It's Sunday here in McMurdo and traditionally there is a massive brunch served – today's brunch did not disappoint. With a spread of cheeses, waffles, eggs to order, french toast, and more, the community got together and had much needed social time. Sunday is a day for everyone to relax a little in the morning despite the deadlines and time crunches. I've been here now for almost a week and have taken hundreds of photos and videos, most of which have not been posted or seen. So in the spirit of Sunday in McMurdo take this opportunity to see some of the other sights and sounds of the last week.
PolarTREC teacher Tim Dwyer enjoys the company of one of the rescue sled dogs in Christchurch during Polar Days on our last day in Christchurch. Dogs are no longer allowed on the ice due to the environmental protocols of the Antarctic Treaty which bans all foreign animals and plants.
Flying over the Trans-Antarctic Mountains en route to McMurdo from Christchurch: this video was shot out of the tiny rear window of the 62nd Airlift Wing's C-17 as we finished crossing the Antarctic Ocean and reached solid land again.
On the road back from Pegasus Runway, the view across the McMurdo Ice Sheet to the New Zealand Scott Base and Mt. Erebus. You cannot see McMurdo Station from this angle as it is over the small dark rise to the left – Scott Base is at the dark rise.
Arrival into Antarctica: Arriving at the Pegasus Runway and stepping off onto the Ross Ice Shelf is an amazing experience. On this particular day the clear blue skies and low wind afforded amazing views of the mountains all around us with Mt. Erebus the closest to us.
The massive transport wheels are designed to give maximum traction while distributing the weight load to reduce the amount of disturbance of snow along the snow road back to McMurdo.
The famous Ivan the Terra bus - the oldest and most favored transport back to McMurdo, Ivan may not move very fast but then again, what is the rush?
Looking across the thick wheels of the sled transport over to Ivan the Terra bus on the Pegasus Runway.
Slow Motion Race to McMurdo: Ivan the "Terra" bus doesn't exactly go very fast (only about 5mph) and the other main transport isn't much faster. Any faster on the snow roads tears them up and leads to an ice road which is not what is wanted so slower speeds are important. In this video, the tractor and sled of the other transport are passing the slower Ivan the "Terra" bus en route to McMurdo Station along the airport access road.
View from Ivan the Terra bus along the Pegasus Runway access road from McMurdo. The second transport is in front of us working its way to McMurdo as well.
A shot down the interior length of Ivan the Terra bus on the way to McMurdo after having just landed. That is me in the front!
Lynn and Josh help get all the equipment packed into boxes – each of the boxes will be sledded out to the Shear Zone working campsite. They contain all the equipment with the exception of tents and sleeping gear (that box is farther down the hall), the big tents which are transported separately, the food, and the robotic equipment.
Enjoying the space in the large Arctic Oven tents for a moment of zen during the setup and shakedown of the tents in preparation for packing.
Stacked sleds outside of the Berg Field Center are ready to take the incoming loads of scientific and field supplies out into the field to support the research teams.
The view from the Crary Science and Engineering Center is pretty amazing - here roughly 60 miles away across the sea ice covering McMurdo Sound is the Royal Society Range.
The helicopter landing pad is definitely an off-limits area - three helicopters support the research teams in Antarctica: 2, A350 Eurocopters and 1, Bell 212 - a larger transport helicopter for larger loads and more people.
The Bell 212 support helicopter at McMurdo lifts off from the landing for a short practice run as the season gets underway - Mt. Discovery (8796 feet), an extinct stratovolcano (it last erupted about 1.8 million years ago), looms up in the distance across McMurdo Sound. Mt. Discovery was named by the British National Antarctic Expedition (1901–04) and named for their expedition ship, Discovery.
Once at the summit of Observation Hill, the shadow of the isolated cone stretched out across the McMurdo Sound towards the McMurdo Ice Shelf and the Pegasus Runway (directly above the shadows peak). Scott Base is the cluster of green buildings to the left of the picture.
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