Pole Airdrop late news
Bill Spindler
Copyright, 1999. The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
The information contained in this news report may not be published,
broadcast or
otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The
Associated
Press.
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) -- A U.S. Air Force jet loaded with
medical
supplies landed Saturday in New Zealand to prepare for an emergency
airdrop at
the South Pole.
The Air Force crew is racing to the coldest place on Earth with
supplies for
a researcher who has discovered a lump in her breast. Weather conditions
prevent
her from getting away from the bottom of the world until at least
October.
It's the dead of winter at the South Pole, with constant darkness,
temperatures as low as 80 degrees below zero and winds of more than 60
mph. A
landing to evacuate the woman from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station
would
be impossible, U.S. military officials say.
The 47-year-old woman, whose name was not disclosed, works for
Antarctic
Support Associates, a company that provides services for the National
Science
Foundation station.
Company spokeswoman Valerie Carroll and others familiar with the
mission
would not give details of the woman's job or say whether the lump is
cancerous.
Ms. Carroll said the woman had undergone tests with the base physician,
including X-rays and a biopsy, and that the results were sent to doctors
in the
United States.
The Air Force crew is scheduled to leave New Zealand at 10 a.m. local
time
Sunday (6 p.m. EDT Saturday). After an eight-hour flight over the
Southern
Ocean, the Starlifter will skim the frozen continent 1,000 feet above
the polar
surface.
The crew will wear special clothes to protect them against
subfreezing
temperatures and oxygen masks to protect them from the thin air of the
ice
surface, which is 10,000 feet above sea level.
When they open up a side door of the Starlifter, they will be
buffeted by icy
winds as the plane flies 200 mph.
The crew will have to find the drop point in midwinter's permanent
night and
shove pallets of medication and diagnostic equipment out the door before
dwindling fuel supplies force the plane to turn around for the trip back
to
Christchurch.
"This is probably one of our most challenging peacetime missions --
many
would argue our most challenging," mission commander Lt. Col. John Pray
said at
a news conference Saturday.
The station is 840 miles from the nearest people, at another research
station. It is comprised of laboratories and living quarters and covered
by a
geodesic dome; 31 men and 10 women are there this winter.
Ms. Carroll said she did not know the cost of the Air Force mission,
but
called it "significant."
"The supplies are being transported halfway around the world," she
said,
adding that the drop would also include "as much fresh food and mail as
we can
get to them."
Col. Richard Saburro, commander of Operation Deepfreeze, the U.S.
Antarctic
Program's air support unit, said Friday that the wind chill in the
plane's cargo
area would be extreme.
The plane's big rear door won't be opened for the airdrop because of
fears
its hydraulic fluids will freeze in the extreme cold.
"If they opened the rear door and couldn't close it, they'd have the
problem
all the way back to Christchurch," Saburro told The Associated Press.
"Malfunctions are more likely to happen in these extreme temperatures."
The planes are the Starlifter from McChord Air Force Base, 40 miles
south of
Seattle, and a KC-135 aerial refueling tanker from the Hawaii Air
National
Guard.
Each leg of the 6,375-mile roundtrip is expected to take about eight
hours.
The plane will take about half an hour to drop six pallets in two
passes,
Saburro said.
The pallets, marked with strobes and chemical lights, are to be
quickly
retrieved to prevent the goods from freezing, Saburro said. He also said
two
full sets of supplies, including 380-pound ultrasound scanners, other
diagnostic
equipment and medicines, will be dropped to ensure at least one full set
is
delivered undamaged.
"She appreciates the support and concern she has had from friends and
colleagues and the efforts made on her behalf," Saburro said. "She has
chosen
privacy at this point in a very personal process."
No midwinter landing has ever been made at the South Pole base,
because of
the extreme conditions.
Saburro said the woman's current condition is not life-threatening
but
scheduling an earlier flight to pick her up will be considered if her
condition
deteriorates.
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Bill Spindler..... Antarctican
http://people.delphi.com/billspindler/
Obviously, my opinions are mine!
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