South Pole is closest to McMurdo on the flat map as well as the sphere map. McMurdo is a US base. This video is a speech by a worker at South Pole. I found it fairly interesting in terms of everyday life there but also noted that there was no mention of tourists or techs and scientiest from other countries.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
3 comments:
Hi, I'm Captain Rick of the Virtual Circumference Voyage of Antarctica. I intend to prove definitively if Earth is flat or a sphere by paying careful attention to how many miles we cover as we travel "around" Antarctica. Flat earth theory says it's 50-60,000 miles. Spherical Earth theory says it 14,000 miles. Join me and ask any questions that you think would help our mission.
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Here's an interesting flight - an implied circumnavigation of the pole by plane at 88 degrees S:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/icebridge/fall14/nasas-icebridge-antarctic-campaign-wraps-up
Two other newly designed missions also had the aim of setting a baseline for validating ICESat-2 measurements. On Oct. 23 and 26, the DC-8 flew a survey around the South Pole at 88 degrees south. Every planned ICESat-2 orbit intersects at 88 degrees, giving scientists a reference point for verifying the satellite’s accuracy.
One of these pole flights was part of a set of eight surveys considered the highest priority by IceBridge mission planners. These flights, known as baseline missions, target areas that are rapidly changing and thus needing repeat measurement, or are otherwise scientifically important, like flights building comparison points for ICESat-2.
It depends on how one interprets "around"
And ICE SAT??
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/739013main_SAT_SCI_TECH_ICESat-2_high.jpg
The Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) is the second-generation of the orbiting laser altimeter ICESat scheduled for launch in July 2016.....ICESat-2 will use a micro-pulse multi-beam approach. This provides dense cross-track sampling to resolve surface slope on an orbit basis. ......
http://icesat.gsfc.nasa.gov/icesat2/
https://twitter.com/NASA_ICESat2
The images looks a bit, er, hoaxy.
Interesting google hangout here - US interests in Antarctica - Ice Bridge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7cI0eBVmrE
Since 2003 NASA has used a satellite, ICESat (Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite), for observing polar ice. ICESat was retired in February 2010 due to a technical malfunction, leaving NASA without a satellite dedicated to ice observance. A new satellite is not expected to be launched until 2016.[1][2] NASA therefore introduced the IceBridge program which utilizes an aircraft to make similar measurements.
NASA everywhere you look. "Technical malfunction...." "We" [=USA]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_IceBridge
I wonder how long the alleged 88 degree possible circumnavigation of the South Pole took.
@18:25 in the You Tube hangout above:
ReplyDelete"...they flew around the south pole a couple of days ago, did a little loop I think, at 88 degrees...." - Jefferson Beck, one of NASA's video producers.
There are some interesting maps of the pole showing the restricted areas around it
ReplyDeletehttp://www.southpole.aq/management/zones.html
showing the clean air sector where there must be no overflights under 6000ft 110 W to 20 E at 88 deg 39m South
http://www.southpole.aq/media/img/maps/ASMA5_SouthPole_Color_Map1.jpg
overland transport also prohibited - this was mentioned in the UK car rally report I mentioned elsewhere.
http://www.southpole.aq/media/img/maps/ASMA5_SouthPole_Color_Map2.jpg
showing zones...
Clean Air Sector – ensures a pristine air- and snow-sampling environment for climate systems research;
Quiet Sector – activities and equipment emitting noise or vibration are limited to enable seismologic research and other vibration-sensitive pursuits;
Downwind Sector – no obstructions are allowed, to provide an area suitable for balloon launches, aircraft operations, and other "downwind" activities;
Dark Sector - light pollution and electromagnetic noise are minimized to assist astronomical and astrophysical research.
http://www.southpole.aq/media/img/maps/ASMA5_SouthPole_Color_Map3.jpg
I wonder what the hazard is in the hazardous zone...no entry
http://www.southpole.aq/media/img/maps/ASMA5_SouthPole_Color_Map4.jpg