05 Dec 2007
Pictures from the communal server posted during the month of November.




In the middle of November some Kiwis borrowed one of our pickups mounted on Mattrack treads. Reportedly, the transmission started leaking oil, leaving a streak of oil across the snow. The transmission overheated for lack of oil, and at some point the truck caught on fire. The firemen were notified, but the truck was left to burn. This photo was taken from a helicopter; photographer unknown.


Everything on the truck that could burn burned. Photographer unknown.


The hazmat team was later deployed to clean up the oil and what remained of the vehicle. Photographer unknown.


The snow and sea ice will entrap spills better than a permeable soil. Photographer unknown.


LC-130 on the ice on a windy day. Photographer unknown.


LC-130s with Ob Hill in the background. McMurdo lies to the left. Photographer unknown.


Raytheon was supposed to replace all of the power plant generators in 2005 but the project is severely behind schedule and consequently the scheduling of generator maintenance has been thrown out of whack. Four of our engines became due for major overhauls this summer and we contracted two Kiwi mechanics to handle the work. Shown here is Jason, one of the Kiwis, guiding a damaged engine block out of the power plant. Photographer unknown.


Extracting the engine block. Photographer unknown.


Hagglund towing a sled across the ice. Photographer unknown.


McMurdo at the southern tip of Hut Point Peninsula, viewed from an airborne LC-130 flying directly south of the peninsula. The track seen across the snow at the bottom of the photo is the road to Pegasus Field. The Ice Runway adjacent to the station is being shut down and Pegasus will soon resume operations to facilitate wheeled aircraft. Photographer unknown.


A better view of McMurdo from the same LC-130. Photographer unknown.


Views from an inland helicopter flight. These photos were labeled Newall And Bull Pass. Photographer unknown.


Another helicopter photo. Photographer unknown.


Another helicopter photo. Photographer unknown.


Rock formations inland. There are bizarre rock formations in Antarctica, formed only by the snow and wind. Much of Antarctica doesn't have the rain and sand that erodes and forms most of the world's rocks, making Antarctic rock formations unique.


View of the Ice Runway from the air. The ice runway is one mile from McMurdo proper, connected by the ice road seen in the upper right of the photo. At peak, we'll have 1 C-17, 6 LC-130s, 2 Twin Otters, and one Basler DC-3 operating from the Ice Runway. In this view one can see 3 LC-130s, 1 Twin Otter, and the Basler. Photographer unknown.


McMurdo receives supplies by ship and by C-17 cargo plane. Supplies are then moved further inland from McMurdo, primarily by LC-130s. McMurdo is the supply node for half the continent. Shown here is a loader staging supplies on the ice runway. Photo by Sean Sullivan.


Adelie penguin that made an appearance on the ice near McMurdo. Photo by Sean Sullivan.


Adelie penguin. Photo by Sean Sullivan.


Photo by Sean Sullivan.


Photo from a recent drive across the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf to Black Island. The vehicle is a Delta. Photographer unknown.


Photo from a trip to Shackleton Glacier, located south of McMurdo along the intersection between the Ross Ice Shelf and the Transantarctic Mountain Range. Photographer unknown.


View from a Twin Otter on a trip to Shackleton Glacier. Photographer unknown.


View from a Twin Otter. The Transantarctic Mountain Range is basically a lot of this. Photographer unknown.


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