Fuel Stop

Preparation is probably the most commonly used term in Antarctica. Preparing for extreme weather conditions, preparing for Vessel Evoltuion, preparing for field camp openeings, etc.

In preparation for the Paul Buck's visit to refuel the station, Hut Point was covered with hoses. Quite a phenomenal scene to experience:


During the refueling process, McMurdo Station received 5,083,593 gallons of fuel, which includes JP5, AN8 and MOGAS. This fuel runs the vehicles on station, the generators that provide our power and fuel to operate various other machines.

Completed this year was the first part of a Wind Turbine project. Presently the wind turbines provide additional power, but are not relied upon to support anything specifically. As Antarctica is the windiest place on Earth (I may have mentioned this before), wind turbines would seem an obvious power source. However, the severity of the winds and the cold temperatures cause plenty of problems. There are plans to add additional wind turbines to the station as the program continues to improve its power supply operations and and environmental impact.