Traversing the Space Between

On Tuesday, I was able to slip away from McMurdo to head to South Pole. The LC-130 taking me was supposed to take off at 8:30am, but we were a few hours delayed for mechanical issues. Here’s one of the LC’s in the background as I waited. I had never flown on an LC-130 before so did not know what to expect when I climbed into the plane. There were bags and cargo everywhere! The seats were along the sides and just basically a canvas material that moved every time anyone in your row moved. Not as comfy as a C-17, and those aren’t comfortable either. I was onboard with a technician going out to work on a science experiment called IceCube. Ase (pronounced Oo-say) is from Sweden. We were the lone two civilian passengers in a sea of military on board. My position does have some perks, like being allowed to sit in the cockpit. I went up there a bit during the flight. The navigator is showing me that we are ½ way there. We normally would have had nice views out the window, but the weather wasn’

And my NSF Representative tour begins..... Last week I took over as NSF Representative. Day 1 felt like I was in a mission control simulation with two different airplane situations, one of which had me interacting with another international program. But, it wasn't too long before I felt back in the flight controller saddle and was feeling at home making command decisions for many different aspects thrown at me. I am absolutely loving this position. I get to interface with the military, the contractors, foreign programs, etc.  And, I'm pretty sure as the top NSF person on-site, I have the biggest office in Antarctica.  Here are some pics of my office. I've added even another monitor since these were taken, so I really do feel like I'm in Mission Control.  The shelves contain gifts from foreign programs, challenge coins, literature on our program, etc.  And, this is why you haven't heard from me in awhile.... I've been a bit busy..... The big news of the week....

Last year I was supposed to fly to the South Pole, but I got Covid and had to quarantine in McMurdo. I’ve waited a year to get my chance to go again. The ice gods are not with me yet again. Flights have been delayed so much that I do not have time now before I start my NSF Representative tour. The one LC-130 that made it in last night was to be my ride to Pole, however it had to go straight back to New Zealand with a medevac. That’s just how things go down here. Hard to make plans! We will see if I can get away during the remainder of my deployment, but now it will be much harder to leave McMurdo when I assume my official role. At New Zealand's Scott Base down the road I’ve been learning more about my position which includes interactions with other international Antarctic programs. New Zealand’s Scott Base is just down the road from us. They are doing a large rebuild of their base, including a reroute of the road we share that leads out to our airfields. Road construction collabora

Yesterday, the South Pole Overland Traverse team took off on their journey from McMurdo to South Pole to deliver cargo and fuel. I really enjoy seeing this team work together, and I wanted to see the departure. Scenery driving to the SPOT departure site Before departing, they gathered as a team in their small kitchen module and scarfed down their lunches. I had taken a tour of their modules the last time I visited, but did take a peek at their freezer that they bring with them, which includes three turkeys... one for Thanksgiving, one for Christmas, and one for New Year's. They should be back before NY's, but they were certainly be gone for the other two holidays.  Cooking area in the module Freezer with all their food for the journey there and back. You can see the Butterball Turkey It was a beautiful, sunny, but brisk day out on the ice shelf where the modules and tractors were lined up to head out. The tractors did not have the fuel bladders on them yet, as those were filled

The night before our flight, McMurdo had a pretty intense snowstorm, and the airfield was in jeopardy of not being prepared to receive a flight the next day. Our arrival time to the Clothing Distribution Center was moved back two hours to 8am vs 6am, as we awaited news of McMurdo's airport status.  When you get to the CDC, you have to change into your cold weather gear and get all your bags ready for check-in. You can only take a small carry-on on the plane. One of your checked bags is called a "boomerang" bag, such that they pack it where they can easily get it back to you if the aircraft returns to the original destination or never takes off.  "Big Red" parka on and orange ECW bag This is my luggage stack - 2 duffles, ECW bag, and a backpack ECW bags lined up for the females on the flight We were finally given the go around 10am to start the boarding process. Once onboard the C-17, you strap down into a seat on the side of the plane. I had the unfortunate seat

Here we go! Deployment #2 is underway. I arrived in Christchurch, New Zealand after a fun 30+ hours of travel in the most indirect way possible to my destination. I was whisked immediately away to the Clothing Distribution Center to make sure all the cold weather gear from last year still worked well. After I got to the hotel, I didn’t emerge for over a day. I am not amused after 30+ hours dealing with American Airlines (not my choice!) debacles.... I haven’t had a real chance to look around Christchurch before because we had to quarantine last I was on my way to McMurdo, and I flew back to the US within 8 hours of landing from Antarctica on my way home. Day 2 this trip was rainy and miserable, so I mainly stayed inside the hotel and worked. Day 3, however, as my only day in a sunny Christchurch, I made up for it. I wanted to see what the “downtown” area was like, check out the Botanical Gardens, and make sure I had some comfort foods that I wouldn’t be seeing for awhile in Antarctica.