Allow me to introduce you to my neighbor, Sharon Heilman.
"Hello everyone! My name is Sharon Heilman.
I am a retired R.N. living in Princeville, IL. I have always wanted to go to Antarctica and in September 2000, I did just that. That summer I attended a job fair in Englewood, CO. for Raytheon Polar Services. Raytheon is under contract with the National Science Foundation and is responsible for science, operations, and maintenance services at three locations in Antarctica- McMurdo Station, Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, and Palmer Station. Raytheon employs thousands of people in its Polar Services Division and every year they hire seasonal employees for their Antarctic program. I was one of the few lucky people to be hired."
Not only did Sharon visit with us from Antarctica in 2001/2002, she loved it so much, she went back! Sharon went back to Antarctica in 2002/2003 and 2003/2004. Sharon is going back this winter (Antarctic summer) and will be answering our questions via e-mail. What a great opportunity to actually speak with someone living in Antarctica! I've decided to post Sharon's messages on the website for all to read. As soon as she gets there this winter, I'll start posting her messages. Until then here is her journal from her first trip:
THE JOURNEY BEGINS
Hi all,
I just got a message of my deployment! She said I leave from Peoria at 2pm the 26 th ! Is that September or October!!!!!!????? I need to call in the morning to clarify this! Oh, my God! I think I’m really going!
Sharon K. Heilman
Thanks, Mary Ann,
Just got information to leave Peoria Monday, September 25, at 2pm , to Denver for orientation on the 26 th , and leave directly for Los Angeles , Auckland and arrive in Christchurch September 28, at 9am . I’m in shock - its finally time!
Sharon K. Heilman
10/02/00 Yes, in Christchurch , NZ, at the International Antarctic Center . Just
went through the display. Tim N. would really go ape over this.
Hi to Jenna.
Love,
Mom
10/06/2000 Hi Tim,
Just attended an inservice on recycling and waste management. Solids, human, and hazard materials are recycled - 70%, compared to 1/3 that for USA . Shipped off the Antarctic continent last year was 12,480 pounds of aluminum, for an income of $3081. Nastiness as spitting in cans reduced the income to $980. The same amount of materials is required to make 20 recycled cans as one new aluminum can. Americans throw out enough aluminum every 3 months to completely rebuild our commercial air fleet! When aluminum was first discovered, it had a value 20 times that of gold. I'm still getting acclimated to the time, the cold - 10-15 below, the dryness - almost no humidity, the wind, dorm living, new friends, new job, and the incredible beauty. Shortly, I hope to forward some pictures. Tomorrow morning when I get off work at the galley, I'll take an outdoor safety class, required of all individuals prior to leaving the station. My plans are to hike to Scott Base, the NZ Kiwi base, Castle rock, Observation Hill, and Shackleton's hut. The beauty of the Society Range is magnificent! About 11pm is a brief pink glow of the departing sunset outlining the mountains. Soon, the sun will be bright 24/7. I saw a brilliant sundog yesterday, only the 3rd time I've seen such a phenomenon. So more information later.
Sharon Heilman
PS - Shay, print this out to take to school. Look at www.theice.org for an aerial view of McMurdo Station. I work in Building 155, the galley, and live in Hotel California, Building 166. Also check out
www.wunderground.com/global/stations/89664.html for weather from Mactown.
I love you, little Buddy! Grandma
10/10/2000 Sheila,
Good to hear from you. Yes, I'm better. Went to the Doc and got some sleeping pills. Another plane came in today with 130 new people. So, I probably will be getting a roomie soon. Darn! Well, I go in at 11PM with 2 other ladies. We prepare a midnight meal for the Midrats. About 50-100 people show up. It's for shift workers or anyone who wants to eat. Then we start our breakfast preparation. We serve about 500 now, soon to increase to 1000! Our cook, Michael (a woman) prepared omelets and eggs to order. We have French toast, butter and syrup, a meat - pork chops, sausage patties or links, bacon, potatoes, scrambled eggs with and without meat, a hot cereal of grits, cream of wheat, or oatmeal, biscuits and gravy, plus bug juice (fruit drinks), real juice, reg. milk and low-fat milk, coffee, tea, sweet rolls, bagels, English muffins, donut holes, muffins, fruit bar of whatever I want to prepare. Today I had honeydew and watermelon, strawberries, fresh pineapple (I prepared 8 pineapples and ran out quickly) yogurt, blueberries, red and white grapes, kiwi, bananas, oranges, and granny apples. I'm sure I missed something. So Michael, Susan and I, work together to make the above happen, Of course, we dirty pots and pans and dishes. Guess who washes them? Right! We wipe off tables in the dining room, seats about 360, clean our 2 bathrooms, mop our floors, empty our garbage, and get ahead for food preparation for the next day. Oh we make from 100-200 sack lunches for those going off the Station for lunch the next day. They get a meat/cheese
sandwich, pb&j sandwich, energy bars, hot chocolate mix, juice and cheese/crackers! No one gets hungry around here! Oh, Michael and Susan leave at 8AM (they came in at 10PM , but I come in at 11PM so stay until 9AM . Guess who puts away all of the above, cleans the hot tables, the grill and cold tables? Yep, me.
All for now, and love to all,
Sharon
10/20/2000
I soon will have some great pictures and information on the Dry Valley . My friends, Peter and Dan, just returned from working on electrical in a hut being built there. I actually have a stone from there, reddish granite with potassium, millions of years old! I will be sending to you, Tim Noonen, my neighbor, who teaches science at Broadmoor Middle School in Pekin , IL ; Like Bonomo, who teaches science at Princeville High School in Princeville , IL ; and Erika Babb, my grandson Shay's, science teacher at Parkway Northeast Middle School , in Creve Coeur , Mo. This is to introduce you to each other, as science information will be sent to you three.
Later, Sharon
10/20/2000 Hi All,
Had an exciting night Wednesday. In the galley, the lights dimmed several times and the emergency lighting came on. Then, we smelled electrical fire kind of thing. So we called 911. Response time was very quick. After an extensive assessment, it was determined to be an arc on the pole outside, and they would have to shut down all power to an area to fix it. Inside, we were ready to serve midrats - the 12-1:30 am meal. With no power, we had to delay this meal. Hungry people are angry people. It quickly became very cold, forcing all of us workers to don our parkas. Outside temp was -24, with a very brisk wind, making the wind chill -119! The electricians had to work out of a bucket 20 feet in the air for close to 2 hours to fix the problem. I don't know what kept them from freezing. But they got the power on in less than 3 hours. Later that morning, when I returned to my room, I saw that my roommate had 2 wool blankets doubled on her bed. I'm not sure the area affected by this outage. It is a reminder of the severity of the weather, the isolation of this continent, and the potential danger lurking everywhere. I imagined if the
Station lost power; we could not even be evacuated off the Ice. Today 5 planes were due in, all backed up in Christchurch . None came in. We had condition 2 weather today, 3 being normal, 1 being a true emergency. There is a group here that is going to the South Pole as soon as a plane arrives here. It will be the first of the season to go to the Pole. The Poleys are getting anxious to get started. This ain't Kansas , Dorothy! Work is going well, sleeping even better. I'm going to catch a shuttle at Derelict Junction this weekend and go out to the ice runway. If there are passengers there to be transported to town, I'll get bumped and have to wait in the heated galley set up on the runway for crews and support people. We now are starting to run 4 meals a day out to this runway galley. Can you imagine landing these brutes full of cargo and passengers on sea ice? I understand that soon, in December, the ice will start to break up and drift out to sea. Then the planes will land at Williams Field, about 2 miles away, on LC-130's, on skis.
All for now. Please pass this on to interested parties.
Love,
Sharon
10/23/2000
Here's one, Science Teachers - what is a "fata morgana?" I saw one yesterday! Looking across the Ross Ice Shelf , over the Ice Runway, towards to Society Mountains , was a ridge of icy cliffs. I blinked my eyes but they were still there! There is no ridge of icy cliffs there! This may be an interesting concept for students to be aware of. It greatly hindered the mapping of the South and North polar areas. A mountain would have been mapped when in actuality there was no mountain. Very confusing! Tim, about your students' question of what if there was no "part" here on the continent to fix a problem. That is a major issue, really. It is not a small feat to order and get a part. Just as planes have been delayed in Christchurch (CHCH) and personnel can't get here, also a part would not be readily deployed here. I was also thinking about a major power failure, getting off the ice would be impossible for 1000 people. I understand that after all the personnel arrive, a fleet of 5 planes will be here on the ice for intercontinental use, as to fly to the Pole, to Seiple Dome, the Dry Valleys , etc. But to evacuate this population would take time and the cooperation of the weather. Another interesting thing - last night I was invited to a private showing of a documentary video of the first all women team to cross from the perimeter to the Pole, in 1992-93. One of the women, Anna DalVera, is here, working in waste management. I know her! It took 67 days. At that time, they had
no corporate sponsorship, as they were, after all, only women! They had to raise their own monies.
All for now,
Sharon
PS - Ericka, Shay's computer is in for updates and I have been unable to
phone him. Please tell him I think of him often and miss him so much. In
fact, tears are coming to my eyes typing this. Thank you!
10/25/2000 Tim,
I wanted to go to the Crary Lab anyway, so this gives me a good reason. I'll check it out. At the Lab, on the second floor is a telescope with a drawing of the horizon, identifying the peaks and valleys of the Society Range . Did I mention that my 2 buddies, Peter and Dan, went to the Dry Valley last week? They each brought me a rock! I'll show you when I return.
Sharon
10/28/2000
Just passing this on as an example of the "policing" that goes on here, a town without a government or enforcing body.
Sharon
Hello McMurdo! My name is Dan Evans. I've met many of you already, but for those I haven't met, I'm the water quality coordinator in town this year. I'm planning to do some drinking water sampling next Monday -Wednesday, and I need everyone's help to make it work. As in previous years, the Environmental Dept will be sampling drinking water from most buildings in town twice this season (background info below). To do this we need to tape off some of the sinks around town and make sure they are not used for at least eight hours. We're only taping off one sink per building, so it shouldn't inconvenience most people. But by Monday or Tuesday you'll likely see at least one sink with a sign on the cold water tap asking that you not use it. Please respect this and use a different sink. Thanks very much for your help.
Dan Evans
Environmental Technician
X 4111
For more information, read on.
For the last five years, the Environmental Department at McMurdo has been screening McMurdo's drinking water for lead. As many of you may know, we have found lead in some of our water sources in the past. But please also note that lead levels have consistently declined as a result of steps we've taken to improve water quality, and last year all of McMurdo reached an important EPA benchmark -- 90% of all samples taken had lead levels lower than the EPA-defined goal for lead in drinking water, 15 parts per billion. More information about this is available on the McMurdo Intranet. Just go to the home page, click on the
"community" link, click again on "general info" and then on "Lead in the Drinking Water?"
10/29/2000 Hi Dad,
In the galley, I heard this young man with an UP accent. I asked where he was from. He said Eagle River , WI ! His name is Sean Brewer. Again today, I was at Scott Base, and there he was, buying gifts for his parents. He bought me a Coke. I took his picture against the background of the mountains. He's awaiting a flight to the Pole for 12 months! Weather is more clear, but cold and windy, about zero with 30 mile winds. It was up to 15 yesterday, but foggy and overcast. Oh, over at Scott was a "sea slug” lying on the ice just off the ice shelf. That's a seal to outsiders. On Sunday nights at 8:15pm each week, the scientists have a lecture. Tonight's is on the 8 years of research on the Dry Valley . Sounds really good. The galley, the only large gathering place, is packed for these presentations. See the new Antarctic Sun put out each Sunday at www.polar.org/antsun There is an article about last week's lecture, Under the Antarctic Ice presented by Norbert Wu. He was an outstanding lecturer, great videos and appropriate humor. Also in this new issue of Antarctic Sun is a good article on the waste and its effect on the environment. I'm off tonight but have a busy day planned for Monday - go to the post office, take some pictures, was invited by Jaime, with NASA at Crary Lab to come over to see what NASA does here. I'll also see microbiologists, Jim and John, to check out Pseudomonas flouresens for my neighbor, Tim Noonen.
All for now,
Sharon
11/06/2000
The fisherman, Kim, in one article is the one who caught the skate, the only one found in McMurdo Sound . It's in a small aquarium out on the ice in a tank with 2 large, 50#, Antarctic cod. Also, note article about Anne DalVera, a member of the 4-women expedition to ski to the Pole in 1992-93. I actually know her! Sharon
11/07/2000 Hi Science people,
Have you heard of a Herbie? That's what our weather was called yesterday. Hurricane features with strong winds, but with snow. We had about 24 hours of falling snow plus the blowing snow. Almost a whiteout here in town, definitely was away from town. We've had a high of about 29! Quite warm for this time of year. Snow on the ground seems to be about a foot deep, not as wet as we get at home.
All for now,
Sharon
11/19/2000 Hi Shay,
I'm glad I talked to you today. I really miss you, Little Buddy. I was in a group of 29 who went to the Ice Caves Saturday, and then on to Cape Evans to Scott's hut. We didn't make it to the caves due to deep snow.
One of the 2 Deltas’s got stuck and had to be shoveled out. Then our Delta couldn't cross a deep crack in the ice on the Ross Ice Shelf . We could see the tongue of the glacier that makes up the caves. A big old seal was lying out there on the ice. He had to be near a hole in the ice to get onto the surface. They say there are stalagmites and stalactites made up of individually frozen snowflakes, very fragile. A wisp of breath makes them flutter away. We did get to go inside Scott's hut. I'll send you some pictures in a minute. This hut was built in about 1903 or so. The small bunk beds still have sheets and pillows on them. There is a dark room with a water basin to develop film. In one small alcove is a table with an Emperor penguin lying on its back, frozen and preserved by the elements, ready for autopsy, I think. Crates of food sit around one room. A stable is attached, still smelling of livestock. Frozen hunks of blubber from seals to use for fuel are stacked against a wall. And guess what! My friend from Peoria , Jess Barr, called me to say she arranged a spot for me to go to Cape Royds , where Shakelton's hut is, this Thursday! This is a major deal! I get off work at 8am and we will leave at 9am by snowmobile! I've never been on one but, hey, better late than never. So we'll be traveling briskly farther up the coast than Cape Evans . I think it's an all day trip. I do have to work at 10pm that night. I'm not sure when I'll sleep. I'll need to dress warm! Wind-chill on a snowmobile can be fierce. Wish me luck! What a wonderful opportunity, though. I'm so
glad Jess included me! I was off work last night and again tonight for my Thanksgiving time off. I didn't leave my dorm yesterday. I had an orange and some yogurt in the fridge and a package of cheese and crackers from the Cape Evans trip, hot chocolate and tea. So I did fine. All one has to do is think of the trials of the explorers to realize how comfortable our life here is compared to theirs. I will have my Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday at 2pm with the galley people. We will serve the rest of the population of about 1000, in three sittings, at 3pm , 4:30pm and 6pm . I understand they will have candles and
wine on the tables. Turkey and Antarctic cod are the fares. I'll send the pictures now.
Love you, Shay,
Grandma
11/26/2000 Hi all,
Just some thoughts and observations - did I mention that most doors on the buildings here at McMurdo are not knobs? They are lever type handles, much like the ones on walk-in freezers in the supermarkets. I'm sure knobs would get frozen up and not hold. I just recently saw an unusual pickup truck, not with wheels but a Cat-like track. On each axle, is a triangle-shaped track. I've taken pictures of it, so I'll show you later. Also, I just noticed that in my room, even with the curtain drawn, I am able to read a book with no lights on. That's how light it is always. I hung a dark shirt over the window also, but can still read. The Haaglund that I mentioned taking the trip to Cape Royds in is made in Sweden . It is on tracks, not wheels, and supposedly can float if it breaks through the sea ice. And it has a pump system to pump out any water that comes aboard. It is a noisy 4-seat front, very plain and rickety, which pulls a compartment that holds about 8 people along benches on the sides. It is difficult to step up to, with ECW gear, not a bit graceful. They have a luggage type top with survival gear. Seeing this thing go down the road reminds me of a cartoon of a choo-choo train. It runs on diesel, I think, holds about 45 gal. All kinds of survival gear are also inside under the seats. We got a lot more snow yesterday. I think we'll break the November record of 28 inches. Usually, the snow has melted into the lava covered ground and becomes kind of slushy or muddy, hence McMudhole. But the hillsides are still white, as are the roads. Temperatures have been cooler than normal, should be in the 30's by now. Lows are in the teens, highs in the 20's now. The winds are so unpredictable, and blustery. Clear one minute, horrendous the next. I'm off now, so am going around town taking pictures of specific buildings to tell about later, such as Gallagher's, the non-smoking bar; The Coffee House; Southern Exposure, the smoking bar; the weight gym and bowing alley, which has a sewing room upstairs for the Stitch … group; the helo-port; the basketball gym; the row of dorms (my dorm, the Hotel California, is across town from the regular dorms, right next to the MMI, Mammoth Mountain Inn); the Chalet, an A-framed building which houses the National Science Foundation; Creary Lab; and whatever else I can find. Oh, the greenhouse and post office, too. Well, I hope you find this interesting. It is quite an unusual place. As Scott said, "What a God-awful place."
Amen!
Sharon
12/01/2000 Hi Terry and all,
Check out www.expedition.com and click onto the Bancroft expedition. You can see where these 2 women are and where they're going. Ann Bancroft led the expedition in 1992-93, which included Anne DalVera, who I know down here and who was a member of the 4-woman team then. They were the first all-woman team to ski to the Pole. They had hoped to continue to McMurdo then, but terminated at the Pole. Now Bancroft and Arnesen are trying the trip, hoping to arrive in McMurdo about Feb. 15 or so. This site gives distances they have traveled, so it makes it a little easier to understand the magnitude of their excursion. I have the documentary tape of the 1992-93 trip. Sister Sheila has it now. Warmer here, about 30ish and planes have flown last night and today. They are about 50 missions behind. The Russians are scheduled to leave this evening. They are the guys who are living in a bunkroom in my dorm. Their footsteps are quite heavy. They seem to be doing aerobics in their boots while I'm trying to sleep!
Later,
Sharon
12/05/2000 Hi All,
This is the major change for all air traffic to relocate from the ice runway to Willy Field, about 10 miles away. All the buildings on the ice runway are on sleds and will be pulled across the ice to the other field. Planes will land on Willy on skis. The ice runway will soon be the water of McMurdo Bay , just off the ocean! Amazing.
Later,
Sharon
Good Morning McMurdo & Scott Base,
It is that time of the year for the annual move of runway systems from the sea ice to the ice shelf. For those of us that have been around this marks one of the biggest milestones in the season, more or less the half way point and also the time we change the way we have been doing business. Travel to Williams Field is on the snow road. The snow road is just that, a snow cover over the ice shelf approximately 25' thick. The ice underneath that 25' of snow is a couple of hundred feet thick floating on top of 1800' of water. That is your road surface lesson for the morning. Next lesson is how we deal with this unique road, especially this season with all the new snow that keeps falling on the compacted sections. The snow road is made up of 4 lanes outbound to Williams Field and the same lanes for return. 3 of which are for wheeled vehicle traffic and one for tracks and chevron tire Deltas. One wheeled vehicle lane at a time is open for travel. The road itself is under a continual compaction by heavy machinery pulling a variety of compaction equipment. The road will fall apart if it is not respected and certain rules must be adhered to. As most of you know the new fleet of trucks are not equipped with tires that are made for this kind of environment. Even the ones that do have the flotation tires are not traversing the snow road, as they should. Why? This is a very heavy snow season and the compaction of this road just keeps getting covered up with new snow. We need to cut back the amount of vehicle traffic while still keeping the system operational out at Williams Field. Come Saturday, the day the Ice Runway is re-located to Williams Field only flotation tire or tracked vehicles are allowed to Williams Field. The day of the move there are some allowances to get needed vehicles to the skiway for the construction of the airfield and those to be stationed out there for the airfield but after that we have to limit the amount of traffic and rely on the Shuttle System and whatever else we come up with. This includes aircraft parts re-supply and AGE re-supply, you will need to rely upon transportation using flotation tires or tracks. Some of you are going to ask how you can get your jobs done by not being able to drive back and forth all the time but you can be innovative. For aircraft & AGE parts those can be brought from town to the transition, placed on a shuttle or a flotation tired vehicle and taken out to the airfield. The same goes with a lot of other needs. We do have some rims for flotation tires and lift kits on the way that we will be placing on certain vehicles but until that time you are going to have to rely on other means. For those of you using the snow roads there are a few rules. The road is being compacted as best as possible but between the flag lines it is not compacted in any way shape or form. If you cross between the flags
you will get stuck driving a truck no matter what kind of tires you have and then you get to meet one of the operators with heavy equipment -that just might bury you deeper and keep going. The faster you drive on the snow roads the more your vehicle will tear it up and the faster it will deteriorate. Go slow. Also scrape (I didn't say "beat") the mud and dirt out of the wheel wells before driving onto the snow, a barrel with wooden handles will be available for that use just before the Scott Base transition. Dirt hastens the melt of the transition. The snow road is your means of accessing Williams Field and it is up to you to keep it in the best shape as possible. Just think what is going to happen to it once this snow starts to heat up and melt...
Bill E. Haals
Raytheon Polar Services Company
McMurdo Station Manager of Operations
X-2479
12/15/2000 Tim,
Great questions. I will print this out and work on the answers. Yes, I do have a Toro SnowPup. It's in the back of the garage, maybe hanging under that shelf. Feel free to use it. Actually, it's about 40 right now, no wind, BRIGHT sun. Snow is melting on the ground, exposing gravely lava. Quick answer, there is NO tourism this far down, only at the peninsula. Sometimes in January a cruise ship will land here, Russian I think, and the passengers get off, walk through town, stop at the galley and store, and leave. More later. Thanks for writing. I'll answer in a day or so. I did just tour the power plant and the water plant, and took pictures.
Sharon
12/15/2000 Hi All,
Just a quick note before I go to work. It's Friday pm about 9:15 . I slept well, from 9am-6pm ! Surprised me! So I went to Gallagher's Burger Bar with my co-workers and had tater tots and a beer. Then went to the Chapel of the Snows for choir practice. About 20 people showed up. We sang really well and will have another practice next Wednesday. The Station Christmas Party is next Saturday, the 23rd that we will lead the sing at. It's at the Heavy Shop and is a real big deal here. Sunday is the Art Show in the afternoon from 1-4. Then the galley is having a Christmas party at Hut 10 at 7pm , which I will attend for a short while before going to work. Hut 10 is a house-like building available for nightly rental for gatherings. I was at a showing of the documentary of the 1992-93 Trans-Antarctic ski crossing there a few weeks ago. It is 2-bed room, kitchen, living/dining room, and bathrooms next to the Chapel. The weather has been really pleasant - in the 30's with meting snow and mud, hence McMudhole. It's a gravely mud, like ground lava (which it is), so water runs over it. Stepping around all the puddles is a challenge. So this has been a really fast week, with the computer class, working, walks to Discovery Point and Scott's Hut, a shuttle out to Willy Field to see that operation and the galley which had been moved from the Ice Runway, touring the water plant and the power plant, skua-ing for gag Christmas gifts. I went to work early last night to make yogurt. It takes 12+ hours in the oven so has to be done before the bakers come in. It came out nicely and
I'll serve it for breakfast tomorrow. Oh, one song we will sing for the program is the 12 days of Christmas, using verses written by a guy here on the Ice last year. I'll get a copy, but it is hilarious. On the first day of Christmas, my penguin gave to me, a flight on a C-130. I'll send it all later. I'm sure it will be a hit! Oh, we were told today that the ship comes in Feb. 4. After it is unloaded, we will start to redeploy - Feb. 10-24. I'll put in for the first flight out. It's been a great experience, something I'll reflect on for the rest of my life. I'm thrilled I had this opportunity to be here. But I have no plans of coming back. Maybe.
Love to all,
Sharon (Mom)
12/18/2000 Hi Everyone,
I sat down a while ago to write the weeks happenings when from the second floor lounge of my dorm, we spotted penguins right outside on the sea ice! So I quit what I was doing and walked down the hill and onto the sea ice. Two other guys were down there also. There were 9 penguin, but three walked and slid off toward Discovery Point. I got within 20 feet of them and had one guy get me in a picture with them. So, today was busy, being my night off tonight. I try to get a lot of activities in! I got up at 1pm to attend the Art Show in the galley. It was really neat. I’m amazed at the talent here. Some had watercolors, some had black and whites, some had junk art, others had zipper pulls, bracelets, rings, all kinds of jewelry, knit hats, photography, ceramics, wood carvings, etc. Very nice! Wine, champagne, eggnog and snacks were served. Then at 7pm I attended a Christmas party at Hut 10 that the galley folks arranged. One guy, Sal, from Chicago , made about 15 pizzas for the event. I stayed only an hour or so. Then I came back to do my e-mail to you when I saw the penguins! So a great day! My neighbor, Tim Noonen, a middle school science teacher in Pekin , sent me some questions from his class. I thought Id answer to all of you. I thought the questions showed interest and knowledge of Antarctica . He asked about the policing here and enforcing the Antarctic Treaty. Certain National Science Foundation employees are designated United States Marshall’s. These federal officials are also responsible for ensuring compliance with the Antarctic Conservation Act regulations and permits of 1978. They are authorized to review permits to ensure terms and conditions are fulfilled; serve warrants; search and seize property without warrant; offer and pay rewards for services and information; take affidavits; detain for inspection and inspect packages, crates, or other containers; and make an arrest with or without a warrant. On a day to day basis, however, if there is a disruption, the fire department is called. A couple of the officers try to settle the disturbance, such as loud noise in a dorm with complaints. The bottom line is that any troublemaker will be sent home immediately. There is zero tolerance for any conduct that is out of line. As this is a source of income for all residents, it is being fired, along with the poor reference for the next job. Only one example that I’m aware of _ a janitor in one of the dorms was taking a break in the dorm lounge, sat down, turned on TV and fell asleep. I don’t know how long he slept, a minute or ten minutes. But, his supervisor came along, caught him asleep and he was out on the next flight! No second chances. And it shows here. There are only pleasant people here! There are no troublemakers, no obnoxious characters. There is also zero unemployment. Everyone works. No one is here for the fun of it. We all work long hours, six days a week. There are monetary penalties for breaking rules also. We are not allowed to intrude on the wildlife. We cannot touch them, interfere with their activities in any way. Major fine and a trip home! The penguins I saw were Adelies, only about two feet high. Emperors are the ones with orange on their necks, and are the tallest. There are also a lot of seals lying on the ice right now. They are Weddell seals. We refer to them as sea slugs. They just lie there. When they move, they flop their weight forward and plop along. I haven’t seen leopard seals, but they are mean guys! They hide behind ice and snow and ambush penguins. They are very fast and will also attack humans. Tim’s class asked about the ice caves I visited a while back.
The entrance to the caves is the face of a glacier, the Erebus Glacier Tongue.Yes, you walk into the caves and explore the different levels and slide down the ice. The ice stalagmites and stalactites are formed from individual ice crystals. Yes, I did get some pictures. They are all shades of blue and white. I understand that last year there were no trips to the ice caves as the entrances were covered with blowing snow, so it was impossible to find your way in. The first time I went to the caves, we traveled by Deltas, huge vehicles with a cab and a 10-passenger caboose hooked by hydraulics to the cab. The tires are over 5 feet in diameter. Believe it or not, but we got stuck in the deep snow. Had to dig ourselves out! That time we were not able to get to the caves. The second time I was out there, we were on a Haaglund, a track-type vehicle made in Sweden . It’s supposed to be floatable! You see, we do drive out on the frozen sea ice where the glacier terminates. What happens if Mt Erebus erupts? It is the only active volcano on the continent. An eruption would wipe out McMurdo. There is a lab at the Crary Lab that monitors the activity of Erebus. On clear days, you can see the steam roll out the top. I have pictures of the mouth of Erebus taken from a helo. I also have two crystals from the mouth of Erebus that were given me! I also have two stones from the Dry Valley . I picked up a chunk of lava from McMurdo, and I have a very unusual nail from the ground outside Scott’s Hut at Cape Evans . I have been to Discovery Point, just a short walk from here, where Scott has a hut. His hut is at Cape Evans , and Shackelton’s Hut at Cape Royds ! This is a piece of history! I’m honored to have this experience! Tim asked about sewage and water and tourists. There are no tourists to McMurdo. It is inaccessible to airlines. I understand a Russian ship sometimes comes into port in late January, the passengers tour the town and the shop, eat in the galley and leave. At one time, New Zealand Airline had a long day trip to fly over McMurdo and Scott Base, buzz Mt. Erebus, and return to New Zealand . They did not land here. On Nov. 28, 1979 , the plane crashed near Erebus, killing all 257 passengers and crew. Such flights have not been available since. The Kiwi honored the 20th anniversary of this tragedy recently. The water is processed by reverse osmosis, the same method used in Princeville! They no longer use melted ice. About 80,000 gallons of water are processed daily. We are not on an allowance for water usage. I do shower every day. At the South Pole, they melt ice and are restricted to a 2-minute shower twice weekly! My roommate is at the Pole, working there for 5 weeks. She will return Dec. 26. I went to a science lecture one Sunday evening about the sewage. Our wastewater does go into McMurdo Sound . A report on this lecture was in the Antarctic Sun. I’ll look it up and forward it to you. The goal is, however, to filter the sewage in order not to have a negative impact on the environment. Well, Tim, I think I’ve answered most of your questions. I’ll discuss the penguin ranch later. I need to check it out. We have a balloon being launched this Tuesday if the conditions are right. This is a major event! The balloon is large enough to hold four 747 airplanes! As it rises, it will be pulled along by a Delta as it lifts off. The helium expands 300-fold as it rises to about 180,000 feet! Just short of outer space! More on it later. Oh, I can’t find out anything about Psudemones flouresens. I did ask a scientist at Crary Lab. I did not go to the Dry Valley , about 50 miles from here, but two guys in my dorm did. They were the ones who brought me rocks.
12/24/2000
Merry Christmas all!
This past week has been busy indeed! Choir practice on Wednesday; shuttle over to Scott Base with the choir to sing for the Kiwi on Thursday; McMurdo Station Christmas Party at the heavy shop on Saturday; our Christmas dinner on Sunday, along with the galley midrat gift exchange; oh, and working 10 hours each day! Today is Monday, Christmas, and I'm invited to a dorm room coffee until noon (bring your own cup), then the choir sings at the Chalet at 1pm for the Pole and outlying camps to enjoy. Last week brought a couple of near misses with a helo and plane. A helo was carrying a load by a tether line out away from McMurdo when a clip broke, dropping the load. The tether cable snapped up and damaged a blade, causing
the pilot to sit down hard. He was not hurt, but it was a couple of days before help could get to him. The helo was repaired at the site and returned to McMurdo. This is why anyone going away from the Station must wear extreme cold weather gear. What if.... You never know when you will be stranded. That pilot may not have survived if he spent that time in regular clothing. They have really worked hard trying to get us mail from Christchurch . A plane was carrying some passengers but mostly mail last week when going down the runway at CHCH (or Cheech) at full speed ready to take off, a major mechanical problem developed. They had to use all their skill to stop the plane, sliding and screeching, to return to the hanger. The post office lady who told me about this raised her eyebrows and said, "There's a lot of scared passengers in Cheech tonight." They did make the trip the next day, safely. They brought one planeload of just mail and fresh fruits and veggies. Speaking of fresh veggies - we had just a dab of lettuce from this load for midrats, only a large bowlful. The midrats could have eaten 3 bowlsful. So I put a sign on the bowl - Please be considerate, this is all the freshies we have. Do you believe there was some lettuce left! They, indeed, were considerate. The midrats are especially good guys! (and gals) I got an e-mail from Kathy, my roommate. She's been at the Pole for 5 weeks, but will be back this Tuesday night. I'll miss not having a private room, but she is quite considerate, as I also am to her. It turned cooler a couple of days ago - highs in the teens and low twenties. Wind chill below zero. What do you expect! This is Antarctica !
Well, not much else to tell so I'll close with a Merry Christmas!
Love,
Sharon
01/01/01
This is about the icebreaker that is sitting right off the coast in the ice. We're getting snow and winds right now and through the past night. Sharon
Although the Big Red Tub of Fun (or Polar Roller in a heavy seaway) is cutting fancy figure eight’s in the bay here, she unfortunately won't be tying up until Jan 4th now. The wind and ice are just not cooperating...the ice is rubbery, and flexes too much, and the darn wind needs to shift Southerly. We're working on it though! The plan now is to tie up to the ice pier on the 4th & 5th, then underway on the 6th to go fuel Marble Point on the 7th. When this changes for the "umpteenth" time I'll change my story, but for now this is my story, and I'm sticking to it! The folks out there are very anxious to come in and mingle with the crowd; very disappointed they missed the festivities. They would also like to thank everyone, as would I, for the wonderful support they've received already from several shops and offices. They’re hoping to join us Sand Peeps (alias for people on the beach) soon...
Regards,
April Brown
McMurdo Ship Ops x2249
01/05/01
Hi Tim,
Do you have the capability to burn a CD from a zip disk? I transferred a lot of pictures from the "I" drive here that others place there onto a zip disk. I'd like to send it to you if you could do this. I understand I should be able to take it to the U of I in Peoria and that they would do it. Let me know. Then you could preview what I've accumulated. I just went on a US Coast Guard helo ride out to the ice edge. Saw the
Barne Glacier really up close, whales, Emperors, Adelies and Weddell seals. Fabulous experience! The icebreaker is preparing to dock right now! Major event. It's been here since Dec. 31 but has not docked. It left Seattle on Nov. 4, and is just arriving here. The 2 helos came on it. It runs up and down trying to keep a lane open for the arrival of the fuel ship and the supply ship.
More later.
Sharon
01/11/01
Tim, I mailed a zip disk to you on Jan. 11, 10 to you. If you can't burn a CD, please just hang on to the disk and I'll check on it when I return. I have a departure date of Feb. 5! I'll spend about 2 weeks in NZ, stopover in STL, and be home about Feb. 20-25-ish. I got a couple of t-shirts (they're about out) I think are your size. I think you'll like them. If you want kids sizes, let me know and I'll go to Scott Base. Oh, that disk has some great photos. If you're able (have a zip drive) take a look.
See you soon,
Sharon
01/28/01
Hi all,
Well, this may be the last update from McMurdo Station, Antarctica ! I'm scheduled to leave here a week from today, Feb. 5. As flights are so far behind schedule, I'm holding my breath that we have great weather this week and get caught up! Yesterday, Susan from work and I went down to the ice pier and walked up the scary gangplank with rope banisters and safety net to the fuel tanker, MV Lawrence H. Gianella! An old sailor, Tom, who said he would give us a tour, met us aboard. It lasted over an hour and a half!
The ship is 615 feet long, 90.1 feet beam, with 15,300 maximum horsepower. It delivered to us 225,000 barrels of fuel, or 9,450,000 gallons, which was offloaded over a period of a couple of days by means of 4 hoses which pumped the fuel up to our storage tanks sitting about the area. This was 80% of the total capacity of the tanker. It left yesterday afternoon for New Zealand , Korea , and Japan . It came to us from the Mediterranean . What would this fuel cost us! The icebreaker, the Polar Sea , escorted the tanker out into the open channel. Some have seen whales in our bay due to the open waters. Now we await the supply ship, Greenwave, due about Feb. 7. I hate to miss it, but I'd better leave if I can. We will be getting a second supply ship, a first for McMurdo, a couple of days after the Greenwave is offloaded. The 2 ships will bring about 14 million pounds of cargo to this southernmost port in the world. It'll take north our waste, including about 70 old trucks. Guess how we get fuel to the South Pole? Our planes, from the New York State Air National Guard, carry their tanks full, give the Pole all but enough to fly back to McMurdo. I understand that we do not give support to anyone but USA . So when excursions stop here or at the Pole, we may be friendly and supportive, but we don't give fuel, supplies, or other aid to them. Of course, emergencies are a different story. Yesterday, a Norwegian from the Troll Camp directly across the continent, on the perimeter just south of Africa , was in a snow mobile accident with head injury. He was flown to a German station several hundred miles from the site of the injury, transported to the Pole, and we brought him to McMurdo and on to New Zealand . I'll look at a map and figure the total distance, but roughly it was about 2500-3000 miles to get him here! Dr. Betty Carlisle said last night that he was admitted to a hospital in Christchurch . The high temperature here last week was 36, the low 6. At the Pole the high was -11 with a low of -25, with average 20-mph winds. Big difference. Remember, the polar plateau surrounding the Pole is at 10,000 - 12,000 feet above sea level, due to the build up of snow. The dome at the Pole, the usual visual landmark, is slowly being covered with snow. They are unable to keep it cleaned off. This is the second dome to be covered! The new building being constructed at the Pole is an elevated pod. Check the website of the Antarctic Sun paper here, www.polar.org/antsun, to see a picture of this new building. On the cover is a picture of the entrance to the current dome. Well, today I'm finally climbing Observation Hill, on the outskirts of town - 792 feet, almost straight up, mainly gravely, rocky surface. The view from above should be fantastic; overlooking Mt. Erebus , the southernmost active volcano on Earth, Castle Rock, the Royal Society Mountains , and some icebergs caught out near the open channel. I saw them last week when Ben, from my dorm, took me for a ride in a truck up to NASA's satellite site. My hesitancy in tackling Ob Hill has been my left knee, which I injured in a fall at work the day before Thanksgiving when I went to Cape Royds . My knee, leg, and foot are still swollen and the joint catches and clicks. A military doctor here said it is probably torn cartilage, which I knew, which can't be properly diagnosed or treated here, which I knew, except for anti-inflammatories, which I'm on anyway for my carpal tunnel. I said to Susan that this harsh place has taken a bit of a toll on me. She said, and she's 15 years or so younger than me, that she thinks it has taken a toll on everyone, including herself. Daily, we deal with the dryness, dry skin that cracks; brittle nails break and tear; the extra effort of getting from one place to another, all on foot on rough, uneven ground covered with the lava rocks, some the size of softballs; dressed in the familiar red parkas and bunny boots. The extra clothing must weigh 20 pounds or so. This is not a complaint, but just a fact, and how much easier do we have it than the Heroic explorers! We are warm, fed well, and cared for, even pampered in comparison. Well, this has been quite an experience! I've met so many wonderful people, some whom I'll truly miss. I've seen Scott's Hut here at Discovery Point, Scott's Hut at Cape Evans, Shackleton's Hut at Cape Royds, the ice caves, the Barne Glacier, the ice tongue of Mt. Erebus, steaming Mt. Erebus itself, Emperor and Adele penguins, Orca whales, the blubbery Weddell seals, the ice breaker, the fuel tanker, the Ice Runway and Williams Field runway; I've traveled in a Delta, a Hagglund, trucks and vans so high with their oversized tires that entering them is even difficult; I've seen the various vehicles necessary to do the work here as the Sprite, the Skidoo, the Pickle, the truck on tracks, and so many pieces of Caterpillar heavy equipment. Oh, the generators aboard the tanker are Cat's, as are the ones in our own power plant. And I had a wonderful flight on the Coast Guard helo out to the ice edge. So this has been quite an experience for the "old lady from Pasadena "! I hope you all have learned, as I have, about this harsh, distant continent. I'm sure I'll talk my head off about it for the rest of my life.
Peace,
Sharon
What a great story!