Clothing distribution center in Christchurch.
Clothing distribution center in Christchurch.
Clothing distribution center in Christchurch.
Antarctic travel terminal at the Christchurch Airport.
C-17 transport at the Christchurch Airport.
C-17 transport at the Christchurch Airport.
C-17 transport at the Christchurch Airport.
C-17 in route to Antarctica.
C-17 in route to Antarctica.
C-17 in route to Antarctica.
Forklift delivering cargo to our work area outside Crary Lab.
The loading dock adjacent to some of our office space in Crary Lab.
Helicopter landing with cargo at McMurdo.
Weather Haven near snow survival school.
Snow survival school. Near Scott Base.
Snow survival school. Near Scott Base.
Snow survival school. Near Scott Base.
Snow survival school. Near Scott Base.
Snow survival school. Near Scott Base.
Snow survival school. Near Scott Base.
Snow survival school. Near Scott Base.
Snow survival school. Near Scott Base.
Snow survival school. Near Scott Base.
Snow survival school. Near Scott Base.
Observation Hill, Ross Island.
Observation Hill, Ross Island.
We are learning how to use the TurboRouge GPS units.
Observation Hill, Ross Island.
My first glimpse of SJB at the sea ice runway. A Herc can be seen in the background.
3/4 of the Borek Antarctic fleet with Mount Erebus in the background.
Hercs on the sea ice runway.
Brave souls riding in the bed of the pickup truck.
Sea ice runway control tower. It is portable just like all the other buildings in that temporary runway.
Erick and Mike fine tuning a GPS antenna on the roof of our sea ice jamesway.
Another lousy day at the office.
Mt. Erebus with clouds in the foreground.
A Delta 2 on the way to Cape Evans.
Scott's expedition hut in Cape Evans.
Scott's expedition hut in Cape Evans.
Scott's expedition hut in Cape Evans.
Scott's expedition hut in Cape Evans.
The ice near the hut at Cape Evans.
The hut at Hut Point, near McMurdo.
Irina and penguin in the library at Crary Lab.
Matt taking measurements with the empty racks in the front part of the fuselage.
Fish research at Crary Lab.
The four instrument racks close to their final configuration.
The view at midnight from Crary library.
The frozen McMurdo Sound as seen from Hut Point.
The frozen McMurdo Sound as seen from Hut Point.
The instrument racks as seen from behind, with most cables attached.
Herc taking off from the sea ice runway.
Mag hutlets on the sea ice.
Loading of the instrument racks in the truck for transportation to the aeroplane.
Loading of the instrument racks in the aeroplane.
Accommodating the instrument racks inside the plane.
Typical McMurdo external plumbing.
A whale sculpture in McMurdo.
Activity inside the sea ice jamesway.
Radar antennae finally installed on SJB.
All instrument racks on board the plane.
Making some repairs on the mag torpedo.
The surreal scene on the sea ice runway.
The surreal scene on the sea ice runway.
Another day at the office.
The Herc on the "tarmac".
Side view of some Hercs with Mt. Erebus in the background.
Erick posing by the Herc.
Our group having a meeting in Crary Lab.
View of McMurdo Sound from the air.
Small tabular iceberg locked in the sea ice.
Crossing the Trans Antarctic Mountains in the area of Taylor Valley.
Another shot of Mt. Erebus.
A South African Herc on the "tarmac".
Erick looking at a sampler of Antarctic apparel.
Erick trying on two duffel bags filled with Antarctic apparel.
Me trying on the various Extreme Cold Weather gear items before departing New Zealand.
The two Colombians bound for the ice.
This is a very cool aeroplane.
Me about to get in the plane.
It even has winglets, like my plane.
The cockpit, however, appears more complex. Shortly after takeoff I went straight there.
The coach class cabin. It turns out, that of all the planes used for the Antarctic program, this one is by far the most comfortable.
First glimpse of the Antarctic continent from the cockpit windows.
I guess this one had at least one known good tire...
Pressure ridge near Scott Base.
A view of some of the buildings with the pressure ridge in the background.
Mount Discovery can be seen in the background across the frozen McMurdo Sound.
This is a good example of the infamous flat light. Notice the almost total absence of contrast, and how it is difficult to see where the ground stops and the sky starts.
We are cutting snow blocks to build a weather shelter.
Me taking a break with an unidentified Antarctican.
The eerie landscape in which earth and sky become one.
This is an apple hut. It is used for escaping inclement weather in extreme conditions. This particular one was strategically located along one of the recreational routes.
The beautiful midnight sun.
This was taken at approximately 3:00 AM. Everything was bathed in a magnificent golden glow.
The snow hut that we built. This is where I spent the night.
Me with Mt. Erebus in the background.
It's like a huge winter wonderland.
Ready for the commute back to work on a Delta 2, the SUV of choice in Antarctica.
Mike near the memorial cross and the Trans Antarctic Mountains in the background across the frozen sea.
Me by the memorial cross.
We are trying on the sleeping bags for size. You don't want to have to heat any additional volume of air, so a good fit is important.
Erick taking a picture of McMurdo.
Notice that the front of the plane has been jacked up for maintenance work on the nose gear.
An old create of petrol in the hut's vestibule.
This is the bunk used by Scott, and later by Shackleton. The caribou fur sleeping bag is Shackleton's.
Table with scientific instruments. The window to the darkroom can be seen in the background.
The inside of this structure was in far worse shape than that at Cape Evans, due to the liberal use of seal blubber stoves and lamps.
This shows one of the aquaria at the bottom floor of the lab. All the specimens thrive in water that is at -2 degrees C. The fish in the picture are Antarctic cods.
This is the order in which they would eventually go in the aeroplane, with the G-meter cradle in the middle. What this picture doesn't show, is there rat's nest of wires that would later be necessary to hook up all these instruments together.
The supports at the bottom are pneumatic. The actual instrument hangs inside that frame and is supported by shock cords and oleo-pneumatic struts and is gyro stabilized along 2 axes.
This shows Mount Discovery in the distance, with an impressive display of lenticular clouds.
It is for a member of the Discovery crew that perished during one of Scott's expeditions.
Duplicating this connectivity inside the aeroplane was extremely difficult. Here in the lab we had lots of room.
In certain combinations of temperature and humidity, the tips of the propellers leave helical condensation vortices that are visible, similar to contrails. This otherwise unremarkable picture captured that.
These long legged, microwave-looking things with solar panels and antennae on top are like little condos for magnetometers.
The racks were so heavy, that we had to use a forklift to get them in the plane.
The cable anarchy has only begun.
It took us a very long time to accommodate everything inside SJB's slender fuselage. Here Matt is seen struggling.
This is the device that flies behind the aeroplane carrying the magnetometer sensor. It is winched down after takeoff on 30m of Kevlar reinforced cable.
I was installing the TrimFlight in the cockpit.
In a moment of great pride, SBJ finally took to the air with all the instruments running.
The four JATO receptacles can be seen on the fuselage directly behind the trailing edge of the wing.
Check out the size of those spoilers.
This plane supports the Italian Antarctic base.
The laser pit inside the plane was at -10 degrees F. The instrument didn't want to operate at that temperature, so I had to make an electric blanket for it. It never complained after that.
