It's a daydream of mine to work in Antarctica for a season. I don't really know how it works and I doubt it's something I could do, I'm not a scientist. Seems like it would be an awesome experience though.
This tour of Amundsen-Scott Station makes it seem like they're not "roughing it" so much anymore. Sure the sun may not set, pull the blind. Plenty of indoor light for the long nights, as well. Too cold to go outside? Go do a myriad of indoor activities with a whole contingent of other people or get away in the vast indoor spaces.<p>Great walk-through, 30 minutes flew by in interesting fashion.<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5lQ9DCXIbs" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5lQ9DCXIbs</a>
It says McMurdo was powered by a nuclear reactor for 10 years (ending in 1972). Anybody know why they got rid of it?<p>Edit: Wikipedia to the rescue: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMurdo_Station#Nuclear_power_1962.E2.80.931972" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMurdo_Station#Nuclear_power_...</a> "As a result of continuing safety issues (hairline cracks in the reactor and water leaks), the U.S. Navy Nuclear Power Program decommissioned the plant in 1972."<p>Still seems cheaper to run another better one than bringing in 8 million gallons of fuel every year?
I very much like the German station which keeps stepping up on top of the packed snow. Buildings as really very slow vehicles seems a particularly successful way to build in an environment with a high degree of uncertainty.
Maciej has a great post about his visit to McMurdo: <a href="http://idlewords.com/2016/05/shuffleboard_at_mcmurdo.htm" rel="nofollow">http://idlewords.com/2016/05/shuffleboard_at_mcmurdo.htm</a>
The plans for the future of McMurdo ( <a href="https://www.usap.gov/news/documents/McMurdoMasterPlan_2.1.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://www.usap.gov/news/documents/McMurdoMasterPlan_2.1.pd...</a> ) are quite exciting, but unfortunately, if it comes to fruition, it means less science for some number of seasons as the construction project happens.<p>I'm sure there are vastly more experienced folks here, but I was just McMurdo for a ~month in November-December. I've also spent some time at Summit Station in Greenland, which is a much smaller (but newer! with some buildings on stilts!) station.
For those wanting to read about McMurdo, Big Dead Place <a href="http://feralhouse.com/big-dead-place/" rel="nofollow">http://feralhouse.com/big-dead-place/</a> is the best book to read. Apparently it was due to be made into a TV series....
"For years afterwards...nothing much fancier than wooden huts went up on the white continent."<p>I think that in 1903, that wooden hut would be thought of as pretty fancy and state of the art. Only in retrospect 114 years later would it seem quaint.
I remember reading a lot about staying during the winter in Antarctica from this: <a href="http://www.funraniumlabs.com/category/antarctica/" rel="nofollow">http://www.funraniumlabs.com/category/antarctica/</a><p>Alcohol, lot of alcohol.
This guy's site has a great history of the pole station: <a href="http://www.southpolestation.com/trivia/trivia.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.southpolestation.com/trivia/trivia.html</a>