Getting there

Getting to McMurdo Station in Antarctica is non-trivial. First of all, not just anyone can go. You must have a reason. Mine is as a scientist to prepare the CREST instrument for a flight. McMurdo Station (on the Ross Ice Shelf, at 78 degrees south latitude) started as a US Navy base. After the Antarctic Treaty was signed by all nations interested in claiming territory Antarctica, military operations were not allowed there, and all territorial claims were dropped. The base is for science now.

There are certainly other parts of Antarctica you can visit. They are primarily on the peninsula.  It costs a bundle! Most tours go by ship from the southern tip of South America. It takes two or three days just to get from there to the northern tip of the Antarctic peninsula.

So how do I get there?  First, I go to Christchurch, New Zealand (just about due north of the Ross Ice Shelf). From there, after a couple days, I catch a military transport plane  to McMurdo. Christchurch is a traditional jumping off point for Antarctic travelers. Scott and Amundsen started there on their race to the South Pole in the early part of the last century.

From Cincinnati, it took me 28 hours to reach Christchurch. The flight to McMurdo is 5 (C130 turboprop) or 8 (C17 jet) hours long. I am scheduled for a C17 flight.

All of this is paid for by NASA (who sponsors the research project) and the National Science Foundation (NSF, who oversees McMurdo Station). So really, this is your tax dollars at work.