Photos from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica

by Mike Savage  (mlsavage@clear.net.nz)

On this page I've placed 3 photos from those
I took in 1980 while wintering-over at the
Pole with a group of 16 others.  I served as
the meteorologist.

The top photo shows me  with the geodesic 
dome of the station in the background.
The U.S. flag flies above the dome as it is the 
USA which operates this station and provides
the aircraft support that is required to maintain
an inland Antarctic station.  The altitude at
Pole station is about 3000 meters, and the winter
temperatures are minus 60 degrees C and below.

The second photo shows one of the crew (Eric
Kramer, I think) perched atop the snowed-in 
entry way into the dome after the long winter
season was coming to an end.  The persistent wind 
had filled the entry-way with driven snow which 
had to be dug out by a front-end loader.

The third photo shows the sun setting on the
horizon on the autumnal equinox in March.  After
a slow sunset followed by a few weeks of twilight
we settled in for 5 months of darkness before the 
sun began to light the sky in September.

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