Antarctic station at the South Pole "Amundsen — Scott"
In December 1911, the famous Norwegian traveler Roald Amundsen was the first to reach the South Pole. In honor of this day, we decided to see how polar explorers live in our time.
Photoblogger Sergey Dolya says: "The Amundsen—Scott station, named after the discoverers of the South Pole, impresses with its scope and technology. The complex of buildings, around which there is nothing but ice for thousands of kilometers, has its own separate world. They didn't reveal all the scientific and research secrets to us, but they conducted an interesting tour of the residential blocks and showed us how polar explorers live..."
Source: LiveJournal/sergeydolya
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3. Initially, during construction, the station was located exactly at the geographical South Pole, however, due to the movement of ice over several years, the base shifted 200 meters to the side.
4. This is our DC-3 aircraft. In fact, it was heavily modified by Basler, and almost all the stuffing in it, including avionics and engines, is new.
5. The plane can land both on the ground and on the ice.
6. This photo clearly shows how close the station is to the historic South Pole (a group of flags in the center). And the lone flag on the right is the geographical South Pole.
7. Upon arrival, we were met by a station employee and gave us a tour of the main building.
8. It stands on stilts, just like many houses in the north. This is done so that the building does not melt the ice under it and does not "float". In addition, the space below is perfectly blown by the winds (in particular, the snow under the station has not been cleaned once since its construction).
9. Entrance to the station: it is necessary to climb two flights of stairs. Due to the fact that the air is thin, it is not easy to do this.
10. Residential blocks.
11. It was -25 degrees at the pole during our visit. We arrived in full uniform — three layers of clothing, hats, balaclavas, etc. — and then we were suddenly met by a guy in a light sweater and crocs. He said he was used to it: he had already experienced several winters and the maximum frost that he found here was minus 73 degrees. For forty minutes, while we were walking around the station, he was walking around like this.
12. The station inside is simply amazing. To begin with, it has a huge gym. Popular games among employees are basketball and badminton. 10,000 gallons of aviation kerosene per week are used to heat the station.
13. Some statistics: 170 people live and work at the station, 50 people stay in winter. They are fed free of charge in the local canteen. They work 6 days a week for 9 hours a day. Everyone has a day off on Sunday. Cooks also have a day off, and everyone, as a rule, eats what is left uneaten in the refrigerator since Saturday.
14. There is a room for playing music (in the title photo), and in addition to sports there is a gym.
15. There is a room for trainings, conferences and similar events. When we were walking by, there was a Spanish lesson going on.
16. The station is two-storey. A long corridor runs through it on each floor. Residential blocks go to the right, scientific and research ones go to the left.
17. Conference room.
18. Next to the balcony, it offers a view of the outbuildings of the station.
19. Everything that can be stored in unheated rooms lies in these hangars.
20. This is the IceCube neutrino observatory, with which scientists catch neutrinos from space. In short, it happens like this: the collision of a neutrino and an atom produces particles known as muons and a flash of blue light called Vavilov—Cherenkov radiation. In the transparent Arctic ice, IceCube optical sensors will be able to recognize it. Usually, for neutrino observatories, they dig a mine at a depth and fill it with water, but the Americans decided not to be petty and built IceCube at the South Pole, where there is plenty of ice. The size of the observatory is 1 cubic kilometer, hence, apparently, the name. The cost of the project is 270 million dollars
21. The theme made a bow on the balcony overlooking our plane.
22. Invitations to seminars and master classes hang all over the database. Here, for example, is a writer's workshop.
23. I noticed the garlands of palm trees attached to the ceiling. Apparently, longing for summer and warmth takes place among employees.
24. The old station sign. Amundsen and Scott are two discoverers who conquered the South Pole almost simultaneously (if viewed in a historical context), with a difference of a month.
25. There was another one in front of this station, it was called "Dome". In 2010, it was finally dismantled. This photo captures the last day.
26. Recreation room: billiards, darts, books and magazines.
27. Scientific laboratory. They wouldn't let us in there, but they opened the door a crack. Pay attention to the trash cans: separate garbage collection is practiced at the station.
28. Departments for firefighters. The standard American system: everyone has their own closet, in front of him a completely ready-made outfit.
29. You just have to run up, jump into your shoes and get dressed.
30. Computer club. Probably, when the station was built, it was relevant, but now everyone has laptops, and they come here, I think, to cut themselves into a toy over the network. There is no Wi-Fi at the station, but there is personal Internet access at a speed of 10 kb per second. Unfortunately, they didn't give it to us, and I never managed to check in at the pole.
31. Just like in the ANI camp, water is the most expensive pleasure at the station. For example, flushing in the toilet costs a dollar and a half.
32. Medical center.
33. I raised my head and looked at how perfectly the wires were laid. Not like it happens here, and even more so somewhere in Asia.
34. The station is home to the most expensive and most inaccessible souvenir shop in the world. A year ago, Eugene Kaspersky was here, and he did not have cash (he wanted to pay with a card). When I went, Zhenya gave me a thousand dollars and asked me to buy everything in the store. Of course, I stuffed my bag with souvenirs, after which my fellow travelers began to hate me quietly, since I created a queue for half an hour. By the way, you can buy beer and soda in this store, but they are sold only to station employees.
35. There is a table with the seals "South Pole". We all took our passports and stamped them.
36. The station even has its own greenhouse and greenhouse. There is no need for them now, because there is a communication with the outside world. And in winter, when communication with the outside world is interrupted for several months, employees grow their own vegetables and herbs.
37. Every employee has the right to use the laundry once a week. You can take a shower 2 times a week for 2 minutes, that is, 4 minutes a week. I was told that usually everyone saves money and washes once every two weeks. To be honest, I already guessed by the smell.
38. Library.
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40. And this is a corner of creativity. There is everything you can imagine: sewing threads, paper and paints for drawing, prefabricated models, cardboard, etc. Now I really want to get to some of our polar stations and compare their way of life and facilities.
41. There is a stick at the historical South Pole, which has not changed since the time of the discoverers. And the pointer of the geographical South Pole is moved every year in connection with the correction for the movement of ice. The station has a small museum of knobs accumulated over the years.
Keywords: Antarctica | Polar region | Pole | Arctic Circle | Sergey Dolya | Station | South Pole