So, the ceremony at the geographical marker for the Scott centennial was nice and pretty low-key. Managers of various groups talked some about the significance of the expedition, as well as the spirit of exploration that lives on today (albeit in a much different form).
Later in the evening the station crew was welcome to visit the tourist camp, which was roughly half a mile upwind of the Elevated Station. They had tents for individuals, as well as the main building that was their commons area and galley. It was a nice change of scene, and gave a little different perspective on the little corner of the world we call home. Interestingly, the time zone used by these NGO folks is that of Chile, since that is how they access Antarctica. The USAP uses the New Zealand time zone for similar reasons, so what was late evening for us was the crack of dawn for the tourists. That did not seem to deter most of them from their revelry. It was a really nice evening to be outside, with clear skies and plenty of sunshine (of course).
Yesterday the first group of turnover management from the new companies, headed by Lockheed-Martin, arrived at Pole to start getting ready for taking over the reins of the program. I have not been specifically contacted in person about this winter, but did start filling out some application materials I received via email last week. This is all going to be pretty interesting, methinks.
“But if we have been willing to give our lives to this enterprise, which is for the honour of our country, I appeal to our countrymen to see that those who depend on us are properly cared for.”
~Robert Falcon Scott
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