Antarctica - Winter 2014

[KBScobravert]

To support the National Science Foundation (NSF) conduct science. I don't know all of the details, but the NSF provides grants to scientists to go down and do research on all kinds of stuff. PAE provides support so the science can get done. I am a heavy equipment mechanic, so I fix all of the heavy equipment used to maintain the station and the air fields. It takes a lot of work to constantly groom the ice runways (which is on on frozen ocean and constantly moving). The scientists also use vehicles to travel out to their areas to conduct their science.

One scientists might be doing a study on fish that do not freeze. So his little minions (mostly college students who are down there to help and learn) drive out to BFE on the frozen ocean, drill a big hole in the ice and start fishing until they catch some fish to dissect. If their vehicle breaks, somebody has to fix it.

I have met students from MIT doing research for robotic equipment for NASA. Global warming is a popular type of research. The hole in the ozone makes it a GREAT place to have a large telescope to look into space (south pole) etc. All kinds of stuff going on.

PAE provides 100% support, so they have carpenters, plumbers, electricians, generator techs, mechanics, chefs, etc. Most of the science is done in the summer. The winter skeleton crew is just there to keep things going and to take care of some long-term projects that would otherwise be too difficult to do during the hustle and bustle of the summer season. The winter crew consists of about 80-100 people and that number will increase to about 1,000 during the summer months.

Do they have any Security guys? Hell, I could go back to turning a wrench for the experience again. That is how I got my foot in the door with KBR/Afghanistan.

[Mike K]

How would one go about trying to find a position to fit in?

I have heard of them cooking the fish, but I never had any myself.

See if this link works: https://www.pae.com/career-search2

The jobs are listed under Antarctica.

Do they have any Security guys? Hell, I could go back to turning a wrench for the experience again. That is how I got my foot in the door with KBR/Afghanistan.

Nope, sorry. No security that I know of. As a matter of fact, it is pretty refreshing to not be working with/for the military because they don't keep you in the dark there. Well, I guess that is a pretty bad pun, now that I think about it.

What I mean is, a lot of the scientists post of flyers announcing that they will be holding a presentation in the cafeteria. They provide some history on what they are studying (and why), what they have learned in the past (usually from prior visits to the ice), what they hope to learn in the future. It is cool as hell to sit in on a presentation, then you hear about it in the news several years later.

[Frank]

I am surprised to see bare ground. I just didn't expect that. Is there anything that grows there?

[Mike K]

I don't know about the entire continent, but I don't think anything grows down there.

[Rick Modena]

Fuck, I just saw that first video on Ice Condition 1. That's insane, I guess I could do it, but I need to take my own pussy down their, I have to have pussy or I die...

[got crawlers]

Sounds cool, post pictures for sure! Be safe!

[Sean88gt]

Fuck, I just saw that first video on Ice Condition 1. That's insane, I guess I could do it, but I need to take my own pussy down their, I have to have pussy or I die...

You're self-sustaining?

[Chuck_Finley]

This is one thing I'd like to do once in my life before I die. I'm not talking some stupid cruise down there, I mean on the ice at some location like what's been mentioned here. Not necessarily for work though, so I guess that alone would be a problem.

Can you give us some detailed info on what the food situation is like after you've been there a couple of weeks? I'm sure all the fresh stuff has been eaten by then, so it's on to frozen or canned or whatever. Is the food decent?

Also my understanding is since power is somewhat limited, so are small things like hot showers....like maybe 2-3 times a week. Can you confirm?

[Mike K]

The only way that I know to get down there is to support the NSF (working for PAE) or getting a science grant to go down there to do research. I have heard of cruise ships that go down to Antarctica, but I don't know where they dock. I have heard of stories of them docking at McMurdo, but I think it is pretty rare.

There are frequent flights during the summer season, so there is plenty of fresh food. But, you are right, when there are no flights, there is no fresh food. However, they do hire real chefs down on the ice unlike the missfits that run the DFACs here in Afghanistan. Now, I know the chefs don't have a lot to work with, but they do a great job! I haven't done a winter yet, but I have been down there for winfly. Winfly is where a small portion of the supporting crew arrives 6 weeks prior to the start of the actual science season (summer). A lot of the buildings used for billeting have been prepped for winter (windows boarded up, plumbing drained, etc) and vehicles needed to be dug out of snowbanks and prepped so that they can be used as soon as scientists arrive on the ice. It is very much like winter in the fact that there are no flights. I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food.

I don't know how much better or worse the food is going to be during the winter, but I know it is going to be better than the shit food they serve over here in Afghanistan, so I am looking forward to it.

If you are at the major sites (McMurdo, South Pole, and Palmer) there won't be much of a compromise with your quality of living. Hot showers and hot food every day in comfortable living quarters is almost guaranteed. There are other small satellite sites that do ration water. I was sent out to black island to prep that site for the summer season. There were only 3 of us. The other two were permanent; I was only going there to get the 2 vehicles they had there up and running. They rationed water, so you could only take 1 shower a week. You also had to piss in a 5 gal bucket (with a funnel) and defecate in a 5 gal bucket with a plastic bag, which you would tie up and pace in a human waste bin. Bad part was, you couldn't mix the two. Think about it. I was only there 4 days. So yes, there are some sites where you can experience pretty austere conditions, but for the most part, they are all voluntary.

[bluecollar]

Wow, that looks badass. I would love to go for a visit, but damn sure not staying!

Am I missing something, though? You're saying they're only paying 60k a year to be in that frozen hell? Surely there are some perks that I missed.

[Mike K]

Wow, that looks badass. I would love to go for a visit, but damn sure not staying!

Am I missing something, though? You're saying they're only paying 60k a year to be in that frozen hell? Surely there are some perks that I missed.

Not many perks other than the fact that you get to work somewhere that is extremely isolated and very few people will ever get a chance to experience it.

[Downs]

extremely isolated and very few people will ever get a chance to experience it.

That's worth it to me.

[Mike K]

I have been down here for a week now, but I just started taking pictures. Not a lot has changed, but we did get a new Ford E350 van fleet. Here are a couple pictures, I plan on taking a lot more. The sun is still up 24/7, but it is starting to dip below the horizon. It will be pretty dark soon.

click picture for full 3000x2000 resolution

McMurdo Station isn't all that big. Most of the stuff in the foreground and to the left is just a bunch of supplies that we use to maintain the site and/or its vehicles. The buildings in the background is where we live and work.



Ford E350 vans w/5.4L with 38" tires used to transport people around.



Here is one of the service trucks I use.



Here is the building I work in.

[silverhatch]

Very cool can't wait for more updates.

[ELVIS]

I was thinking of this thread the other day. Thanks for the update and the vans on 38's are freaking sweet!!

God bless.