Dome Deconstructed - Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station

[TaffGoch]

 

It's all over -- the "fat lady" has sung !

 

http://www.southpolestation.com/0910/10photos1.html

 

http://photolibrary.usap.gov/Portscripts/PortWeb.dll?query&field1=Description&op1=contains&value1=dome&join1=or&field2=Keywords&op2=contains&value2=dome&join2=or&field3=Photographer&op3=contains&value3=dome&join3=or&field4=Date+Taken&op4=contains&value4=dome&join4=or&field5=filename&op5=contains&value5=dome&join5=or&template=USAPgovSmallThumbs&catalog=Antarctica&sorton=cataloged&ascending=0&offset=0

 

 

[Ken G. Brown]

Thx, very interesting.

It did not seem from the little bit I read that the dome has a final home yet, or does it?

What were the fundamental reasons they had to take the dome down?

Ken G. Brown

At 12:06 PM -0600 3/10/10, TaffGoch apparently wrote:
>
>It's all over -- the "fat lady" has sung !
>

><http://www.southpolestation.com/0910/10photos1.html>http://www.southpolestation.com/0910/10photos1.html
>
><'"http://photolibrary.usap.gov/Portscripts/PortWeb.dll?query&field1=Description&op1=contains&value1=dome&join1=or&field2=Keywords&op2=contains&value2=dome&join2=or&field3=Photographer&op3=contains&value3=dome&join3=or&field4=Date+Taken&op4=contains&value4>http://photolibrary.usap.gov/Portscripts/PortWeb.dll?query&field1=Description&op1=contains&value1=dome&join1=or&field2=Keywords&op2=contains&value2=dome&join2=or&field3=Photographer&op3=contains&value3=dome&join3=or&field4=Date+Taken&op4=contains&value4=dome&join4=or&field5=filename&op5=contains&value5=dome&join5=or&template=USAPgovSmallThumbs&catalog=Antarctica&sorton=cataloged&ascending=0&offset=0
>
><'"http://photolibrary.usap.gov/Portscripts/PortWeb.dll?query&field1=Description&op1=contains&value1=dome&join1=or&field2=Keywords&op2=contains&value2=dome&join2=or&field3=Photographer&op3=contains&value3=dome&join3=or&field4=Date+Taken&op4=contains&value4>

[TaffGoch]

The top two "tiers" of triangles are going to a new US Navy Seabees museum being built in Port Hueneme, CA.

http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=116468&org=OLPA&from=news

 

The rest of the dome has been crated, and will remain at the South Pole Station, for potential salvage, should anyone else want to pay the cost of shipping to the U.S. (The Buckminster Fuller Institute, for example, has expressed interest in obtaining part of the dome.)

 

It's a Temcor dome, and a new one would be cheaper than shipping the Antartica parts. The only incentive to recovering the South Pole dome would be historic preservation.

 

The dome was originally built on the surface of the snow pack. At the start of every research year, snow had to be cleared from the dome and it's immediate surrounds. Since yearly snow accumulation doesn't melt, it slowly built up, until the dome was sitting in the bottom of a crater. In latter years, they couldn't clear all the snow, and removed the snow only on top. Access to the dome entrance was through an excavated trench/tunnel. A few years ago, snow load calculations/simulations revealed that there may be dome damage, around the perimeter of the first tier of triangular panels. Digging down to the base did, indeed, reveal cracks and splits, which were repaired.

 

Everyone knew that, eventually, the dome would have to be abandoned. The last few years, it's been used only for storage, as the new station was available for personal and labs. (The new research station is built on stilts, and can be jacked up further, as necessary, to remain elevated above the rising snow pack.)

 

Goodbye, old girl....

[TaffGoch]

[Ken G. Brown]

Thx.
Seems like construction started in summer 73/74?
It did have a long and useful life in pretty harsh conditions.

Ken

At 2:25 PM -0600 3/10/10, TaffGoch apparently wrote:
>The top two "tiers" of triangles are going to a new US Navy Seabees museum being built in Port Hueneme, CA.

><http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=116468&org=OLPA&from=news>http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=116468&org=OLPA&from=news

>--
>You received this message because you are subscribed to the "Geodesic Help" Google Group
>--
>To unsubscribe from this group, send email to GeodesicHelp...@googlegroups.com
>--
>To post to this group, send email to geodes...@googlegroups.com
>--
>For more options, visit <http://groups.google.com/group/geodesichelp?hl=en>http://groups.google.com/group/geodesichelp?hl=en
>
>Content-Type: image/jpeg; name="setdown1.jpg"
>Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="setdown1.jpg"
>X-Attachment-Id: f_g6mk3xbu0
>
>Attachment converted: MacProHD0:setdown1.jpg (JPEG/«IC») (076CCFDD)
>Content-Type: image/jpeg; name="Dome_Aerial.jpg"
>Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="Dome_Aerial.jpg"
>X-Attachment-Id: f_g6mkvgbm1
>
>Attachment converted: MacProHD0:Dome_Aerial.jpg (JPEG/«IC») (076CCFDE)

[TaffGoch]

In Memoriam, 1975-2009

 

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=a43c84d44a145d0db418289a672426b3

[TaffGoch]

The best coverage of the dome's "deconstruction" are from "The Antarctic Sun," the news website of the USAP (United States Antarctic Program)

http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1984

 

The November 25, 2001, edition of The Antarctic Sun contains several articles about the dome's history:

http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/pastIssues/2001-2002/2001_11_25.pdf

 

Taff