2009-10 Photos - Deconstructing the Dome

It is gone!


and the place thereof shall know it no more
7 January, a classic B&W photo of what is left of the dome, by Forest Banks (FB)!
boom up
8 January, here's the beginning of another panel removal sequence (FB/APL).
arch rival
Lowering it...the not-quite closed temporary entrance to the LO arch is in the background (FB/APL).
pick up sticks
On the ground, taking the pieces apart (FB/APL).
pieces all over the ground
By now, the crane can reach and handle bigger panel sections from the lower portions of the dome (FB).
the not-a-dome
8 January, as photographer Ethan Good says, "...it is looking decidedly less 'domey'." (EG)
going going
as is obvious in this view from the other direction (GT).
ladder days
A closer look (GT).
a sunny day
Going...going...(GT).
more pieces all over the ground
11 January, not much left (FB).
what are the aliens going to do now
According to Forest and Jerry Marty, the last pick was scheduled for Thursday 14 January, but things were delayed 24 hours for a photo session...(FB)
dome thunder?
...15 January, here's the group photo. Astute dome denizens will recognize that the rectangular opening in the center of the remaining bit of dome was the entrance to the skylab tunnel (FB/APL).
geometry
16 January, disassembling one of the last panels (FB/APL).
dome gone
The last piece of the dome was removed shortly afterward. Incredibly this halo popped up directly behind the panel just at the right moment! (FB)
without a trace
The aftermath...absolutely nothing left. All of the pieces including the foundation members were carefully dismantled and staged on the berm (BM).
empty
The view of no dome from the dining room windows (EG).
little pieces
 triangles

Well, there may still be a shredder somewhere, but it is no longer relevant. All of the structural pieces and parts were carefully packaged as seen in these two photos...(GT) And they are all back in Port Hueneme awaiting further disposition (GT)!
...and all of the pieces are back in Port Hueneme, as documented by these photos from later in the year:
back where they came from
Struts and braces (BK).
no souvenirs allowed
Panels, nodes and fasteners (BK).

flag day ceremony
Back at Pole in January...after the removal was complete there was yet another ceremony by the same
FEMC group that had gathered a couple of weeks earlier and about 65 feet higher...with that USAP flag
supplied by Jerry Marty (FB).
a blade
filling the void

Some folks have wondered if the empty abyss would be graded over or if it would be left for Mother Antarctica to drift in naturally. Here's the answer...on 3 February the (freshly rescued from the Old Pole hole) D8 is at work filling things in. Oh yes, these 2 pictures are from Beth Watson who was actually driving the D8 (EW).

hero shot after installing the top dome ring at the Seabee Museum

A postscript...in July 2011 the top ring of the dome was reassembled and suspended from the ceiling of the Seabee Museum...as seen in the above hero shot and documented here. In April of 2012, the rigging was adjusted a bit, and the original dome flag pole (shortened a bit) was installed on top of the dome ring, along with the US flag which Jerry had flown at 90šS.

Thanks for the photos! Credits to: FB is Forest Banks; RD is Ryan Deuschle; EG is Ethan Good; DF is Dave Forrest; BK is Bill Koleto, who furnished the NSF photos from Port Hueneme; BM is Bill McAfee; AM is Andy Martinez; DM is Dan Moses; WP is Wayne Petts, JS is Jay Sonderup; GT is AGAP scientist Guy Tygat, and EW is Elizabeth Watson. Some photos also came from the Antarctic Photo Library (APL). And of course I've had assistance with information from Jerry Marty along with Pole the primary construction coordinator Steve Bruce. Steve, along with Brandon Neahusan, successfully planned and managed this job and made sure it happened safely and successfully!

Further documentation...this December 2009 Antarctic Sun article about the dome deconstruction--it includes photos from Guy Tygat. Guy also also provided this article (paywall now, sorry) to ExplorersWeb. Here is a March 2010 NSF press release with photos. Forest Banks has a photo gallery here. And here's a USAP flyer prepared before this project started.

Here's my look at what the dome and environs looked like when I knew it as new. Also worth mentioning here is SavetheDome.com, a great site with a panorama, tour pictures, history, and commentary put together by 2001 winterover Jeff Kietzmann and maintained by 2002 winter site manager Jerry Macala.

There was other work going on around the station...siding and science and such.


construction photo index | aerial photo index