November 16, 2009

South Pole!!!

I fell into some fortunate circumstances and got scheduled to go to South Pole for about a week. The Pole, as it is shorthandedly referred to/as, is about a 3-hour plane ride on the LC-130 aka Hercs. Here is some more pics of the Hercs:

The purpose of my trip was to get cross trained in taking drinking water and wastewater samples. This involved testing them and sending some back to Christchurch, NZ for laboratory analyses. We also visited some areas where solid wastes have been stored for the past few years to examine/plan for logisitics and removal. Another part of the trip was to get acquainted with the staff and the facilities, including understanding some of the science that is being conducted.

So the Pole is around 9,000 ft elevation, but because of certain atmospheric conditions it can physiologically be the equivalent between 9,ooo - 11,000 ft feet. Because we are basically going from sea level to these higher elevations, the medical staff highly suggest that people take altitude medicine. There is concern of altitude-related pulmonary and brain edema (there are more scientific names for these, that I'll look up later), which can ultimately result in death. Commonly people have some symptoms such as shortness of breath while at rest, headaches, and sleep apnia. I ended up taking the Diamox drug, that I believe increases your respiration rate so that you can attain more oxygen.

In the two weeks leading up to the trip I took, there had been a case of someone not taking one of the two available prescribed drugs and they had to be put in this pressurized bag that is kind of like a portable hyperbaric chamber - it is called a GAMOW bag. This person recovered, but had to go through a nasty experience and were sent back to McMurdo ASAP (shortening their Pole trip). The GAMOW bag is basically a large duffel bag that is airtight and that you can fit in with maybe a foot of space radially around you. The bag is kept at pressure and provided fresh oxygen by a manual pump (the same kind of pumps used to inflate air mattresses). This would not be a fun experience.

The Old Station

This is a picture of me in front of the Geodesic Dome- which was the signature of the last USAP South Pole base. It is somewhat the symbol of the South Pole Station. It is currently being decommissioned/deconstructed at this time. So I was lucky that I got to see this before it is comletely gone. Supposedly one of the problems with this dome was that is would constantly have to be dug out. I heard that the large tractors basically have to operate 24/7 to keep removing snow from around the structure. (This seemed definitely true, while I was there.

Inside of the Dome...I believe people used to sleep in Millvans under the Dome at one time.

The new South Pole Station...Elevated Station. At the time of my visit there was till construction going on, but the main part of the station was done...including berthing, galley, gym, science labs, computer labs, offices, etc. It is constructed for about 200 occupants. Although currently there are more people stationed at the Pole, but some are stationed in "Summer Camp" in Jamesway tents.



My impressions of the Pole...The new elevated station is real nice. I was very lucky and was housed in the station during my one week stay. I actually had my own room and had internet available in my room as well (quite a luxury vs. McMurdo with my 3 roommates and internet only available in the computer lab). It is pretty darn cold here, while I was in town it averaged negative 30 degrees C and with wind chill negative 50 degrees C. I can't imagine what the winter would be like. Although The Southern Lights would be awesome to see.

Heading down the stairs in a building located outside of the Station that will be deconstructed...(Skylab)

Random Frozen fish...

We were able at one point to walk through the ice tunnels. The ice tunnels were carved under the station and have pipes that carry drinking water and wastewater to and from the station. The tunnels are not at all supported by any infrastructure and are pretty far underground and travel a long ways from the station. The walls are somewhat bulging inwards, which is a little scary..but nonetheless very interesting.

The drinking water that is melted from the ice here is very old. Supposedly some of the best water around though.

This is a pic of the green house at the new station...I was able to help out at the greenhouse for an hour or so and harvest the remainder of the plants for consumption as well as clean up the hydroponic system to prepare it for the next planting. They had romaine, arugula, zuchinni, and chard going at the time. It was pretty cool to see Green plants that were still alive....

Picture of a fuel arch. Contains about forty-five 10,000 gallon tanks of diesel... Has an additive to prevent freezing.

Some Science

Science- the reason we are here - to support the research.

Ice Cube. Ice Cube is a project that examines Neutrinos. The building in the picture is the processing center for data that comes from a huge grid of maybe 60 or so modules that each go down a mile or a half into the ground and have sensors that detect light/neutrinos as they go through the ice. It works well here because of the clarity/cleanliness of the ice. The mile and a half is almost to bedrock...(That is some thick ass ice!)

10-m telescope. 10-m diameter dish with what I believe is supposedly less than a 10 micron error in construction. Used to examine big-bang theories. Looking at some kind of energy and light remanants from that event. Definitely something a little (more like a lot) over my head.

Opposite of me, out of the picture, is the BICEPS telescope that is examining related events. Supposedly is on the verge of the "smoking gun" confirming the big bang.

Other science that is being conducted here includes atmospheric research...there are sectors away from the station that have limited access and have certain provisions for entering. This includes a clean air sector, a dark sector, and a quiet sector. The Clean air sector has supposedly the cleanest air in the world.

Not science, but a picture of what is dubbed "SpoolHenge." Leftover spool from cables...

The South Pole

Obligatory "Hero" Shot. At geographic Pole....Bottom of the World.

Ceremonial Pole. Surrounded by Flags of Treaty Nations.

The Pole was pretty sweet for me to get to. I was really lucky and appreciate the chance to have gotten down there. Its interesting that it is so flat other than the human influence. There seems to be a lot less activities to do outside when compared to McMurdo, but there is a different aura here as well. The population is much smaller...250 vs 1000 and theres some sense of pride/bordering on standoffishness that some of the polies seem to have. Not necessarily bad, but there is definitely a different feelin when compared to the aura at McMurdo. Don't get me wrong, everyone there was nice that I ran into, but they almost seem to look at McMurdo residents and the station with disdain. I guess in some ways I understand the Pole is a lot harsher - Colder, Drier, Higher, and more isolated. Someone explained to me that the socially the Pole is better because there is way less people, but at McMurdo there is much more to do and see (on and off base), which I think I can agree to (so far).