|
|
|
| McMurdo Station Photo by: Kristan Hutchison NSF |
McMurdo is the largest Antarctic station. It is located approx 2380 miles
south of Christchurch New Zealand and 800 miles north of the geographic South Pole. McMurdo is built on the
bare volcanic rock of Hut Point Peninsula on Ross Island, the solid ground farthest south that is accessible by ship.
The station was established in December 1955. It is the logistics hub of the
U.S. Antarctic Program, with a harbor, landing strips on sea
ice and shelf ice, and a helicopter pad. Its 85 or so buildings range in size from a small shack to large, three-story
structures. Repair facilities, dormitories, administrative buildings, a firehouse, power plant, water distillation plant,
wharf, stores, clubs, warehouses, and the first class science lab are
linked by above-ground water, sewer, telephone, and power lines.
During the austral summer McMurdo's population is over 1000 while in the winter the population falls to around
250 All resupply flights to the South Pole originate in McMurdo, and numerous temporary inland
and coastal stations are supported by the McMurdo logistic infrastructure. At the height of the summer, McMurdo is a busy
place, with planes, helicopters, and vehicles coming and going at all hours.
| Photo by Dominick Dirksen NSF |
|
|
| Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Vehicle for McMurdo |
| Photo by: Dominick Dirksen NSF |
|
|
| A C-17 at Ice Runway near McMurdo |
|
|
| LC 130 aircraft on the ice at McMurdo by Dominick Dirksen NSF |
The station owes its designation to nearby McMurdo Sound, named for Lieutenant
Archibald McMurdo
of HMS Terror, which first charted the area in 1841 under the command of British explorer James Clark Ross. British explorer Robert Falcon Scott first established a base close to this spot
in 1902 and built Discovery Hut, still standing adjacent to the harbour at Hut Point.
| Photo by: Dominick Dirksen NSF |
|
|
| Discovery Hut near McMurdo Station |
|
