03 Nov 2007
Pictures from the communal server posted during the month of October.




October saw the first flights of the summer season, and the first flights since February from McMurdo to the South Pole. The photo above shows the first USAF LC-130 flight returning from the Pole, taxiing to a halt. Photographer unknown.


The first LC-130 Pole flight taxiing on the apron at McMurdo. Note the skis; the difference between a normal C-130 and an LC-130 is combination landing gear. LC-130s will generally land on wheels, but it can retract its wheels and land on skis when the runway surface is not solid enough to handle wheels, such as is the case at the South Pole. Photographer unknown.


The first C-130 to arrive at McMurdo since February was actually a Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130. It landed here in early October and promptly broke. Photographer unknown.


The Kiwi C-130. Photographer unknown.


The emblem of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. New Zealand is not a hostile country. Photographer unknown.


During the summer season, we see three C-17 flights a week from Christchurch, New Zealand. Shown above is one of the C-17s gaining speed as it takes off for Christchurch. Photographer unknown.


Taking off. On the ridgeline in the background is the primary Kiwi satellite dish, enclosed in a grey dome. Photographer unknown.


Take off. In the background is McMurdo Station. Photographer unknown.


Gaining altitude. One of the two buildings directly below the airplane was once part of a small complex housing a tiny 1.8MW nuclear power plant affectionately known as Nukey Poo. It never worked quite right and the Navy eventually realized it was leaking radioactive waste, so Nukey Poo was removed in the mid-70s as was about 12 thousand cubic yards of the dirt around the building. The building remains as a storage unit but is scheduled to be emptied and demolished. The hill under the aircraft is called Observation Hill, or Ob Hill. Photographer unknown.


This is a photo of the hut at Cape Royds built and used by Shackleton during his unsuccessful expedition to the South Pole. The photo was taken in 2005. Photographer unknown.


Before flying out in early October, my neighbor married a Kiwi in an unofficial ceremony at Scott Base. Her roommate Quinn, the bridesmaid immediately above the bride, remains my neighbor until February. Photographer unknown.


McMurdo's primary data connection to the outside world is carried over a terrestrial microwave link to Black Island, south of the station. At Black Island there is an unobstructed view of the sky and the microwave stream is relayed to satellites using the enclosed satellite dish seen above. This setup permits dependable 10 Mbit/s download and 3Mbit/s upload speeds, if I recall correctly. The truck seem in the photo above is a fuel truck driven south from McMurdo across the ice, to provide fuel for the generator at Black Island. Photographer unknown.


View of Erebus volcano and the Hut Point Peninsula, from the ice south of the Peninsula. Photographer unknown.


Ice that did not freeze without a fight. Photographer unknown.


USAF LC-130 taking off from the Sea Ice Runway on a flight to test our airfield MLS (Microwave ...Landing ...System?). Photographer unknown.


USAF LC-130. Photographer unknown.


USAF LC-130. Photographer unknown.


McMurdo from the air. Photographer unknown.


Sea Ice Runway apron from the air. Photographer unknown.


Random photo from Palmer Station, which is a lot warmer than McMurdo. Photographer unknown.


The Penguin Ranch, a penguin research post set up on the ice northwest of McMurdo. Photographer unknown.


A seal pokes its nose through a hole in the ice at the penguin ranch. It looks like a Weddell Seal. Photographer unknown.


People approaching Scott Base from the sea ice. The design of Scott Base is much more deliberate and efficient than McMurdo. Excepting some storage areas, one can reach all parts of Scott Base without ever having to go outside. Water is conserved and the buildings are almost entirely heated with waste heat from their diesel generators. This year the Kiwis have collaborated with us to bring down some wind turbine engineers to see if its feasible to build a small wind farm near Scott Base. Photographer unknown.


Someone laying on the sea ice. The peak in the background is Mount Erebus. Photographer unknown.

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