A Sunrise ceremony day - Flags, Dinner, and Triathlon

The sunrise flag ceremony. We replaced the flags removed at the sunset ceremony. At a drawing I won the South African flag on the left. In November I will remove this flag and take it home. It will be cool having a flag that was flown at the South Pole.

The South Pole Winterover 2013 crew. I am to the left and back row of the South sign (without a cover on to stand out). The signs designate 90 degrees South latitude. This picture will be enlarged, names added, framed and hung inside the station along with all the winterover pictures since 1956. What an honor!

Another fun South Pole run. I love running on the beach at home but here is so unique and special. My running shoes have warming inserts, my toes are sandwiched in toe warmers. I then put on a 2nd pair of socks into which I insert several packets of hand warmers. I am also layered top and bottom. It takes a lot of time preparing for my run but I am good for about 75 minutes. The green Patagonia jacket provides for a total wind block. My "Darth Vader" mask provides for warm and moist air so my lungs don't burn. No matter what people apply or do to their goggles they immediately ice up. 

The back of the station with the beer can shining in the sunrise. The beer can contains a stairwell from the second floor of the station to 60 feet under the station.

On the left is the logistics entrance and to the right the Vehicle Maintenance Facility or garage. These areas were almost totally covered and just dug out.

The power plant on the left. The beer can stairwell provides underground access to these areas.

It is interesting to see how the ice adheres to cables.

This is a cargo crane motor.

View from my room.

Sunrise Dinner on Saturday September 21st.

We have had three special meals this winter - Sunset, Midwinter, and now Sunrise.

The view of the ceremonial South Pole from the galley.

 Taken from the galley. Looks like maybe a snowboarder's delight. Although it may be a little steep I can picture them carving up and down this wall. At the beginning of winter you could walk out of the beer can stairs, on the bottom right, straight to the South Pole marker unseen to the left.

A grilled shrimp appetizer.

Incredibly delicious spicy fish soup.

Working the grill. All meals were made to order individually.

I had shrimp, broccoli, snow peas, mushrooms and Thai noodles with a peanut sauce.

The serving was so large I immediately put aside a portion for later.

The 6th Annual South Pole Sunrise Sprint Triathlon

15 minutes of rowing, 1st place: 3,491 meters - 150 meters shy of the record.

10 minutes on the Lifecycle, 2nd place: 5.14 miles

25 minutes of running laps in the passageway, 32.5 lengths.

The old guy won! I covered a total of 9.48 miles, 2nd place was 8.75 miles. I have been training all season for this event.

1st place prize. I have always wanted to be a pilot. Maybe this is the start. New Zealand is a great place for the first flight.

$140 gift certificate.

Working on the GOES antenna

 The following work was done in early September.

The GOES antenna elevation drive motor failed recently and required replacement. The ambient temperature was -95 F and the windchill -135 F. The temperature inside the radome was the same as outside. We had three others helping us. It worked out well utilizing two teams. While one team was working the other was warming up in the heated GOES RF shack located inside the radome.

The ice is pretty thick inside the radome.

The GOES antenna elevation motor and gear reducer drive the large greased jackscrew which then moves the elevation. The elevation only drives up to about 5.5 degrees for a pass. The motor to the right is for azimuth.

To remove the motor the 10 meter antenna had to be stabilized since there is no elevation brake. This was accomplished with two 6 ton cable pulley winches with each one attached to a strap and then to the antenna.

Both Pulleys set up. I'm on the right. Photo credit: Kris

Here the left cable and strap are attached to the antenna. Extremely difficult procedure even if it wasn't cold.

This is the drive shelter that we worked in. It is heated but with the roof panels propped open for the strap attachment it quickly became cold inside.

We took turns warming up in the GOES antenna Radio Frequency (RF) shed. This shed in the radome contains the RF equipment required to operate the GOES system. It is maintained at 72 F. Photo credit: Kris

Two straps holding up the 6 ton load. The antenna end of the elevation jackscrew. Photo credit: Kris

The used replacement motor and gear reducer. The tag on it read "tested good 2008". It works great fortunately!

The view out the radome door. Photo credit: Kris

The GOES antenna radome. Photo credit: Kris

The crane and bucket outside the station didn't get much use this winter.

It was a long two days working out at the GOES radome. Internet is back up!

A Run to the Sun

Today, September 17th, was the perfect day to start running outside again. The temperature was a pleasant -64 F and the light wind kept the windchill right under -100 F. For the most part the surface was hard packed and the drifts made for some fun hill running. And of course visibility was high with the glowing daylight! After five months of darkness this was so needed. I was outside for 70 minutes but my layering and strategically placed heat packets kept me warm.  

The sun refraction near the South Pole Telescope (SPT). This day the sun was 1.2 degrees below the horizon. At mid-winter (Winter Solstice New Zealand June 21) the sun was 23.5 degrees below and started the return.

SPT

I played with the color saturation for this interesting view.

Martin A Pomerantz Observatory (MAPO) with sastrugi in the foreground. Sastrugi is really cool looking: Long, wavelike ridges of snow, formed by the wind and found on the polar plains. Sastrugi are usually up to several meters high and are often parallel to the prevailing wind direction.

MAPO radio telescopes.

Almost a full moon.

It felt great to be running outside again!

This side of the station entrance is called DA. The observation deck is on the 2nd floor. To the right is the gym. To the left is the moon.

The drifts were heavy this winter.

The DA stairs. At the beginning of winter it was flat under the station and to the left. Now there is quite a climb to hike to the South Pole marker.

The back of the station showing all the wings with the emergency exits. Gym on the left. The emergency wing (which has a self contained evacuation pod) is to the right of that. In front of that wing is the emergency fuel tank for the emergency generator in the pod and the manual fed ice melter for emergency water.

This is the DZ entrance. The boxes that line both sides hold all the recyclables and food waste. I live in the A1 wing on the right. My room is on the opposite side with a 2nd floor unobstructed view of the polar plain.

The station can be lifted when the snow fills in over time. Pictured are two of the lifting supports.

DZ entrance on the first deck. The second deck leads to the galley. Food is stored on this deck. 

Stairs leading to the entrance.

DZ door on the left.

Saturday September 21, 2013 Sunrise!

I was running outside 4 days this week. Earlier in my run the sun was hidden behind the horizon clouds. In the foreground is IceCube Lab which captures and studies neutrinos bombarding the planet.

On my last lap the sun was visible.

Our future is very bright!