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Farewell To the South Pole Dome
Julie188 writes "After more than three decades of service to researchers and staff stationed at the bottom of the world, the dome at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station was deconstructed this austral summer. Designed and constructed by the Seabees — the construction battalions of the US Navy — in the early 1970s, the dome's geodesic design provided a unique solution to the challenges posed to engineers trying to build structures at the South Pole. The dome is being returned to southern California where it will be held in storage. It could possibly be trotted out as an exhibit in a new US Navy Seabees museum."
Great, how do they know that in the past 28 years The Thing hasn't managed to figure out how to assimilate non-living matter and is now the dome? Just sitting there, waiting in the cold.
I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
How's that for tying two classics together?
Trolling is a art,
Lease it to Steve Ballmer to be used as a hat to cover that giant head of his.
Oh wait, wrong 1970s scientific research group.
Guess they are also getting rid of the F-302s at McMurdo. Homeworld security must not be important to the current administration.
So the chair is no longer there.
For anyone interested here is the link on the NSF page showing the old site and the new facility. Pretty cool (pardon the pun).
Don't worry, I'm sure the shiny new $150 million replacement facility will be able to keep up the search.
Crazy? I was crazy once. They put me in a home. I died there. Then the worms came. Worms? I hate worms! Worms make me crazy. Crazy? I was crazy once....
I don't think that word means what you think it means.
"Dismantled" would be a better choice.
Of course I may be wrong. Perhaps the Seabees really have been standing around considering the the dome's true meaning and searching for inconsistencies in its design.
Proverbs 21:19
Wait, the Sea-bees? You don't suppose there's an old set of mechanic's tools left behind in there, do yah? I really to catch this boat tomorrow, and all I have is this weird book about the "means of production" which won't tell me squat about producin' some tools!
Wrong pole chief, that episode was in Alaska which is closer to the North Pole than the South pole mentioned in the story.
Nice try to fit in a pop culture reference though.
~Syberz
"Dismantled" would be a better choice.
I think "Superior" would be a superior choice.
It's not hard to suggest Synonyms and sound pompous.
It would be awfully nice if submitters would include links to sites with pictures where you don't have enable 50 scripts just to see a jpeg. For example, linking to wikipedia is a no brainer that would save a million keystrokes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amundsen-Scott_South_Pole_Station
What changed under Obama? Nothing Good
Lets see if we can sensationalize this one a bit, shall we?
It's not hard to suggest Synonyms and sound pompous.
I think "sound like an asshat" would be a superior choice.
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
I live down the street, and the new building is much nicer. Parking is a pain, though.
Because TFS couldn't be bothered to give a hint as to why I will...
"The dome could no longer accommodate the demands of research activities taking place there, however, and each year the structure sunk deeper into the ice it was built on. Blowing snow that collected on top of it had to be removed and hauled away, burning up precious fuel and crew time during the short austral summer. The international treaty that governs human activities in Antarctica requires that buildings and equipment no longer in use be removed and the site remediated whenever possible, necessitating the dome's deconstruction and removal."
I'll meet you at the intersection of "Should be" and "Reality"
The dome could no longer accommodate the demands of research activities taking place there, however, and each year the structure sunk deeper into the ice it was built on. Blowing snow that collected on top of it had to be removed and hauled away, burning up precious fuel and crew time during the short austral summer. The international treaty that governs human activities in Antarctica requires that buildings and equipment no longer in use be removed and the site remediated whenever possible, necessitating the dome's deconstruction and removal.
I can understand the last two points (snow covering it, and no littering in Antarctica), but did the structure stay there for 30 years and only now the sinking into the snow becomes a problem? Given the panels are so light, they could have dis- and reassembled them when needed. Maybe made up to soften the accountants sharp pencil of "too expensive!"
and soon no Dome either.
No Ruby (or Silver) Slippers required.
Snow covering it is sinking into the snow. Same effect. Snow covers it each year but never melts. The next year, more snow covers it.
Meanwhile, the entire glacier is slowly squirting out at all sides towards the sea. The net effect is a glacier that's not necessarily getting any thicker, but items sitting on top of it effectively "sink" in the additional snowfall as any given layer moves down and out to the sea.
The new station can be jacked up on hydraulics up to two stories "higher" than its current position. As the layer its supports are buried in sinks, the building can be kept level.
It doesn't hurt to be nice.
I spent a year there, and I never went if the freakin' thing. Closest I got to it was on the official decommissioning photo, when Dog pulled the American flag down and we all posed in front of the sign.
Watching The Penguin try to get off the side of the Dome without falling was the funniest part.
Old Pole is cooler (pun intended) than Old Dome.
Not as big, but quite good looking: Belgian - Princess Elisabeth station
10 ?"Hello World" life was simple then
I'm one of the 47 down here for the 2010 Winter season, the crew is missing the Dome. It was an icon in Antarctica, and this place feels like it's missing something without it. Someone pointed earlier to Spindler's website http://www.southpolesation.com/ where there is much more on the deconstruction from the unofficial South Pole historian. -- http://www.artificialpulse.com/
Geodesic dome design died out around the same time hippie communes did. They were looking for a new building that didn't scream "Hey man, check out my groovy new bell-bottoms!"
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Arrogant Southist assholes. Allow me to refer you to a more correct map of the planet (though I'd still prefer to see an equal-area projection used instead of Mercator's abomination.)
New mod option wanted: -1 DrunkenRambling
This is what happens when you let just anyone moderate.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"