Loose that jets and the wheels; those things don't work down here. It's props and skis from here on out. Our LC-130 and the lovely folks from the NY Air National Guard who brought it to us. They just arrived down here the same week, and have begun their tireless shuttling of people and things (LOTS of fuel) to and from the Pole. They arrived from similar activities they were pursuing in Greenland, at another US research base there. (Many workers and one carp i work with also make this seasonal trip). So here it is, Hercules equipped with skis and little jets on the back, for that extra push getting off the ice with a heavy load.
All packed in and ready for an exciting ride, we contemplated the 50s era seat belts and helped each other pull with all our might to tighten them; we were off. Our flight took about 5 hours, for most of which the only thing to see out the window was the two-mile thick ice sheet covering the continent. We were only a little disappointed when the landing was smoother than a commercial jet. Maybe it was the skis? or the snow? or both? The thrill seekers in us were not sated, but we were all happy to land safely in the hands of our excellent pilots.
So what now? We get off the plane. We're home. Enjoy the view. You know, you can see the curvature of the earth down here.
Oh, yes, and enjoy the weather!
This is a screen that scrolls constatntly all day long showing temp, wind chill, wind speed and virtual altitude (here just a bit over 11000 feet.) Of course this is just an example. When we arrived it was about -50 F with a windchill below -70 F. The weather above, however, was probobly more uncomfortable due to the windspeed. I think you may be able to get current weather at southpole.usap.gov.
2 comments:
hey! i'm reading a book about science stuff at mcmurdo right now. so i was extra excited when helena told me you had made it down! awesome.
This gives me extra incentive to not complain about the weather. It has been frigid in Massachusetts, most mornings finding me red-fingered and wet with breaking ice out of water buckets and hauling five-gallon buckets of the liquid crystal clear to various four-legged/clawed friends.
No more weary thoughts for me! A zero degree windchill before thanksgiving is a piece of pie compared to your below -70.
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