Labs from Chicago, 1994 :
South Pole Base Gamma.

This is a project to be handed to the students.

Introduction

Background

The current base was built on the surface. At its center is a geodesic dome (diameter is 160 ft.). Under the dome are several separate buildings. Radiating away from the dome are storage and working "arches" (width is 50 ft.) made up of large semi-circular pieces of corrugated aluminum. Outside are many smaller specialized buildings, even tents! The problem with the current base is that it is being buried by drifting snow.

Mission

You will be on one of five teams. Each team will begin brainstorming the construction of one of five separate units of the base. At the end of your brainstorming time you should have produced a first draft sketch of your ideas as well as making lists of challenges, critical connections to other units and areas for future research.

Polar Connection

Cold Facts about the South Pole

SITE CONDITIONS

• Temperatures: Mean = -58° F. Max. = +7.5 ° F. Min. = -117° F.
• Altitude: 9,300 feet. Cold and polar location make it at effectively 10,600 feet elevation. Humidity is lowest on Earth.
• Precipitation: Less than 1 foot accumulation per year. The topography is flat for many hundreds of miles around the South Pole. As a result, any structure lying on the surface tends to accumulate snow into a drift and is eventually buried.
• Wind: Average speeds are 12 mph, and rarely get above 20 mph. The wind almost always blows from the same direction.
• Glacier: The ice thickness is 9,000 feet. The ice is moving at a rate of about 30 feet per year at the Pole. The plateau maintains this elevation for nearly a million square miles. At the South Pole you are sitting on the largest source of fresh water in the world.
• Sunlight: The Sun is totally above the horizon from September 23 to the following March 21. Twilight lasts for about a month, resulting in a polar night that lasts from April 15 to August 15.

HUMANS

• Numbers: 30 during the winter and up to 120 during the summer construction season (December 1 through February 1)
• For this exercise, design the base to accommodate 30 people.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

• The current International treaty aims to make Antarctica the cleanest region in the world. Except for human wastes, everything else at the South Pole must be separated and sent back in a process called "retrograding."
• Nuclear materials and certain chemicals are banned from the continent.
• Energy is generated by burning diesel fuel brought in by aircraft.

LOGISTICS & COMMUNICATIONS

• Route: The South Pole is 800 miles from McMurdo Station, the US base that provides supplies and support.
• Aircraft: Six, LC130 Hercules aircraft are able to land at the Pole. Each can carry 11 tons of cargo. There are no winter flights.
• Communications: Normal geostationary satellites are not above the horizon at the South Pole. Currently, the base depends upon a "broken" satellite (ATS-3) that pops up for a couple of hours per day. Land phone lines are impossible considering the distances and environment. High frequency radio is used, but only for voice and is at the whims of solar activity.

Units and Facilities

1. TE Unit (Transportation and Engineering)
   1. Skiway Operations
   2. Tunneling
   3. Fire Fighting
   4. Construction
   5. Vehicles
2. ST Unit (Science and Technology)
   1. Astronomical Observatory
   2. Atmospheric Science
   3. Human Physiology and Psychology
   4. Experimental Greenhouse
   5. Solar Energy Research
3. HS Unit (Habitat Support)
   1. Temperature Control
   2. Energy Generation and Fuels
   3. Waste Management
   4. Water Management
   5. Storage and Backup
4. HR Unit (Health and Recreation)
   1. Leisure and Exercise
   2. Personal Hygiene
   3. Galley
   4. Health Maintenance
   5. Crew Quarters
5. CC Unit (Control Center)
   1. Systems Monitoring
   2. Environmental Protection
   3. Communications
   4. Computing and Information Management
   5. General Offices and Meeting Area

UNIT FACT SHEETS

Unit Facilities:
Your unit must locate each of the following facilities on your first- draft design:

• SKIWAY OPERATIONS
• TUNNELING
• FIRE FIGHTING
• CONSTRUCTION
• VEHICLES

1. Outside construction can only occur during the summer months.
2. Skiway maintenance requires keeping runway snow packed down and clear of drifts.
3. Electric vehicles don't do well in Antarctica because of battery temperatures.
4. Vehicles must either have skis or snow tracks.
5. Tunnels between units are necessary when coldest temperatures (below -70° F), prevent outdoor travel.
6. Aircraft never stay at the Pole. They leave their engines running and only remain for 45 minutes before returning to McMurdo.

1. How does this unit interact with others if a fire breaks out?
2. What might be used to fight fires? If they are small inside fires would the problem be the same as for large buildings?
3. Where do materials and fuels off-loaded from the aircraft go? What about things waiting to be sent back on the aircraft?
4. What sort and numbers of vehicles might be needed?
5. How will the base get the snow it needs to melt for liquid water?

• Fire is the greatest danger to the base.
• Skiway stands for the aircraft runway, including the taxiway and any other structures needed to service visiting aircraft.
• Vehicles need frequent and routine maintenance in this environment.
• Engines also need to be kept warm at all times.
• Construction activities require storage of materials and shops with tools.
• This unit will probably have to manage large scale storage, including wastes, for shipment out.
• You'll need toilets.

Unit Facilities:
Your unit must locate each of the following facilities on your first- draft design:

• ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATORY (includes two telescopes ... one is a radio telescope dish 8 meters in diameter and the other is an optical telescope 2.5 meters in diameter and 5 meters long.)
• ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE (includes "sniffing" instruments as well as a place to launch small balloons.)
• HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY and PSYCHOLOGY
• EXPERIMENTAL GREENHOUSE (a provision must be made for lighting during the winter.)
• SOLAR ENERGY RESEARCH

1. Both astronomy and atmospheric research need to be upwind and as far as possible from the light, heat and pollution of the other base activities.
2. This unit's facilities also need to be located away from communication antennas and other sources of electromagnetic pollution.
3. Most of the research will be done during the dark winter time.
4. The greenhouse is to grow a few fresh vegetables that aren't or can't be flown in, especially during the winter. It is also a place where people might enjoy working and being.
5. Solar energy is only available between the end of September and the end of March.

1. If located some distance from other base units, how will scientists travel to these facilities during the coldest part of winter?
2. What forms and uses of energy from the sun might be useful at the Pole?
3. Should there be a reference library and if so, where?

• Scientists will generate most of the base's computer information.
• Scientists need small workshops and labs to prepare devices and service their equipment.
• Research telescopes aren't viewed directly with the eye anymore. Astronomers use video cameras.
• You'll need toilets.

Unit Facilities:
Your unit must locate each of the following facilities on your first- draft design:

• TEMPERATURE CONTROL
• ENERGY GENERATION AND FUELS
• WASTE MANAGEMENT
• WATER MANAGEMENT
• STORAGE AND BACKUP

1. At the present time, diesel fuel brought in by the aircraft is the only reliable and practical way to generate electrical and most heat energy.
2. Waste water (for example, dish washing water) cannot be "dumped" into the snow. (The only exception at this time is human wastes).
3. All fresh water must be generated by melting snow. This requires regularly "mining" the snow, and, more importantly, supplying the energy to melt it and keep it liquid.
4. If there was a power failure or other catastrophe that required the evacuation of the base personnel, waits of up to two weeks could be necessary before an aircraft could land. Remember, no planes are kept at the Pole.

1. Should heat be generated in one place and ÒpipedÓ around or should it be generated at each individual building?
2. What about water? How would you store and move it?
3. Can everything that needs to be stored be frozen?

• If you try to run water in pipes below the surface, they have to be heated. This is because, unlike where we live, the snow at the South Pole is far below freezing (-58° F).
• Wastes for return to McMurdo station must be separated and packed for shipping.
• You'll need toilets.

Unit Facilities:
Your unit must locate each of the following facilities on your first- draft design:

• LEISURE and EXERCISE
• PERSONAL HYGIENE
• GALLEY
• HEALTH MAINTENANCE
• CREW QUARTERS

1. There is no broadcast TV or AM/FM radio at the Pole.
2. Outdoor recreation is limited. One might do some cross country skiing, but generally, people are discouraged from wandering very far from the base. When it's very cold, nearly all outside movement is prohibited.
3. The isolation and general cramped quarters make separate bunk rooms desirable.
4. Major medical problems are to be handled by evacuation. Major surgical equipment and personnel are unnecessary.
5. Smoking is prohibited everywhere.

1. How much space will be needed to bunk everyone?
2. What sort of wastes will be generated by this unit and who will have to take care of them?

• They galley will need to have its food stores close by.
• The people will have to clean their clothes too.
• The galley kitchen is a prime fire hazard.
• Recreation facilities should allow a well-rounded range of exercise as well as some team-sport games.
• Be sure to provide facilities for non-athletic pursuits such as reading and chess.

Unit Facilities:
Your unit must locate each of the following facilities on your first- draft design:

• SYSTEMS MONITORING
• ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION (This means monitoring weather changes and alerting rest or crew when precautionary or emergency actions need to be taken.)
• COMMUNICATIONS
• COMPUTING AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
• GENERAL OFFICES AND MEETING AREA

1. Internal communications must rely on the base's own systems. There is no outside operated phone system.
2. Data communications with the outside must be done using a satellite that "wanders" into view for a few hours every day. All normal satellites are below the horizon at the Pole.
3. Voice communications with the outside world take place using high frequency (short-wave) radios.
4. The snow doesn't conduct electricity, so it's impossible to ground everything properly. Furthermore, the extreme cold temperatures make the transmission of weak electrical currents inefficient. This means that buildings should be connected by non-conducting links -- fiber optics or radio.

1. What about recreational and personal communications using computers? Should they be done here or in the HR unit?
2. How important are personal communications with the outside world?
3. What would happen to this area if there was even a temporary interruption in power?

• There must be a way to alert people when there is an emergency. That means that this unit must be operated continuously.
• This unit handles its own as well as regional air traffic control.
• You'll need a place to put the communications antennas that is well away from the ST unit.
• Station computer base is managed by this unit.
• You'll need toilets.

Challenges, Connections, Questions and Research

Environmental Challenges
What is the main environmental problem faced by your unit?

Outstanding Questions
If you could (and you will) ask someone currently at the South Pole a few questions that would help you take the next step in your design, what would you ask them? Please rank the questions in order of priority.

Future Research
What's the most important thing you would need to research to take your unit's design to the next stage?

CARA's research and education programs are supported in part by the National Science Foundation under a cooperative agreement, grant number NSF OPP 89-20223. © Copyright 1998,1999,2000 by Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica. This copyright applies to all web pages and images created by CARA.