![]() (Another frequent misconception is whether I fly through Chile to get to Antarctica. ![]() In order to get to McMurdo, everyone flies commercially to Christchurch, New Zealand. I will be stationed at McMurdo, which has its closest approach from New Zealand and is by far the largest base on the continent with more than 100 buildings and about 1,000 people during the summer season. The United States has three main bases and two smaller outposts. Currently, 30 countries operate bases for research. Instead, it is governed by a treaty among 53 countries that preserves the continent for scientific exploration and bans any military activity. The Antarctic refers to the southern polar region.Īntarctica does not belong to any one country. The Arctic refers to the northern polar region. At McMurdo, we stay on New Zealand time (PST plus 21 hours) since it is the closest country to us. 23, 2015, and the next sunset will be February 21, 2016. It is spring right now in the Southern Hemisphere and at McMurdo Station the sun is out 24 hours a day. After my first trip, I learned that people have a lot of questions and misconceptions about the continent, so I want to start by addressing some of the most commonly asked questions.įirst of all, geographically Antarctica refers to the southern-most continent on the planet. My first trip to the ice was for STO's maiden voyage in the Antarctic spring and summer of 2011-2012. ![]() As an added incentive to encourage questions from my readers, I will write postcards to the first 20 individuals and all K-12 classrooms who email me a question with their name and address. Please feel free to contact me through my Science and Technology Personnel website with any questions and I will try my best to address them in future blog posts. I look forward to sharing my journey as we launch the Stratospheric Terahertz Observatory II (STO-2) from Willy Field! With no plant life and a very arid climate, the continent feels surreal and unlike anything I have ever sensed elsewhere on Earth. Traveling to Antarctica is what I imagine the experience of visiting a foreign planet would be like. My trip begins tonight and I intend to update this blog with all of my interesting experiences as I travel to the "ice" as well as a discussion of the science we intend to do and the technology we have engineered to do it! Welcome! This blog is intended to provide a behind-the-scenes look at life and work as a researcher in Antarctica.
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