www.polar.org/antsun The December 17, 2000

PublishedAntarctic during the austral summer at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, Sun for the United States Antarctic Program

Quote of the week Sweep dancing “Here nobody has to go shopping, nobody has to pay any bills, nobody has to deal with the lawyer. Everybody works 54 hours a week and nobody complains.” - scientist at McMurdo

INSIDE Creativity runs hot in Antarctica page 5

Runway refresher page 6

Adelies’ enormous new Janitors (left to right) Barbara Clampet, Dee Miller, Michelle Waknitz and Kayla Surginer practice a neighbor broom formation for the Mardi Gras parade while Jean Mather keeps time in the background.Photo by Kristan Hutchison Sabbatini page 11 Lighter than air Heavy on science Engineer By Josh Landis Randy Gould Sun staff works on the Walking out of the glare of Williams Field and into the Long instrumentation Duration Balloon barn feels like entering a Hollywood special-effects of the ATIC studio. The smell of wood and construction materials mingles with the project. whir of high-powered computers. Engineers, technicians and scientists Photo by Josh churn through dizzying displays of data. An air of quiet focus pervades. Landis. In the middle of it all, bathed by skylights, as if on a stage, is the see Iceberg on page 4 2 • The Antarctic Sun December 17, 2000 News In BRIEF

Vostok evacuation ment plans to serve food and beverages. Last season, the library was moved to two bedrooms in Building Two people suffering from high-altitude sickness were removed from 155 with a limited book selection. The old library room became the the U.S. field camp at Vostok station. One developed High Altitude temporary dining room over the winter while the dining facility was Pulmonary Edema (HAPE), a condition that can be fatal. The other had less renovated. severe symptoms. Both were brought to McMurdo Station to recover. Building plans called for updating the old library, but were recent- The U.S camp is called "East," the translation of the Russian word ly rescheduled to winter 2002, prompting the move back to the big- “Vostok.” It sits at 11,443 feet (3,488 meters) in elevation. Because of the ger site, where there is a lounge area with sofas and tables. Volunteers thinness of the Antarctic atmosphere, however, it has a barometric pres- have been re-shelving the books. sure that is closer to 13,000 feet (3,962 meters). Camp population this sea- Once the library is open, anyone who would like to volunteer can son is expected to top 35 people. contact Reese Coffin, [email protected]. Volunteers are need- East has been specially set up to deal with the possibility of altitude ill- ed during the day. ness, said field support manager Steve Dunbar. The library hours are: “We hired a paramedic trained to work at high altitudes,” said Dunbar. Monday: 5-9 p.m. “There’s an ample supply of oxygen, two Gamov bags (portable hyperbar- Tuesday: 1-3 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. ic chambers) and state-of-the-art medication to handle altitude sickness.” Wednesday: 6-9 p.m. McMurdo’s head doctor, Betty Carlisle, said those preparations made Thursday and Friday: 7-9 p.m. all the difference. Saturday: closed “They were two moderate cases that would have become serious, were Sunday: 3-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. it not for the excellent care up there,” she said. - Beth Minneci Upon returning to McMurdo Station, Carlisle said, both people’s health returned to normal. Galley chief is gone - Josh Landis Executive chef Jody Cheever resigned and will not be replaced Library to reopen in new, old location until sometime after summer. Cheever left Thursday for his home in Las Vegas. McMurdo’s library is scheduled to reopen Tuesday with its full Until a replacement is hired, food, beverage and retail manager selection of books restored. Lester Bracey and station services general manager Bob Tellez will The hours, listed below, will not change. The library's entrance take over Cheever’s duties. will be on the north side of building 155 between the laundry room and galley dock. From 8 to 9 p.m., Tuesday the recreation depart- - Beth Minneci

The Sun’s Annual creative Signs of summer writing The blustery storms that festival turned November into a record-snowfall (Maximum month have subsided, Poetry as the sun melts the length 30 lines.) streets and hills Fiction (Maximum around McMurdo. length 500 words.) Photo by Josh Landis. Finish this story... (Maximum length 500 words. Scenario avail- able at the Sun office.)

Entry deadline: 6 p.m. Dec. 24Enter via e-mail to [email protected], or at the Sun office in McMurdo’s Building 155. December 17, 2000 The Antarctic Sun • 3 LETTERS to the editor Survival tips from a chaplain Between Thanksgiving and the New Year, we may find our- Moderation selves on an emotional roller-coaster. This “best of times” and This is not to throw a wet “worst of times” response is normal during the holidays, espe- blanket on the celebrations, cially when separation, distance and limited communication with it is a reminder that we are family members are included. The following tips can assist each all dependent on each other of us in surviving these holidays in a positive manner, and enable here on the Ice. Anyone us to have a joyous season. whose excessive behavior becomes the norm and not the excep- Communication tion dampens others’ ability to enjoy their holidays. If I cannot Write, e-mail, and call home and significant others often. meet my responsibilities then someone else has to do his or her Whether this is here in McMurdo, Montana, or Malaysia, we job and mine. That is the real wet blanket during the holiday sea- need to be more expressive during the holidays. With this expres- son. siveness, we need to add listening to others. Listening to how Consideration something is said is as important as listening to what is said. A Be each other’s keeper; we need to care. We need to listen, great gift to give to others this holiday season is “both” ears to watch and watch out for each other. We need to be preventive. We their conversation. need to become proactive and get involved when someone is hav- Celebration ing a difficult time and see it through. We need to have the Plan now to celebrate these holidays as normally as possible. courage to make referrals. Use the resources available to provide yourself and others a holi- If we are having a difficult time making it through the holi- day experience that is as much like home as possible. Get a group days, we need to seek help. This is not a sign of weakness but together, whether it’s your work group, your friends, your faith strength. The help will be confidential and can be provided by group, or an event with the community as a whole and celebrate either of the chaplains or the counselor here on station. the holidays. Planning and preparing for holidays are as important as the celebrations themselves. - Chaplain Art Moore

• http://bat.phys.unsw.edu.au/~aasto/ being irtually A look at the South Pole. there • http://plato2.bro.lsu.edu/aticweb/Webcam_DMON3/webcam/index.htm Live shot of the long-duration balloon hangar at Williams Field. • http://www.skywatcher.com/cam.htm V McMurdo Station on camera, live, all the time. the week in weather The Antarctic Sun, part of the United States Antarctic Program, is funded by the National around Antarctica Science Foundation. Opinions and conclusions McMurdo Station Palmer Station (Saturday) South Pole Station expressed in the Sun are not High: 39F/4C High: 45F/7C High: -13F/-25C necessarily those of the Foundation. Low: 10F/-12C Low: 28F/-2C Low: -20F/-29C Use: Reproduction and distribution are Windchill: -6F/-21C Average: 34F/1C Avg. temp: -18F/-28C encouraged with acknowledgment of source Wind: 13 mph/20 kph Wind: 46 mph/74 kph Wind: 25 mph/40 kph and author. Publisher: Valerie Carroll, Communications manager, Raytheon Polar Saturday’s numbers Services around the world Senior Editor: Josh Landis Editors: Beth Minneci Menomonie, Wis. Havana, Cuba Kristan Hutchison Sabbatini High: 25F/-4C High: 84F/29C Contributions are welcome. Contact the Low: 7F/-14C Low: 70F/21C Sun at [email protected]. In McMurdo, visit Palestine, Texas Edinburgh our office in Building 155 or dial 2407. High: 60F/16C High: 38F/3C Low: 27F/-3C Web address: www.polar.org/antsun Low: 22F/-6C 4 • The Antarctic Sun December 17, 2000 From page 1 group’s center of attention. “We’re the cheap seats to space,” said The contraption looks like a space sta- Long Duration Balloon (LDB) project tion model or science-fiction movie prop. manager Steve Peterzen. He said a 24-day A white, tubular exoskeleton nearly 20 balloon mission can be set up and execut- feet tall supports a bird’s nest of wires, ed in as little as six months for a cost of sensors and electronics. But this contrap- one million dollars. In contrast, a trip tion is not for show. It is one of two multi- aboard the Space Shuttle would take years million dollar instruments ready to tune to plan, be more than 10 times as expen- into a tiny sliver of the universe’s energy, sive, and have fewer days at altitude. and it will travel to the edge of space. The largest balloons can fly as high as The Advanced Thin Ionization 140,000 feet (42,672 meters) and expand Calorimeter (ATIC) will soon ascend to nearly 40 million cubic feet (1,132,673 more than 20 miles into the sky, hanging cubic meters) in volume. A balloon that under an enormous balloon. ATIC will size could “contain two 747 airplanes then set its sights on what it was made to nose-to-nose with room to spare,” said monitor: cosmic rays. These nuclei of balloon engineer Derek Dolbey. atoms travel at speeds close to the speed During the separate ATIC and TopHat of light, are about 12 million years old and flights, the balloons will rise to about are the only bits of matter that reach us 120,000 feet (36,576 meters) and stay afloat from distant regions of the galaxy, and for two weeks or more, until the payload is maybe other parts of the universe. The cut loose from the balloon with an explosive ATIC experiment will help clue scientists charge. It will then fall to the Earth at speeds into how supernovas cause these high approaching 700 miles per hour before energy particles to move through space being gently lowered to the ice by parachute. and explain other space phenomena. After that the team will travel by airplane or But ATIC isn’t the only cosmic game in helicopter to retrieve the instrument. town. Next door, in a different building, is Peterzen said larger balloons and pay- the season’s main balloon experiment called loads could be launched here if not for the TopHat, more formally known as The limitations of the launch vehicle. The old Optimally Positioned Half-Degree retrofitted Delta used to suspend the pay- Anisotropy Telescope. This instrument is load before lift-off can only handle about focused on the happenings even deeper in 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms). space. It’s designed to collect data on the Before the launch can even be consid- Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. ered however, the atmospheric conditions The term sounds intimidating, but the must be just right. A circular, counter- theory isn’t hard to grasp. CMBR consists clockwise wind current over the continent of waves of energy that were released must be present. This pattern will ideally when the universe formed. It is traveling carry the balloon from Williams Field, through the universe in all directions, at all around the continent, and return it (ideal- Top: Greg Guzik inspects the ATIC times. The portion of the CMBR that ly) to within a few hundred miles of instrument in the long duration balloon TopHat will examine dates back approxi- McMurdo. It’s a meteorological phenom- barn at Williams Field. A massive balloon mately 12 billion years. Ultimately the enon that makes these projects possible, will carry it more than 120,000 feet waves will help further develop the Big because the balloon’s path can be predict- into the sky, where it will detect Bang theory, shed light on what happened ed. The winds at lower altitudes need to be cosmic rays. in the first moments after the universe was nearly still, too. Even a gentle breeze Bottom: The two staging workshops for "born," how it’s evolved, and how it could would wreak havoc on millions of square balloon projects rest in a depression change in the future. feet of balloon material. in the snow at Williams Field. The experiment includes a spinning “We like to keep the winds under six Photos by Josh Landis. telescope and a detector system that rides knots (7 miles per hour) constant,” said on top of the balloon, rather than hanging Peterzen. “The balloon is a huge sail.” beneath it. It will map a sector of the sky Even with the balloon partially extend- above the polar cap. TopHat will spin at a ed, a gentle breeze could drag the vessel, constant rate as it floats above Antarctica payload and launch vehicle across the ice and record continuous data on CMBR. with disastrous results. As advanced as these instruments are, So far this season, all the pieces are they wouldn’t be able to see a thing without falling into place. A “pathfinder” balloon the help of helium-filled balloons. The went up just over a week ago, and it’s National Scientific Balloon Facility was showing ideal conditions for the first established in 1961 under the National release. A tracker is available on the inter- Science Foundation. Since then it’s moved net through the facility’s website at under NASA’s auspices, but still works http://tower.nsbf.nasa.gov/. closely with the NSF for Antarctic launches. “The software is working, the weather These massive vehicles achieve an alti- looks good, the winds have set up and tude that puts them just shy of being we’re hoping for a Monday launch,” said spacecraft. Greg Guzik, ATIC project coordinator. December 17, 2000 The Antarctic Sun • 5 Ant ica sparse land andart life inspire artists Story and photos by Kristan Hutchison Sabbatini Sun staff Production Cook In dim dorm rooms and dirty shops, cooks, welders, and and artist Elaine other workers are making art. Parker finishes a About 40 artists and craftsmen will show their work at pencil sketch of the South Pole in her the 15th annual Ross Island Art Show from 1:30 to 4:30 bedroom. p.m. today in the cafeteria. Antarctica presents unique challenges for artists. At home in Vermont, Elaine Parker paints in a full studio on large can- “We forgo the bar scene and do art.” vases. In Antarctica she sticks to paper and pencil, sitting on Gibbens scrounged together watercolor paper, pencils, the edge of her bed as she props the drawing on her knee. pens and whiteout from recycling bins to work with. His She’s tried sketching outside, “but it’s ridiculous parents are sending a care package full of art supplies. because it’s too cold,” she said. “I have actually had the For the art show, Gibbens and Adams worked with typical wind blow a pencil out of my hand and tear the paper Antarctic motifs - penguins, icebergs, seals and Antarctic cod. right off the pad.” But Gibbens added quirky twists, like levitating penguins. Instead she works mostly from photographs and memo- “It’s sort of wildlife art with an edge, a different sort of ry, using journal notes to remind her of the feeling and col- slant,” Gibbens said. ors of a particular scene. Adams admits that one of the reasons to feature penguins Parker doesn’t mind giving up her paints for a few in her crisp ink washes is the birds’ near-icon status, but she months though. also enjoys drawing the birds. “There’s something about Antarctica that lends itself to “Sometimes they’re humorous, but sometimes they can black and white,” she said. “The rock is black and so are the be really elegant,” Adams said. “It’s easy to put a mood with shadows and the sky is light.” them. To me, they’re somehow representative of the land- Parker's as much inspired by her coworkers in the kitchen scape, the sharp contrast.” as by the landscape outside. The limitations of life in Antarctica as much as the land- “There’s an incredible beauty in the workforce here,” scape drive other artists. Rick Miller expected to continue said Parker, who wants to return through an Antarctica his abstract painting in Antarctica, but the box of acrylic Artists and Writers Grant to draw portraits of workers. “To paints he sent never arrived. Instead he turned to the materi- me, that’s the untold story.” als on hand in the heavy metal shop where he works, weld- Parker knew to pack her sketch pads and graphite pencils ing steel into abstract sculpture. because this is her third season, but Justin Gibbens and Miller pulls his materials, and his inspiration, from the Renee Adams left their art supplies behind when they waste metal bins. He was cutting notches in a pipe when he packed for their first trip to the Ice. noticed how the triangular scraps contrasted with long, thin “I didn’t know how much time I’d have to make art, how slices he’d cut off. much energy I’d have after a 54-hour work week,” said “That reminded me of a kind of line quality I make when Gibbens, a janitor. I’m doodling,” said Miller, who welded the pieces together Once here, he discovered the inspiration of the landscape into a rough cross shape for the art show. often overshadowed his exhaustion. Using scraps limits what Miller can do, but he finds “The landscape here is really intriguing,” Gibbens said. scarcity forces creativity. “I’ve discovered over the years that when you have all the wealth of materials, sometimes you’re stifled,” said Miller. The isolation of Antarctica drives Alexis Lassman to draw and paint. Without the distractions of television in her room or easy access to drugs, she channels her tension into her art. “It’s a release for me. I do get really down and frustrated and anxiety ridden,” Lassman said. “Art is something to just completely lose myself in, just like meditation, where I don’t have to think for a while.” Lassman said her art comes from within, from the dark and dreamy recesses of her imagination. In a watercolor she worked on for a month, two partial nudes stand in tortured positions, their skin like stained glass from the overwashes of greenish color. The art is so personal Lassman never sells it, but will be selling handcrafted silver jewelry she designed Metal worker and artist her first season in Antarctica at the art show. Rick Miller cuts scrap “I never do landscapes or anything that reflects the envi- metal (above) and ronment of this place, but it reflects the starkness and the then arranges it into rawness,” Lassman said, intently sketching in the craft a sculpture (left). room. “It makes you kind of mental and that’s good for art.” 6 • The Antarctic Sun December 17, 2000 nge Pegasus Ice runway at Winfly. Photo courtesy of Bill Haals.

There’s potential a

By Beth Minneci Sun staff at Pegasus h n the clearest days, from Scott Base one can spot a small speck south Three runways’ lives across the ice shelf. It's c Pegasus Ice runway. Built on either snow or ice, the life spans and ORunways are central to our lives. limitations of McMurdo Station's three runways are We look to them for letters and largely determined by the type of ice on which they packages from home and for fresh are built, the amount of snow that drifts or falls on food to put on our plates. Runways are them, and the degree to which the heat penetrates the turning point and a pit stop for the surfaces. people and cargo between McMurdo In mid-August, a few Winfly flights land on Station, the South Pole and field Pegasus Ice runway with crews that build the sea camps. They are like a vantage point - ice runway, the main airfield from October to the platform from which we form our December. first and last impressions of On the sea ice, the saltwater freezes in a manner Antarctica. To some of us, runways that segregates the salt into brine pockets, which are a workplace and a second home. melt first and make potholes. Because exposure to Eighteen miles away, Pegasus is the sun weakens the ice, during sea ice operations, the farthest and least-used of crews are careful to keep a thin layer of snow on the McMurdo Station's three frozen ice in an effort to reflect the sun's harmful rays. Too airstrips. much snow is bad because it acts as an insulator This year scientists are studying early in the season from cold air temperatures, whether it is feasible to open Pegasus which drive ice thickness growth. Later, thick snow a month sooner, in December, when traps heat, which melts the ice. the sea ice runway is closed and the During the weeks leading to December, while U.S. Antarctic Program consequently the temperature is getting warmer, the ice is getting is forced to trim cargo and passenger thicker. At about five months, the lag time in which loads. see Three on next page Extending Pegasus' life just a few weeks would entail a lot of prepara- tion but could provide a worthwhile return – up to 25 extra flights a sea- son, said George Blaisdell, an engi- neer leading the Pegasus study. “Consider the length of a season,” Blaisdell said. “The program believes it's not too much effort to do this.” The goal is to make wheeled plane landings safe on Pegasus during December and January, two months in see Pegasus on next page Runway ex December 17, 2000 The Antarctic Sun • 7 USAP looking for alternate landing site In addition to expanding Pegasus runway’s use, scientists and way and Williams Field, McMurdo's U.S. Antarctic Program management are considering an emer- current runways. Usually, the gency runway that could serve as a rest-stop for LC-130 aircraft weather at Odell Glacier is clearer that pass the point of safe return. than at McMurdo, Saburro said. Odell Glacier is 124 miles (200 kilometers) north of Finally, Odell is a blue ice glaci- McMurdo Station. This is the first site to be considered as an er, relatively smooth and is thick. alternate, emergency, runway, said U.S. Air National Guard Col. The site would require little prepara- Richard Saburro. The Guard routinely designates emergency tion before it can be used as a runway, runways wherever it flies. added engineer and scientist George Blaisdell. Last season a plane was forced to land on Odell Glacier with- “This one appears to have the right features,” said Blaisdell. out any preparation when it hit bad weather past the point of safe Blaisdell recently camped at Odell, and analyzed surface return, the position at which a plane still has enough fuel for a roughness and weather characteristics at the site. The Antarctic round-trip. The crew, the plane's only passengers, waited 24 Program will review the data, and make a decision about the hours before a plane from McMurdo Station could bring them preparations, and under what circumstances it would be used. fuel. Blaisdell, who is an engineer with Hanover, N.H.-based Cold “So we have already demonstrated that there is a use for the Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), part runway,” Saburro said. of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has been working with Odell Glacier was picked for its location and makeup, projects in Antarctica since 1989. He was part of the team that Saburro said. It is near the flight path between McMurdo, built Pegasus, which opened in 1993. Christchurch and the South Pole. The site lies in a different weather pattern area than the sea ice runway, Pegasus Ice run- - Beth Minneci

Pegasus from previous page which the runway is closed, and when the Field is only able to handle aircraft with up to 155,000 pounds with cargo is a del- sea ice runway - the main strip of the sea- skis, and most skied planes are smaller icate balance of, among other things, tem- son - is dismantled. than wheeled planes. perature and tire pressure on the snow. By each December, the sun has usually Pegasus, on the other hand, can handle Yesterday a wheeled taxi test was sched- damaged the sea ice surface to a degree the wheels during most months, and is uled with an LC-130. More flights are that it is not worth maintaining anymore, being targeted to one day take over after planned each week until late January. so the program pulls the two dozen or so the sea ice is closed. Opening Pegasus immediately after the buildings that service the airfield to To make a summer snow layer on sea ice runway closes would not only Williams Field, a snowy skiway seven Pegasus that will support wheeled land- boost cargo and passenger transportation miles away. Last Saturday, fleet operators ings, Blaisdell and crews have been pack- between McMurdo and Christchurch, the finished the bulk of that move. The sea ice ing with 50-ton roller machines several ability to use wheeled planes would free closed Wednesday. inches of snow. The experiment is taking up the program's ski planes for intra-con- The switch to Williams Field marks place in December and January. tinent use, said airfield manager Gary mid-summer, and a time when the pro- Packing snow may not sound scientif- Cardullo. gram's cargo and passenger flights slow ic. But finding the formula for com- “It's going to allow us to do more mis- down. This happens because Williams paction that will support planes weighing sions here on the continent,” Cardullo said.

Three from previous page the sea responds to temperature change is The mid-season snow-spread is too fluffy Mt. Erebus much slower than the air’s quick response. and loose to support wheeled plane landings. Runways serving By mid-summer, the sea ice is 8 to 10 feet Each January, the operators strip the snow McMurdo Station ice shelf/sea ice transition thick, but the warm sun has usually damaged layer, leaving the ice bare, on which wheeled wind/snow areas the surface with soft spots. planes can land. runway roads

ice Sea Ice Runway Under snowy Williams Field, the ice is As part of an experiment, engineer a se covered by so much snow - at least 25 feet - George Blaisdell and a crew are packing the lf he Williams Field s that it is not considered an ice runway. The snow-cover at Pegasus, aiming to make a ice integrity of the ice's surface is not an issue base that is sturdy enough to resist the sun's Pegasus Snow here. rays and support wheeled landings during the accumulates While Pegasus is closed, mid-November month of December. here to late January, management pays close atten- The goal is to open Pegasus to wheeled tion to protecting the ice runway from the sun C-130 aircraft immediately after the sea ice N by covering it with a blanket of snow. Fleet runway closes. Mt. Discovery operators try to maintain about a 7-inch snow Black Island White Island layer. - Beth Minneci 8 • The Antarctic Sun December 17, 2000 our Antarctic week 17 17 17 “National Science Lecture 15th Annual Ross Lampoon’s Island Art Show, “Climate in Christmas Antarctica,” by 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 Vacation,” 8 p.m., Cold, Hard Facts p.m., galley Stephen Warren, Coffee House 8:15 p.m., galley Waste reused • Average number of items thrown out by one department and reused by another 18 19 each month: 10 “How the Grinch Library grand • Percent of all waste reused: 24 Stole Christmas,” re-opening • Percent of solid waste reused: 7 and “It’s a with refreshments • Percent of hazardous waste reused: 45 Wonderful Life,” 8 to 9 p.m. 8 p.m., galley • Pounds of waste fuel and oil burnt in two waste oil furnaces: 315,970 • Buildings heated by waste oil: 5 • Number of vehicles in the orange fleet to 19 20 be barged north for auction this year: 71 Seuss-a-Palooza • Age of the vehicles: 15 years revisited, video Birthday Bingo, free • Other items from Antarctica to be sold: showiing of Dec. 3 cake with proof of Airplane parts, commercial stoves, event, 8 p.m., birthday, 8 p.m. serving buffet, bathroom stalls, electric Coffee House Gallaghers. parts • Item deemed not worth shipping and selling: Metal lockers • Destination for truckload of soap leaving www.polar.org/antsun McMurdo last year: Latvia

Ross Island Chronicles By ChicO Today’s menu is krill mixed with algae. You mean you’re going to throw Time for Now, open your up in my mouth? dinner, Jr. mouth while I regurgitate into it. THAT’S GROSS!!

Now quit fussing and open your AGHHHH!!! mouth. If you look And they say hard enough you’ll you should see dessert is feel lucky to mixed in as well. be a parent! December 17, 2000 The Antarctic Sun • 9 UNINCORPORATED Williams Field t-site McMurdo onion dome/ 8 beach ball 7 lollipops Wild Bill’s used car lot 6 2 3 travel lodge

dynamite 9 twins NASA dome 4 and trailer 5 1

Scott Base no snoozeville If McMurdo Station were a town instead of a company town, the out-of-bounds sites would be unannexed McMurdo County. This sketch doesn’t include all of the huts and antennas in unincorporated McMurdo, just the most high profile places.

NSF-owned. Inside, a 33- Being moved with platform foot diameter satellite dish Where explosives and shack, building 70, about tracks, among other engineers get their charges. 600 down the hill. Plans things, RadarSat satellite About 10,000 pounds of explo- include antennas for the orbiting for ice-penetrat- sives are stored in magazines, A platforms. NASA’s new link D ing radar in Antarctica. G buildings set apart from town to TDRS satellite will be here. in case of a boom. Twenty antennas. Thirteen high frequency transmitters inside residential building. Backup receiver antennas Handles communications for One building is empty, in case MacRelay loses South Pole, field camps, flights one is used for storage. One communication with Black and ships. Residential building used to be a nuclear power Island, the program's site has three bedrooms, one bath- generator. The other was B for receivers. E room, pool table and weight H the water plant. room; is scheduled to be razed this year and replaced with remotely controlled site. Home to Cosmic Rays experi- ment, which measures high- The United States Antarctic energy particles in deep space, Program’s main runway Fifty-one trucks and 20 balloon tracking and commu- mid-December until vans will leave with the nication with Williams Field. February. Approximately 45 Greenwave, a cargo ship, Wooden building was once a people work at the airfield, C F expected to arrive in I place where people could stay

where there are 27 buidings.

February. in case of bad weather. Answers: 1.D; 2.B; 3.F; 4.G; 5.H; 6.A; 7.E; 8.C; 9.I 8.C; 7.E; 6.A; 5.H; 4.G; 3.F; 2.B; 1.D; Answers:

graphic and research by Beth Minneci. sources: Bill Haals, Tobias Schunck, Nik Sinkola, Bob Zook 10 • The Antarctic Sun December 17, 2000

A member of ITASE loads boxes on top of the ice core freezer, the first component of the train. The next building in the convoy is the bunk house, followed by the kitchen. Photo by Bob Zook. Science traverse treks along By Josh Landis Sun staff ITASE The International Trans-Antarctic pallets of fuel drums attached to para- In addition to the suite of research that Scientific Expedition (ITASE) is making chutes out of LC-130 aircraft at precise takes place at each stop, the team also set progress on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. locations. The fuel was within feet of up several automatic weather stations. The traverse team has gathered almost where it was supposed to be, but because These instruments are expected to work 656 feet (200 meters) of ice cores and mechanical problems delayed the group’s throughout the winter, providing data continues to collect samples. The multi- progress, side trips were required. Bob that’s never been recorded before. disciplinary effort will teach scientists Zook and Steve Niles went on a retrieval The traverse ran into problems early more about climate changes in Antarctica mission that took them three days and on when their Tucker Sno-Cat, used to over the last 200 years. 168 miles (270 kilometers) round trip pull part of the load, broke down. A The going is tough, though. The sam- from their camp. cracked engine block put it fully out of pling sites are approximately 62 miles “It took eight hours for the two of us to commission, but another heavy vehicle (100 kilometers) apart and take 15-18 dig the parachutes and 16 fuel drums out took its place. hours of non-stop driving to reach. Once and load them up. At 375 pounds each, it ITASE is scheduled to finish this sea- there, the team spends two to three days was a long day,” Zook said. After all the son’s work by early January. They plan to digging snow pits, gathering samples and hauling and traveling he found himself be back next season for another traverse collecting cores. with a new appreciation for the seeming- on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. This year’s traverse also received fuel ly monotonous landscape: “This place is More information is available at the air drops. The Air National Guard sent by no means flat.” website: www.secretsoftheice.org.

Highw 1 y ne o “A case of diet Dr. Pepper. This is diet “Just happiness really. What would you like Coke and I’m sick “A nice big log fire in a cabin I just want of diet Coke.” and a little wine.” to be happy.” for the holidays? M.K. Fortune Patrick Stevens Rudy Dominguez Firefighter paramedic Pipefitter for FEMC Electrician December 17, 2000 The Antarctic Sun • 11

What if you found a in your large iceberg speaking back of yard? science... By David Ainley Special to the Sun he powers that be in the United T States and New Zealand Antarctic Programs have been tracking birds find their food. What this indicates several very large icebergs that are mak- Ross Sea to us is that the density of birds foraging ing their way across the Ross Sea. These from Cape Crozier is so high that pen- bergs separated from the eastern portion -15A guins from the other colonies prefer to of the Ross Ice Shelf last fall near the B forage elsewhere. It’s sort of like the Bay of Whales. They equal in size scene at your local grocery store: when Rhode Island and Delaware. Two are it is busy, no doubt you head for the twice the size of Ross Island. A while shortest check-out line. In eco-talk, Cape Crozier what is happening here is called inter- C-16 HOW DO YOU SUPPOSE ference competition. There is plenty of food, but access to it is compromised ADELIE PENGUINS with too many elbows (or flippers) in WILL HANDLE IT? Ross Ice Shelf the way. Combined, the entire foraging area of the Royds, Bird, and Beaufort back, they made a big splash briefly in colonies is about the same size as that of the news with stories on CNN and in Image courtesy of the Crozier, yet there are only about half the Time magazine. The bergs can be Antarctic Meteorological Research Center, number of penguins using it (280,000 "watched" in satellite imagery to track Space Science and Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison Crozier birds vs. 156,000 from Royds- ocean currents. Now, people are still Bird-Beaufort). Therefore, the foraging watching them out of curiosity, but also density of the Royds-Bird-Beaufort because should they float far enough mitters to the backs of penguins using colonies has not reached the point where west to block McMurdo Sound, they special black tape. That way we can interference competition is a problem. would imact USAP ship operations and, remove the radios for reuse without Well, along comes this iceberg that is ultimately, USAP itself. Not too likely. harming the insulating coat of feathers. occupying a large part of the Crozier One berg – a "small" one, about a The radios are streamlined to minimize foraging area. What is going to happen? quarter the size of Ross Island – is now drag through the water. The radios, in We don’t know, but do have some nestled against the north shore of Ross fact, are just 1 percent of the cross-sec- guesses. It is possible that the Crozier Island, west of Cape Crozier. It has been tion of the penguin, thus they do not birds are already foraging about as far there for the past six weeks or so; and it affect their swimming at all. We then away from their colony as they possibly must be grounded. This iceberg, known spend a good deal of time at higher ele- can. If so, then the iceberg is going to as C-16, occupies about a quarter of the vations, with directional antenna in crowd them even more. In that case, we usual foraging area of the Adelie hand, obtaining fixes of the penguins’ should see a fall off in the amount of Penguin colony at Cape Crozier. It does location as they forage. Where the com- food they bring back to their chicks, or not block entrance to the colony by the pass directions from two listening posts it might take longer for them to find penguins. This colony, at about 140,000 cross, the radio and the penguin are food having to avoid one another more breeding pairs, is one of the largest for located. The radios have a range of than usual. Their chicks will grow more this species anywhere. Therefore, we about 40 miles (64 kilometers). slowly than usual. Or, maybe they have Adelie Penguin enthusiasts are watch- We have found in this aspect of our not been foraging as they can. These ing this berg and the others with as research that the foraging area of the penguins are really amazing swimmers, much interest as anyone. How the pen- large Crozier colony does not overlap to be sure. If the iceberg does crimp guins cope with the bergs will reveal that of any of the other colonies. In con- their style, by reducing the size of their some secrets of their natural history that trast, the respective foraging areas of the foraging area, this will tell us that the otherwise we would never learn. It’s a smaller Royds, Bird, and Beaufort size of a penguin colony is dependent to golden (frosty?) opportunity, as they colonies overlap each other by 30-50 a great extent on the amount of foraging say. percent. Of special interest is the fact habitat available. That is an important During the past four summers, we that the Crozier penguins forage to the bit of information in our effort to under- have been assessing the size and overlap west of Crozier all the way to the east- stand the factors that regulate penguin of the foraging areas of the Adelie ern shores of Beaufort Island, 50 miles populations or cause them to increase or Penguin colonies at Cape Royds (5,000 away. One would think that the Beaufort decrease in size. Indeed, we will be pairs), Cape Bird (38,000 pairs), and penguins would just as easily forage on observing this situation closely. Cape Crozier on Ross Island, as well as either side of their island, but they don’t. that on Beaufort Island (35,000 pairs). They forage only to the west, thus David Ainley is a marine ecologist We do this by affixing tiny radio trans- avoiding the area where the Crozier specializing in penguins. 12 • The Antarctic Sun December 17, 2000 Profile

Morris “Mo” Moore, left, and Kevin Swift secure oil barrels on a pallet. The fuel will be dropped with a parachute from an airplane. MoMo betterbetter barrels andand bluesblues Moore, circled, with The Incredible Rock City Band, circa 1987.

By Beth Minneci Rock City Band played mostly at military “I’ve pretty much been meeting people Sun staff bases, where the band’s equipment was safe all my life, I’d say this is the most concen- he pub crowd grows thin but loud overnight. The group traveled in two vans trated group of people where I can say at closing. In a corner, Morris throughout the central and southeastern everyone is nice and beautiful people.” T“Mo” Moore blows into a shiny United States. Moore and Guard friends Kevin Smith harmonica, producing a rich sound that “It was a way to get known and see the of Arkansas and Ken Villeret of Mississippi turns heads. He smiles, then kicks into a country and you know that you are safe,” he take pride in having broken a social barrier smooth blues tune that draws a small but said. “I was getting paid for having fun.” that exists between military and civilian worshipping audience. When it came time for a change, Moore people, Swift said. In 60 days, Morris “Mo” Moore has joined the Guard for excitement, education “When we first got here, me and Mo become a McMurdo Station fixture at night, and travel. “Everything the commercial talked about it,” said Smith. At the bars and when he swaps his green military fatigues says, I guess.” at parties the men introduced themselves to for tailored black clothes fit for the Chicago At the Little Rock Air Force base, he people. “We said, ‘Hey, we’re here to do a blues circuit. He's known around town for trained as a cargo and parachute rigger four job just like you guys are.’” his flashy clothes, frequent melodic out- years after basic training. It worked. bursts and spirited personality. The cargo dropped from planes can be “That’s just us,” Moore said. “We’re just “He's a lively cat showing his individu- tanks, ambulances, rubber rafts, jeeps, down-home country gentlemen.” ality,” said Southern Exposure bartender ammunition or people. The drops are done Moore compliments the people in Bill Thompson. “He just wants everyone to to avoid a risk, such as landing in a jungle McMurdo's cargo operations. “They do a have a good time.” or in gunfire or, in this case, in a crevasse or real good job here. I’ve got to give it to During the 10 years before he joined the on a snowy surface, said Guard supervisor them.” Air National Guard, Moore made a living Tim Driver. His unit's last project was building and making music. He changed his life when he The bigger the load, the larger the para- packing 60 1,500-pound fuel drum loads took a part-time job with the Guard. Now, chute. Large loads fall with four or five and as many parachutes. instead of traveling with The Incredible chutes. Working with the Air National Guard Rock City Band out of Little Rock, Ark., As for adventure, the Air National Guard part-time leaves several months of the year he's entertaining solo, around the world, in has sent Moore to Guam, Italy, Germany, free for playing music. bars and on couches after hours. Korea and New Finland. In mid-October, When he gets home, The Incredible Rock As a teenager in Little Rock, Moore's he landed in Antarctica. His friends at home City Band will have a new name, but the first instruments were drums in marching laughed at the news. “They know I hate the players will be the same. What is now The band. He liked showing off on stage, so cold.” Billy Jones Show and Revue plays more later expanded his abilities to include syn- Moore left for home yesterday, but had blues than disco, and has moved 150 miles thesizer and harmonica. concluded that the temperature wasn't so from Little Rock to Memphis. “I used to be a shy person, but once I hit bad, and that he would like to return. Next Some weeks Moore drives three nights the stage I was good to go. I like to dance time, however, he'll bring a pair of snazzy to Memphis. But the touring has stopped. out front and clown.” cowboy boots, normally a wardrobe staple – “We’re at the point now where those Moore is thin and wiry, gesturing as he alligator, ostrich, bull-hide, lizard and faux days are gone, but we could write a book, I uses an emphatic tone of voice. He won't baby leopard. “I've got some crazy skins.” am serious.” Moore clasps his hands and tell his age, but that the Rock City Band Leaving the boots behind wasn't an effort looks skyward, laughing. was formed after high school, at least 23 to dress conservatively; he just couldn’t About the old days, he’s nostalgic, but years ago. fathom the place where he was going. not melancholy. To explain, he quotes a Brushes with fame include opening a “I didn't know what to expect.” Now he song that paraphrases Shakespeare. show for the Ohio Players. does. “The whole world’s a stage, everybody’s In 1986, the switch from stage to mili- Moore speaks positively about the last playing a part. I just left one stage and went tary life wasn't such a departure because the two months. to the next.”