Sun, 4 Feb 2007 10:24:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1218 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-green-sm.jpg Mike Green, center, spent 17 months in Iraq before heading to much colder climes in Antarctica. Photo by: Mike Green Its membership includes a scientist who first visited Antarctica nearly 60 years ago and officials from the National Science Foundation. The Old Antarctic Explorer's Association is possibly the largest organization of its kind dedicated to preserving the collective memory of Antarctica, a club of kindred spirits fascinated with life on the Ice. Back in the Day Sun, 4 Feb 2007 10:26:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1202 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-oaea-sm.jpg The Old Antarctic Explorer's Association logo. Credit: OAEA A mere 20 days after it was demonstrated that an airplane could land and take off from the South Pole, a small team of men was deposited at that loneliest imaginable spot, charged with the task of building a permanent station. Back in the Day Sun, 21 Jan 2007 10:26:00 GMT http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1214 Read the Story http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/images/rss-pole50-sm.jpg U.S. Navy Seabees in the South Pole galley in 1956. Credit: Dick Prescott