There are many places in the US that will encounter 100 degree temperatures in July.The only thing is that the South Pole sees temperatures of 100 degrees below zero, not above.This is cold enough to freeze your blood in a very, very short time.

During this time there is alo no sunlight, little contact with the outside world, and little hope for assistance if things should go wrong, and yet twenty-eight people will spend six months of their lives in Antarctica.These people are responsible for maintaining the U.S. polar base and to operate telescopes and other types of scientific equipment at the research station.Present day communications and technology are altering that purpose.

In the past North American astronomers utilized satellite communications to control the South Pole's observatory telescope.This was the first time a South Pole telescope was controlled from a warmer continent.It is the hope of Astronomers that some day they will be able to view the universe using the South Pole telescopes from warmer climates.antarctica tours

The people who stay at the South Pole have to contend with the coldest, driest and windiest climates in the world.They also have to be careful of breathing difficulties as the result of the high altitudes at the South Pole.Therefore, only plants and animals that have adapted to the cold can survive there, such as various algaes, tundra vegetation, seals, and penguins.

People who are willing to commit to this six-month experience will enjoy the new nickname of "winter-over".These crews are provided with a very large video collection, a small exercise room, various computers, a pool table, and wonderful food.Normally, winter-overs do not speak much about what occurs during their winter months of isolation at the South Pole, from February to October.antarctica vacations

Since the number and complexity of the South Pole facilities have expanded so greatly, electrical power can often be fairly dogdy there.The station has three oil-burning generators but they have not been able to generate enough power to stay abreast of the increasing demands of computers, telescopes, lasers and other power intensive devices.This means that winter-overs have to deal with insufficient power, in addition to cramped quarters and cold buildings.

Various traditions are used by winter-overs to help pass the time.If there's a day in which the outside temperature is more than 100 degrees below zero, you can join the "300 Club."They start by heating the sauna up to 200 degrees.Winter-overs enter the sauna, get hot, then run out into the cold, entering soon after, experiencing a 300 degree change in temperature.

The crew also looks forward to airdrop.This occurs in June. It is the drop of pallets of food, mail, and supplies by a U.S. Air National Guard military transport plane.Heavy equipment is used to collect the pallets in order to be broken down and used.This is the closest winter-overs are able to get to physical contact with anyone outside the South Pole area for six months.

In their stay in Antarctica, the winter-overs are never able to see a tree or go more than a mile from the pole.Each crew member gets a one week vacation to the United States' main Antarctic base, McMurdo Station.During their vacation they get to enjoy camping out in refreshing 25-degree climate, baking in the sun on the beach, and wearing t-shirts and jeans.