Fact Sheet: South Pole Medical Air Drop/
Images from Amundsen-Scott Station

Fact Sheet

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Media contact: Peter West (703) 292-8070 pwest@nsf.gov

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South Pole Medical Air Drop

Images from Amundsen-Scott Station

Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station

Personnel at the National Science Foundation's Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station braved intense cold and used everything from muscle power to front-end loaders to successfully recover six bundles of medical supplies and other equipment that U.S. Air Force delivered on July 11 to treat a woman who is spending the winter at the station. The 47-year-old woman, who has asked not to be identified, recently discovered a lump in one of her breasts.

The station personnel, who are employed by Antarctic Support Associates of Englewood, Colo., lit fires in the almost total darkness to provide a target for the C-141 cargo aircraft to air drop the bundles, which also contained mail and fresh vegetables.


South Pole personnel prepare signal fires

Lighting the fire A signal fire in the darkness


Using a front-end loader to recover medical supplies and equipment

Personnel work to recover dropped bundles


Inspecting dropped bundles Personnel braving intense cold

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[Note: The above page is an archived National Science Foundation media fact sheet that is not currently available on the NSF news pages]