McMurdo has starlink. South Pole doesn't, but not due to technical reasons from starlink's side. From what I understand when they tested at Pole they noticed interference with some of the science experiments, its possible they will engineer around that at some point but for now starlink is a low priority compared to ensuring the science goes on.
I forget the exact distance, but its something like 5 miles from pole that they ask groups traversing to turn off their starlink.
that is to say, the starlink terminals radiating EM sufficient to mess with the sensitive sensors at the south pole, which is fascinating since they're supposed to have passed compliance testing that they're not doing too much of that. but the south pole has a different definition of too much, it seems. fascinating!
I would love to learn more about your day to day in Antarctica! Did Starlink really change everything for connectivity there? Do most people stay inside?
Starlink was certainly a game changer for life around here. McMurdo is essentially a small town so many different jobs and routines to make everything go. Some stay inside all the time, some have to work outside a lot.
https://brr.fyi/ is a really good blog from a person nearing the end of a year long deployment who writes much more eloquently than I ever could if you want to read more.
Antarctica: A Year on Ice is an enjoyable film documentary from ~10 years ago.
A Big Dead Place by Nicholas Johnson is also worth a read from the early 2000s.
Here at McMurdo we've had 24/7 satellite internet for at least as long as I've been coming down (~10 years). Think roughly a ~30mbps connection shared with ~1000 people with business and science bandwidth prioritized over personal browsing. So starlink has been a game changer for sure.
At South Pole, I believe they don't yet have access to starlink. They also don't have 24 hour coverage for the few internet satellites they do get.
I don't work in IT so don't have direct access to more specific information, and obviously I can't speak for the many other stations scattered throughout the continent.
Woah! So there was just a single "downlink" for the entire station? Are there multiple starlink antennas now? I guess the upside is that you don't have issues with overloaded satellites in your area :')
both. (for mcmurdo/south pole) most of the dry/canned/frozen food is procured in the USA and loaded on a vessel in port hueneme for the once a year resupply vessel.
"freshies" are ordered from new zealand and flown down on available flights.
roughly $3 dollars per gallon purchase price for 5-6 million gallons. Plus tanker costs to McM at between $25k-$70k per day for roughly 90 days. Plus the cost of the ice breaker, between $3.5-$11 million per year. [0]
That's just to get it to McM and doesn't include the labor costs of the fuelies based in McM. Then you gotta get it to Pole, which is a combination of the overland traverse and lc130 tanker missions.
[0] https://erdc-library.erdc.dren.mil/jspui/bitstream/11681/243...
the rodwell where they melt the ice for their water makes a big cavern in the ice. the previous rodwell is used for all greywater/human waste, indeed making a giant shitcicle. when the current freshwater rodwell is done, they start a new one and that one becomes the new dumping one.
https://codeberg.org/celenity/Phoenix