The Antarctic Sun October 24, 1999 1 On the Web at http://www.asa.org October 24, 1999 Published during the austral summer at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, for the United States Antarctic Program South Pole rescue mission a success By Sun Staff The temperature at the South Pole was hovering around minus 58 F, the cutoff point for a safe landing. The crew of the ski-equipped Hercules LC-130 pushed south from McMurdo, looking for a chance to land and carry out a rescue mission being watched around the world. Four months of suspense ended on October 16, when the 109th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard made the earliest landing ever at Pole to bring Dr. Jerri Nielsen off Photo by John Penney Dr. Jerri Nielsen the Ice. “It was a great A whiter shade of pail team effort,” said Col. Graham Pritchard, Feeling their way around the Ross Ice Shelf, students in the Field Safety Training Program airborne mission commander on the flight. practice search-and-rescue in simulated whiteout conditions. Photo by Josh Landis. Nielsen—and the U.S. Antarctic Program—made international headlines when she discovered a lump in her breast Summer season in full swing during the dead of the polar winter. With By Josh Landis weather conditions too cold for a rescue, The Antarctic Sun the National Science Foundation organized a July 11 airdrop. Antarctica is under invasion. One of the world’s largest scientific deployments is South Pole workers lit fires in barrels descending upon the continent, made up of more than 800 U.S. researchers and the in the Antarctic night to mark out a drop hundreds of others it takes to support their work. zone for the mercy mission. An Air Force There’s a lot in store this summer—out in the field, on the ships, and at the C-141 cargo plane, staged out of research bases. This year’s program includes 150 science projects and the continuing Christchurch, overflew the Pole and sent evolution of U.S. stations around Antarctica. Here’s a look: six bundles of supplies and medical Talk of MacTown equipment parachuting toward the station. One of the first things to grab your attention was probably the work on High- Once the bundles were retrieved, Nielsen way 1 in Building 155. The winter renovation project was extended into summer, but began her secluded treatment. the new offices will be finished by November 1. See “Pole”—Page 2 See “Summer”—Page 2 In search of tiny New jet makes first Sipping the wine Byrd’s ‘unstoppable’ giants / Page 4 ice landing / Page 6 fantastic / Page 7 flop / Page 9 The Antarctic Sun October 24, 1999 2 “Pole”—continued from Page 1 After arriving back in the United States and receiving medical attention, She may have been isolated, but Dr. Nielsen, a 47-year-old mother of Dr. Nielsen was not alone. Forty other three from Youngstown, Ohio, broke her people spent the winter at Pole, many of public silence last week with a state- whom made her diagnosis and treat- ment crediting the countless people ment possible—and may have saved her involved in her treatment and rescue. life. “I am grateful for the many people Lisa Beal, senior computer techni- who have helped make my homecoming cian at Amundsen-Scott South Pole possible: the 109th Airlift Wing of the Station, said many of the winterers New York Air National Guard, the U.S. made large personal sacrifices to ensure Air Force, the National Science Founda- The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Dr. Nielsen got the best care possible. tion and Antarctic Support Associates— NSF file photo. Some of the essential tasks plus all the behind-the-scenes folks Nielsen’s coworkers performed in- whose efforts made it possible for me to cluded taking and staining tissue When the October rescue mission treat myself in Antarctica.” samples, shooting electronic pictures approached the supporting cast grew with a special microscope, administer- larger, involving people at McMurdo Editor’s note: In coming weeks the ing intravenous lines, managing the who operated the sea ice runway, fueled Sun will take a closer look at the saga at the teleconferencing system—not to men- the planes, forecasted the weather, South Pole—how it unfolded, who was tion providing emotional support for provided air traffic and prepared for involved, and what had to be done. Dr. Nielsen. potential search-and-rescue missions. “Summer”—continued from Page 1 Life at ground zero Right around that time construction will start on two new 2 The ocean off Antarctica may be teeming with life, but most million-gallon fuel tanks on the outskirts of town. of the continent’s interior is a vast, frozen desert—lifeless at all South Pole progress but the microscopic level. McMurdo may be the hub of most things Antarctic, but Researchers at the South Pole and around McMurdo will South Pole will be hopping. investigate algae and bacteria in permanent ice and snow and try The reconstruction and modernization of South Pole Station to figure out how they survive and how they got there. is ahead of schedule and within budget, and crews are preparing Among other applications, this work could offer clues to to work around the clock. how life might exist on other planets. Air support here at McMurdo will be in high gear, too. Facing space More than 270 flights to pole are planned this year. The total The South Pole is probably the best place on Earth to look at weight of cargo, fuel and passengers will amount to 6.6 million the heavens. There are several super-telescopes there, but one pounds—all flown on LC-130s by the 109th Airlift Wing of the device actually uses the ice at the Pole as a kind of lens. New York Air National Guard. The Antarctic Muon and Neutrino Detector Array Eyes on the Ice (AMANDA) consists of a series of sensors that detect subatomic The International Trans-Antarctic Scientific Expedition particles hurtling through the universe. (ITASE) is a combined effort of researchers around the world who AMANDA helps scientists search for supernova explosions come to the Ice to map the West Antarctic ice sheet. It’s a five-year in our galaxy and sheds light on “dark-matter” particles— project aimed at better understanding how the ice sheet behaves, believed to make up most of the matter in the universe. and what factors affect it. A sudden collapse could cause worldwide disaster, forcing sea levels to rise and inundate coastal areas. This summer the U.S. team will traverse more than 400 The Week miles of ice, drilling cores that provide a picture of the last 200 years. Seal seekers In Weather The ice that trapped and destroyed Shackleton’s Endurance is prime real estate for seals. More than half the world’s seals live in the pack ice surrounding Antarctica. McMurdo South Pole This season the research vessel Nathaniel B. Palmer will cruise through parts of the Ross and Amundsen seas, supporting Maximum: 25 F Maximum: -27 a project to count seals and sample different aspects of their Minimum: -2 F Minimum: -81 environment. Drilling back in time Maximum wind: Maximum wind: The Cape Roberts Project in the southwest Ross Sea is in its 33 knots third year, and will reach even further back in time. The interna- 40 knots tional project will core deeper into the earth and allow scientists Minimum wind to look back as far as 100 million years—to learn about a time period unknown to Antarctic researchers. chill: -57 F The Antarctic Sun October 24, 1999 3 Jeff Inglis Here comes the Sun lives in Addison Well, here it is—the season’s first issue of The Antarctic Sun, the world’s County, highest, driest, coldest, windiest newspaper. Vermont. Welcome to another season on the Ice. Behind those fur-rimmed hoods are He has a lot of new faces this season, including those of your intrepid journalists, Aaron worked as a Spitzer, Josh Landis and Jeff Inglis. We’ve introduced ourselves in the sidebar, writer, so say hello when you see us around. photogra- We’re putting out a weekly issue this summer, rather than every other week. We’re also going to the Web in style, with a brand-new site at <www.asa.org>, pher, and Web designer for several including both HTML and PDF formats. All the stories are online, as well as the local papers in Vermont, and has pictures, so check it out electronically if you can. The Web is also a great way to just completed his master’s degree help your friends and family back home stay on top of developments down in journalism at the University of here, so tell them about it. Missouri-Columbia. The Sun is in its third year this season. The former editors have left big bunny boots to fill, but we feel confident we can cover this continent of 5.4 million square miles—with your help. Aaron Our more frequent publication schedule means there will be even more Spitzer room for your contributions. If you take photos, write news, essays or humor, or resides in even draw cartoons, please let us know. If you’re at Pole, Palmer, in the field or Juneau, on the ships, we particularly want your help keeping everyone informed on Alaska. He what’s going on. You can e-mail us at [email protected], call us at x2407 here in MacTown or stop by our office just off Highway 1 in Building 155.