Ella Derbyshire's Snapshots

TDRS Dome by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan South Pole Station - View from A1, Floor 2 Looking Toward Grid South, Late Summer 2010 by Ella Derbyshire

For the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System.

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GOES dome by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan South Pole Station - View from A1, Floor 2 Looking Toward Grid South, Late Summer 2010 by Ella Derbyshire

GOES stands for Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite.

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Spare Arches by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan South Pole Station - View from A1, Floor 2 Looking Toward Grid South, Late Summer 2010 by Ella Derbyshire

This arrangement looks a bit like modern art. The various pieces of arch material have been aligned to reduce drifting.

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Cryo and the BIFF by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan South Pole Station - View from A1, Floor 2 Looking Toward Grid South, Late Summer 2010 by Ella Derbyshire

We launch weather balloons from this little building complex.

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Something New by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan South Pole Station - View from A1, Floor 2 Looking Toward Grid South, Late Summer 2010 by Ella Derbyshire

The is an experiment. Maybe in the future wind will power the South Pole Station.

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Cargo Office by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan South Pole Station - View from A1, Floor 2 Looking Toward Grid South, Late Summer 2010 by Ella Derbyshire

During the summer, the folks in this blue building were busy getting packages onto and off of the planes from McMurdo.

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Is Something Missing? by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan South Pole Station - View from A1, Floor 2 Looking Toward Grid South, Late Summer 2010 by Ella Derbyshire

Most definately

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Hypertat by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan South Pole Station - View from A1, Floor 2 Looking Toward Grid South, Late Summer 2010 by Ella Derbyshire

One of many building styles found at the South Pole.

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Cattle by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan Matamata Sheep farm by Ella Derbyshire

Looking very content.

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Lichens by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan Church of the Good Shepard by Ella Derbyshire

Life on the edge.

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Hello! by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan Skier Landing by Ella Derbyshire

Here they are just moments before their skis touched the snow. This is a Hercules LC-130, also called a "Herc" or a "skier". These planes are flown by the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing from Schenectady NY. The LC-130's and the crews who fly them have been critical to supplying Antarctic stations, including Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.

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ARFF by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan Last LC-130 for the Summer 2009-10 by Ella Derbyshire

Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting. Once our LC-130 is safely on its way to McMurdo, this foam-filled trailer can be towed inside, the BARFF drained and stored away until the next flight in October.

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Sheep by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan Where Have All the Hobbits Gone? by Ella Derbyshire

A frequent sight in New Zealand.

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Ice breaker by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan M/V American Tern in McMurdo by Ella Derbyshire

The Odin

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SPT by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan First Flight of Summer by Ella Derbyshire

The South Pole 10 meter Telescope and MAPO have seen a bit of drifting this winter. The haze that you see has caused some delays in this summer's flights to Pole.

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Lepus the Hare by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan 360 degree pano South Pole with Constellations by Jeremy Johnson

Orion the Hunter is especially fond of rabbits. We see Orion right below Lepus is the South Pole sky.

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Cryo and BIF by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan The South Pole Winter 2009 UT's and the Heavy Shop by Ella Derbyshire

This wood-tone building houses the Balloon Inflation Facility and the Cryo lab.

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Skylab by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan The South Pole Winter 2009 UT's and the Heavy Shop by Ella Derbyshire

This distinctive bright orange tower has shared the South Pole skyline with the Dome since the 1970's. It used to hold the Aurora, Cusp and Cosray labs.

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Meteorologist by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan The Elevated Station seen from Grid South by Ella Derbyshire

With the launch over, she can return to the MET office in the science lab on station to watch the balloon data come in.

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Van by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan Camp of the The Amundsen Omega 3 South Pole Ski Race at the South Pole by Ella Derbyshire

A South Pole passenger van which, in mid-summer, shuttles personnel around the station.

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Campbell Stokes Sunshine Recorder by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan Camp of the The Amundsen Omega 3 South Pole Ski Race at the South Pole by Ella Derbyshire

The 2 glass spheres in this elegantly simple array focus sunlight that burns tracks on the papers that rest behind each sphere. When the sun is obscured by clouds, the tracks on the papers will be interrupted. Because the summer sun circles the sky daily for half the year, South Pole needs 2 glass orbs.

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South Pole Coat by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan Exploring Near the South Pole by Ella Derbyshire

These green and black jackets are issued from the CDC to people who will deploy to the Pole.

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Big Red by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan Exploring Near the South Pole by Ella Derbyshire

This is the iconic red, bulky, insulated coat that is issued to most of the personnel who deploy to American Antarctic stations.

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The gymnasium by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan The Elevated Station seen from Grid South by Ella Derbyshire

This wing holds the gym, weight room and band room. "Polies", some of whom stay for an entire year, have opportunities to play sports, to exercise and to remain healthy and creative.

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Emergency Pod by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan The Elevated Station seen from Grid South by Ella Derbyshire

This berthing wing also holds an emergency power plant and a small galley.

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A4 by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan The Elevated Station seen from Grid South by Ella Derbyshire

A berthing wing

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A1 by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan The Elevated Station seen from Grid South by Ella Derbyshire

A berthing wing.

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Destination Zula by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan The Elevated Station seen from Grid South by Ella Derbyshire

Also known as DZ. The hoist on top pf the 2nd floor is used to lift food and supplies into the elevated station.

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The Stair Tower and the Power Plant Arch by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan The Elevated Station seen from Grid South by Ella Derbyshire

The stair tower is the silver cylinder behind the power plant arch. To get to the power plant from the elevated station, folks walk down the 94 steps in the stair tower. The stairs aren't heated, but they are sheltered from the wind, and the walk isn't too bad. The trip back up the stairs at the end of the day is a bit more of a challenge.

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VMF by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan The Elevated Station seen from Grid South by Ella Derbyshire

The Vehicle Maintenance Facility is in this arch. The arch was build on the surface of the snow in 1999. A decade later, the level of the snow has changed dramatically.

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The Dome and Skylab by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan The Elevated Station seen from Grid South by Ella Derbyshire

The Dome is scheduled for demolition in the summer of 2009-10.

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Snowmobiles by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan The Elevated Station seen from Grid South by Ella Derbyshire

Speed limit 10 mph

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Cryo and BIF by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan The Elevated Station seen from Grid South by Ella Derbyshire

The cryo lab and the balloon inflation facility.

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Tires by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan McMurdo Heavy Equipment Yard by Ella Derbyshire

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Orca by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan McMurdo Heavy Equipment Yard by Ella Derbyshire

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Fuel Pump by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan McMurdo Heavy Equipment Yard by Ella Derbyshire

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Plastic Weather Balloon by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan BIF South Pole by Ella Derbyshire

The scientists are not using the usual latex balloons because the rubber gets brittle in the cold, and the balloons break before they get high enough to collect the data that we need. After sunrise, when it gets warmer, the latex balloons will be flying again.

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Flag Line by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan On the Roof at the Bottom of the World by Ella Derbyshire

This place will look much different after sunset. On stormy moonless days, these flags will help us find our way to work in the outlying buildings, such as ARO.

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Sign by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan British South Pole Expedition 2008 Arrives at Amundsen Scott Station by Ella Derbyshire

This sign is left over from the Race Around the World on Christmas Day. It was put here to keep the pedestrians separated from the folks driving motor vehicles.

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Rollers by Ella Derbyshire from the GigaPan On the Persistence of Snow at the South Pole by Ella Derbyshire

This rollers system is designed to make it easier to move pallets and other large items into the LO. The temperature will never get warm enough for this snow to melt, so we will find another way to get them cleared off and ready to receive cargo.

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