Slashdot Mirror
Stroke Victim Stranded At South Pole Base
Hugh Pickens writes "Renee-Nicole Douceur, the winter manager at the Amundsen-Scott research station at the South Pole, was sitting at her desk on August 27 when she suffered a stroke. 'I looked at the screen and was like, "Oh my God, half the screen is missing."' But both the National Science Foundation and contractor Raytheon say it would be too dangerous to send a rescue plane to the South Pole now, since Douceur's condition is not life-threatening. Douceur's niece Sydney Raines has set up a Web site that urges people to call officials at Raytheon and the National Science Foundation. However, temperatures must be higher than -50 degrees F for most planes to land at Amundsen-Scott or the fuel will turn to jelly. While that threshold has been crossed at the South Pole recently, the temperature still regularly dips to 70 degrees below zero. 'It's like no other airfield in the U.S.,' says Ronnie Smith, a former Air Force navigator who has flown there about 300 times. A pilot landing a plane there in winter, when it is dark 24 hours a day, would be flying blind 'because you can't install lights under the ice.' The most famous instance of a person being airlifted from the South Pole for medical reasons was that involving Jerri Nielsen FitzGerald, a doctor who diagnosed and treated her own breast cancer. Using only ice and a local anesthetic, she performed her own biopsy with the help of a resident welder. When she departed on October 16, 1999, it was the earliest in the Antarctic spring that a plane had taken off."
'It's like no other airfield in the U.S.'
The South pole isn't apart of the US.
McChord Air Force Base has a couple of C-17s in Christchurch *right now* involved in Operation Deep Freeze. Of course, the jets keep the engines running while cargo goes off and on, and as a point of fact, we are now actually doing NVG landings and take-offs.
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
Not only is the condition not life threatening at the moment, the rescue wouldn't achieve much since by the time the victim could be transported out of there, any damage would've been done already. Not to mention that putting her into an unpressurized plane (if it's too cold for the C130) could be dangerous by itself.
Could you install lights *over* the ice though? Some sort of high-power laser projector on a pole or mounted on a building capable of projecting an image of the landing lights onto the snow.
When you sign up for a tour of duty to a place like that, you also sign a number of waivers and documents stating that you are aware that there is no bailing out early, and no chance of a rescue flight in winter. I'm sure it must suck to try to recover from a stroke while at the South Pole, but there is no reason to risk the life of others just to get her out - even less now that she is actually recovering.
At least actual transport is fast once it's safe to send it these days; Amundsen and his team spend 99 days going from the coast to the south pole and back, Scott and his team was on the move for about 150 days before succumbing to hunger and cold (in reality succumbing to bad planning and lack of preparation).
Everything in the world is controlled by a small, evil group to which, unfortunately, no one you know belongs.
She's 58 years old; why did she go there in the first place? People need to think about and understand the risks rather than just jump into something. It's stupid to risk the lives of a crew and her life too by flying in now.
... will be that the criteria for residing at the South Pole will be tightened to not include people at risk for common age related conditions -- ie. people over 40 or so. Granted, a stroke can occur at any age, but strokes predominantly occur in older individuals. This means that future qualified people will denied such opportunities because one person couldn't accept the concequences of risks that common sense would dictate are associated with living at such a remote outpost.
'It's like no other airfield in the U.S.'
It certainly is.
She had the stroke a month and a half ago. The next scheduled flight is one week away. Maybe this would have been newsworthy on September 10th, but at this point, if she's functional, she can last another week.
Honestly, how bad would she (and her family back home) feel if they send a "rescue flight" tomorrow, and it crashes on attempted landing, killing the crew? Or how bad would her family feel if it landed successfully, managed to take off again, but then the engines die halfway to the coast due to jelled fuel, killing the crew AND her?
Another non-functioning site was "uncertainty.microsoft.com."
The purpose of that site was not known.
Wait a minute. It's the THING.
It took her over and doesn't know how to operate her body, so it's claiming to have had a stroke so it can get back to the mainland to infect the rest of us...
Well at least from october 17 she will have a *plane* to bring her home. I'm on the base of Kerguelen island and while we never have such low temperatures, we only have one supply ship that comes around here four or five times a year and there's just no mean at all to be brought home fast... no airstrip or whatever. Physical isolation is something you know about when you sign up, but it's usually more difficult to accept for relatives than for yourself.
Some people will start to exhibit altitude sickness even at 8,000 feet.
http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
This reminds me of Ingrid Betancourt; she was warned not to go in the rebel area because she could get kidnapped. She still went to the rebel area and got kidnapped. And we are supposed to feel sorry for her.
lucm, indeed.
Here's the conversion chart.
-50 F ~ -46 C
-70 F ~ -57 C
First, email the people on this list and tell them the money saved denying Renee a Medevac flight will not be worth the bad press. Ask them to do the right thing.
Please no. This really isn't about saving money. If that's all it was, they'd do the flight just to head off the bad PR.
Sending a flight to the south pole in adverse conditions costs lives. Figuring a 1 in 15 chance of a crash per round trip and a flight crew of 3, that's 0.2 lives you're paying to airlift her out of there.
That's an acceptable risk for someone who will die unless they're rescued, but that's not the case: she had a stroke; the damage is done. They probably have her on blood thinners now and she's off-duty and taking it easy, which is basically all that they can do for her in a proper hospital to prevent a recurrence. Any rehab therapy she needs can be adequately done by videoconference until they can get a flight down there.
Love, love is a verb
Love is a doing word
Fearless on my breath
Gentle impulsion
Shakes me, makes me lighter
Fearless on my breath
Teardrop on the fire
Fearless on my breath
I'm sure(?) that the people at NASA are looking at this and thinking:
"What would this be like if this happened in deep space, with no possibility of rescue or even airdropped (space dropped?) supplies?"
Is there an age restriction on astronauts (to reduce the likelihood of diseases which become more prevalent with age?). Are there any policies about pushing people out of the airlock if they can't be helped (now that would be something interesting to see on wikileaks).
This looks like a bad situation for everyone involved.
How does she know if it was really a stroke? Only by symptoms??? It could be many other diseases from optic neuritis, multiple sclreosis onset... or glaucoma. Did she have a CAT or MRI scan to differentiate? Also if she had stroke and it just affected her vision she may consider herself as very lucky, without thrombolytic therapy. She was also aware that going to South Pole is not like hitchiking in the mountains, no 911 calls. Anyway I wish her well and hope she will recover.
Raines has set up a Web site that urges people to call officials at Raytheon and the National Science Foundation.
With the purpose of what? Endangering more lives? This isn't a rational plea for help, it's irrational panic.
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
You're talking about trying to mark the runway with reflected light? That is you are going to shine a laser light on the ice and the reflection off will somehow be bright enough to see at a distance?
I doubt that would work. The normal situation has lights which directly emit light.
http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
Yeah, mainly because it's not in the US.
Paging Doctor House
-50F is about -45C.
== Jez ==
Do you miss Firefox? Try Pale Moon.
It would be easy to mod a plane to use Hydrogen. real issue is the fluids in the hydraulic systems.
Still You think someone would take up the challenge to redesign a plain for the Antarctic environment. A lot of issues to overcome but certainly not impossible.
sounds like an ideal xprize project
They could use a fulton to get her out. That's why it was invented :3
http://photolibrary.usap.gov/Portscripts/PortWeb.dll?query&field1=Filename&op1=matches&value=09122008_NVG_C17.JPG&catalog=Antarctica&template=USAPgovMidThumbs
Nice landing shots at night.
Id like to see a SR71 land there.
Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
A C-17 Globemaster III aircrew from McChord Air Force Base, Washington, performed the first known after-dark landing in Antarctica using night vision goggles on September 11, 2008.
http://photolibrary.usap.gov/Portscripts/PortWeb.dll?query&field1=Filename&op1=matches&value=09122008_NVG_C17.JPG&catalog=Antarctica&template=USAPgovMidThumbs
Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
Your giant u2 concerts have giant lasers, thats enough to light up a virtual run way.
You're only caveat is temperature, but hey, your laser can be inside a building just have it go 'out the window' as such .
Only people who want job security pretend it takes months. You could design a system in a 24hr (3day) burst design session. Ala skunk works 1958.
Those were real engineers, not engineers designing a way to guarantee that their jobs will be valid for 12 years of updates, because documentation is poor.
Hackers can build this in 8 hrs, just give them unlimited online ordering ability.
Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
http://www.greatlandlaser.com/other-applications.html
Oh theres a patent.....
Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
In Soviet Antarctica, the doctors deal with it themselves... Seriously, Leonid Rogozov was unable to get help and had some appendix issues, so he removed it himself:
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Leonid_Rogozov
What is the very first thing you do in a first aid scenario? You see someone down you stop and assess the situation. You never proceed to help a victim unless its safe to do so or you want to earn a stupidity ..er.. I mean bravery medal.
You go in all mucho and heroic you stand a chance of increasing the number of casualties. No only does that put your stupid arse in a sling, but it also limits the amount of help that will be available for the original casualty when the smarter rescue team arrives.
Sydney Raines is now actively petitioning for something that could have a very good chance of not only getting people killed, but worse still potentially getting people killed and preventing help for the one who currently needs it.
if you look at her website... you will notice she is wining about her 'psychological stress' if she would be able to fly at all...
The fact is that she is in perfect health now and knew what she signed up for when she enlisted.
The other people on the station must be getting crazy because of her wining, and I'm sure they'll put her on a plane as soon as it's safe to fly there. The medical staff on the station saved her life, and this is how she says thanks?
The psychological circumstances to be locked up on the south pole, should be compared to those people who are locked in a toiletbox floating around earth (ISS). And it must be hard. Congrats to all the other people over there who are scarifying themselves in the name of science!
As far as I know, the USA has no claims on Antarctica ("The Antarctic"?). Unless pilot Ronnie Smith thinks Antarctica's just north of The Border...which is unfortunately more likely.
We need an iCare app stat!
With all sympathy for the patient, as I know several stroke survivors, it's not the end of the world medically, though it is physically.
I know Renee personally. In fact, I submitted this story to Slashdot in late September, but it didn't get posted.
There are other factors involved. Renee is aware of the problems with an evacuation this time of year, but was more concerned about being prevented from getting a second medical opinion and being denied a medical attendant on the evacuation flight. She sought publicity upon the advice of her lawyer, who felt this was the only way to pressure the company to do the right thing - and the publicity campaign has worked. Renee is now getting a second medical opinion and will be getting a medical attendant on her evacuation flight.
Polar aviation technology has advanced considerably since 1999, and a Twin Otter can safely land at considerably lower temperatures than an LC-130. You may note that Renee did not ask for an evacuation in August or most of September - merely that a plane be put on standby for an evacuation as soon as possible in October. She didn't earn her Engineering degree or get to be Winter Site Manager by being stupid. There was also concern that the denial of her reasonable request for a second medical opinion, etc., might be retaliation related to some issues with anonymous whistleblowers which she handled.
It should also be noted that some types of stroke can get progressively worse, and that she is currently at a high altitude with low oxygen which might exacerbate the damage. I understand the skepticism, but like I say - she is not stupid.
More information here, though note that this page was established by family members, not Renee herself:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Evacuate-Renee-Nicole-Douceur-from-Antarctica-Immediately/139354572829055
Renee is at the South Pole, at an elevation of 9300 feet - however, because the atmosphere at the poles is thinner than at the equator, air pressure at South Pole is roughly equivalent to 10,500 feet.
However, this is a good point. It is one of the reasons why Renee requested a medical attendant on her evacuation flight, as well as a second medical opinion about her condition. Both requests were at first denied, but fortunately this publicity campaign has succeeded in getting both these requests granted.
As always with news stories, some of the most relevant details were omitted.
(I wintered with Renee at McMurdo Station in 2009, and have been in contact with her regarding her current circumstances.)
Green and Red Flares for a temporary runway, heating coils around the tanks to keep temps around -10.
Simple, easy, cheap. Get to it, Raytheon. If your best couldn't think of this solution in less than 5 minutes, quit sending people there, as you are obviously NOT prepared to be responsible.
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
As I've been saying elsewhere, there were other factors involved. Renee was being denied a second medical opinion, and denied a medical attendant on her evacuation flight. Thanks to the publicity, this has now been rectified. Naturally, the relevant facts never make the news. It ain't sexy.
I wonder why the south pole station doesn't make more use of robotic transport such as the Tubleweed Rover, ballistic transport pods or steerable balloons to transport supplies rather than depending on people. The ISS relies on robotic "progress" supply ships at least as much as it relies on human space flights. If we can do this in space, why not on earth?
They just need to burn more fossil fuel. This will, in turn, raise the earth's temperature enough for the plane to land.
This kind of thing is what the V22 Osprey was made for. It should have the range to get to the south pole, and it should be able to land vertically, get the person on board in 30 seconds, and get the hell out of there.
So why is this a issue now? It is almost mid-October so they can set a new record for the ealiest whatever in the next week. Why was this not the top news story back in August? Now whoever is responsible for rescues is just going to look bad because they are making the right choice of waiting a little longer to do the rescue. If they attempt a rescue now it will cost a lot AND put the air crew at great risk for someone who is not going to die right now. Yes, the chance of another stroke is great but why risk the lives of a highly trained aircrew on a non-emergency rescue? And who is going to pay for it? Are they going to reduce the research budget to pay for it? Of course not because it is "other people's money" not their own. Now if we were having this discussion in early September I would say let's come up with a plan. There must be a way to get her help. A cruise missle, a boat, a sub, something. But at less than a week away for warmer temps why are we just now putting it at the top of the list?
And to think that I gave up the opportunity to spend a year in Antarctica as a research assistant in my youth... Don't mind "normal" cold, but that was a bit more than I was willing to submit to. In any case, these people are to be admired for their persistence in following their dream.
Sometimes, real fast is almost as good as real-time.
The standard treatment for stroke includes a clot-busting drug such as TPA if you can get it to the patient in the first few hours after the stroke. While this won't help her, they should keep a stockpile of it around for the next time somebody gets a stroke.
It's a bit more complicated than that - it helps some kinds of strokes and hurts others, so you need to consult a neurologist about it; I don't know if they'd also need to have CAT scan or equivalent medical hardware to help diagnosis.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
If an evac was really needed, they always have the Canadian Ken Borek Air.
They did it last time an evac was needed. Two planes (Twin Otters) with cable controls (none of this hydraulic that can freeze up). One for the evac and one for rescuing the first plane if it went down.
No redesign needed, just a really expensive charter.
Sadly the opening article is incorrect. Jerri Nielsen FitzGerald was not airlifted on discovery of her condition, but an airdrop was made (never done before) of medicine.
However, in 2001 Dr. Ronald Shemenski was evacuated from Admuson-Scott station using a Ken Borak Air DHC-6 (Twin Otter) flown to the base from Canada, and via Rothera (a British Antarctic station).
You can't just strap skis on a C-130 and make it into an LC-130 - it's a different plane, structurally. For a C-130, the gear is retractable; on an LC-130, the gear is fixed and the skis go up and down around the tires, allowing it to land on snow or hard surfaces on any flight.
The differences start at the keel. They have the same exterior shape, but internally, the LC-130 and C-130 aren't identical and aren't convertible.
Twin Otters and Baslers (stretched DC-3s) have strap-on skis. For Antarctic operations, they land at Rothera Station on gravel, are towed to snow, and are equipped in the field with skis and spend the entire summer landing on snow. At the end of the summer, they do the process in reverse, occasionally passing through Pole a day or two after the last LC-130 flight in mid-February.
You'd think having a backup doctor would be a good idea.
Apparently, according to her own words, Renee is already acclimated at about 10,000 feet. Wikipedia confirms that Amundsen-Scott station is at an altitude of 9,301 feet.
That's the GPS altitude, but the density altitude (because of the low temperature of the air) fluctuates between about 9300 feet and 14,000 feet (approx 630 millibars to just over 700 millibars), hovering in the 10K-11K range most of the time.
A winter evac has happened using a twin-otter in late April 2001 of the doctor suffering from pancreatitis. It is possible to land at night at the South Pole - Lot's of oil drums with lit jetfuel line the runway. Temperature -90F. It's doable but has to be life threatening and is a real risk to the pilots.
Anything you'd like to have on the surface of Mars, like maybe a presurized rocket sled with millimeter radar imaging, would probably come in handu in Antarctica too. Is -50 degrees really beyond our aerospace technology? Or just not lucrative?
I think they use lithium batteries in which case there are some that can operate at very very low temperatures so fuel freezing wouldn't be a problem
It is true that the flight crew for a LC-130 is three-persons (Pilot, Co-Pilot, Navigator), but there are additional personnel for any mission to the Antarctic. A flight engineer, crew chief and loadmaster will usually be attendant on the flight. In addition to that, this flight would be an AeroMed flight, and so would have at least a flight-nurse and two medical technicians.
The only unit that *MIGHT* reach the south-pole, right now, and do a medevac, would be the 109AW from Scotia NY. With the fuel and bearings and gaskets ceasing, even that would be a crap-shoot for actually getting out of there, if you even were able to land using the ground-radar for altitude gauging in the low-light conditions. Any wind and the airfield will become a giant cloud of snow, reduced to near-zero visibility.
Unfortunately, this would be an extremely risky mission; risking 9-crew members in extreme conditions to do a medical transport in the Antarctic spring. This mission would be on-par with risking a SEAL-team to rescue a hostage that was going to be released in 3 months anyways. Sorry, no car-analogies. I would take the mission, and trust in the pilots, but I don't think the pilots can/will do this one.
The fact that we cannot reliably get to the South Pole for 5 months of the year is the very reason they have a general-surgeon and ER doctor at the pole.The patient is stabilized, and I also think that it is touching that so-many people have mobilized support for this woman, but we don't have the TECHNOLOGY in place to get down there and get-out with any amount of safety. She will have to wait 3-months for reasonable landing conditions.
The Navy has lost an aircraft in a crash at the pole, and we have lost an aircraft to a snow-crevice on the airfield. Its a dangerous environment.
And to the McChord C-17 folks. Its great that you guys fly the long-haul down to McMurdo, just to drop the stuff off for the ANG to pickup to actually get to the pole. Nothin' but love for ya, baby. :-)
You can land the Twin-Otter, its true.
But how are you going to load a twin-PROPELLER-aircraft through the SIDE-DOOR while the props are still running to keep the fuel-warm?
If that Otter shuts-down, or has to stop at McMurdo to take fuel, you still have a very real risk that it is not going to get off the snow/ice anytime soon.
I pose this question while my desktop background is running a slide-show of various aircraft (Otters and LC-130s) we photographed while in Antarctica.
Right now electric power is only practical for the smallest of planes, unfortunately.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
She was stricken in AUGUST...and the first scheduled flight is leaving next Monday? Unless her condition is visibly deteriorating, it would seem to make sense to wait another six days rather than risk both her and a flight crew's lives on a dicey flight. This is rapidly becoming a moot argument.
This is perhaps a stupid question because I don't know much about this area or base. But I know they just finished building an ice road - why is that not an option? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMurdo-South_Pole_highway
//m
It should also be noted that some types of stroke can get progressively worse, and that she is currently at a high altitude with low oxygen which might exacerbate the damage. ...
If you can pass a message along, tell her to rebreathe with the assistance of a plastic bag. This helps prevent hypocapnia (low blood CO2), which is induced by oxygen therapy....
All patients on oxygen should have 5% carbon dioxide added into the mix. While uncommon, this is not entirely unheard of. I found some MSDS from a British medical gasses supplier last week about their various CO2 blends: Normal air enriched to 5% CO2, Oxygen with 5% CO2, pure CO2 for use by an anesthesiologist. The bookmark is on another computer, can find if interested...
Also see the last paragraph on this page: http://www.altitude.org/sleep_at_high_altitude.php
Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
www.teslabox.com
...she'll still be seen faster than if she had to deal with the NHS in the UK.
All of Antarctica belongs to the Australians. They should rescue her.
"While that threshold has been crossed at the South Pole recently, the temperature still regularly dips to 70 degrees below zero. 'It's like no other airfield in the U.S.,' says Ronnie Smith, a former Air Force navigator who has flown there about 300 times."
Move over Canada, you're not the seconds largest anymore ;)
I applied for that job several years ago and was a finalist, so I know a bit about the situation down there. There is a doctor on duty down there through the winter, so she is getting medical attention. Also, the time is almost here for "regular" flights to begin in and out of there for the beginning of the scientific research season. Remember that it is almost mid-autumn here and so that means it is mid-spring down there. And, normally, flights do begin from our station in New Zealand to our outpost on McMurdo Sound. Normally, the planes land there and then go on to the South Pole. At the latest, they should be able to get her out of there by November. They only allow a person to have that job for 13 months because of the stresses involved in living in the dark and extreme cold of the Antarctic winter. When I talked to the lady that had the job while I was applying, she said it was 90 below outside and that the hazard there that is feared most and is trained for the most is that of fire. Regarding the territory issue, the United States has no territorial claims on Antarctica unlike many other countries who do have claims. We officially recognize none of them. Another interesting fact, Antarctica truly is international territory and is the only place in the world you can go without a passport. As noted, we do have two major installations down there, at the South Pole and at McMurdo Sound. The military is involved, but the stations are managed by Raytheon for the National Science Foundation, which is our organization that is responsible for the scientific research and related work that goes on down there. Raytheon is a logistical contractor to NSF for purposes of keeping the stations up and running, and providing all of the services needed by the people on site during the winter and during the research season. Normally, the first planes in down there that signal the beginning of the research season go in in late October. The last planes out are usually in February. After that, everyone down there are on their own until the following October. Now, though, we do have good contact with the folks who work down there with the internet.
Given the speculation I am seeing here about there possibly being obese or mentally unfit people working down there, I can assure you that is not the case. The Raytheon jobs at Antarctica are among the hardest to get in the world. You have to go through an extensive application and interview process and then, if they think they want to hire you, there is a major medical screening involved. The necessary health and fitness level may not be at the level required say for an astronaut, but it is pretty darn close. The fact is that otherwise healthy people do sometimes get sick, with major things happening like strokes or cancer. The doctor several years ago who had cancer really did need to get out of there so that treatment could begin. In order to get her out, they had to mobilize a whole National Guard unit, from Maine, as I recall who could get a plane into there at just the right moment, get the lady loaded on and then off they went again. Very, very hazardous conditions. I do not know what the ambient temperature was for that endeavor but it was definitely during a part of the year when 90 below (fahrenheit) is not unusual. Back to territorial issues, many countries do have scientific stations in Antarctica. And, it is suspected that well below the ice are a plethora of minerals, perhaps even hydrocarbons, as the land underneath the ice is geologically related to both Australia and S. America, both of which have major mineral deposits. There is a global treaty the governs Antarctica and for now, it is truly reserved for the conduct of science. In about 1990, there was an addendum to the treaty which prohibits any mining or mineral extractive activity down there for 50 years. It won't be that long before it should be up for renewal. The logistical matters involved with trying to mine or extract hydrocarbons down there would be truly horrendous. One more thing -- the conditions at the S. Pole are made even more treacherous than one might realize because the elevation there is over 9,000 feet -- thin air territory. That means there is almost two miles of ice on top of whatever land there is at the south pole. What snow and ice there are there has blown in over the millennia and accumulated. It is a desert like situation because there is little to no actual snowfall there, only snow that blows in from elsewhere. If you can understand what I have come to know about Antarctica, I truly wanted that job and still would jump at the opportunity to have it. It would be the closest thing to having the chance to live on another planet for 13 months.
DRSABCD - Danger, Response, Send for help, Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Defibrillation. Still stuck at "Danger".
--
no sig for you. come back one year.
You mean NASA, all the Air Forces Universities and Research Institutes in the US and the World, do not have anything - anything - that can help? From pressurized remote-enabled airliftable ER and ICU pods, to throwable runaway lights, to drop-teams, to landing modules, to ICBM launchable light zeppelins to .... ? They wouldn't have to fly her straight to Boston Medical, for goodness' sake! Getting her to a nearby better staffed facility would already be enough. What is it with these people? This is barbarous! Tragic! Would they say "there's nothing we can do, if it were some bankster fatcat, and not "just a scientist" ?
Mad idea : using existing hardware - Paradrop a robotic caterpillar (used in mining) and a medical pod (like the US armed forces show off, every once in a while). paradrop or rocket drop them. Have extras on hand. Can't they even act as if it really mattered?
The KC-10 will not withstand the temperature. It's engines would lose bearings and hydralics in the extreme cold. It WILL crash.
Not withstanding the LC-130 IS NOT CAPABLE OF IN-FLIGHT REFUELING, MORONS. The only way to take extra fuel is to have an internal cargo-area tank and the flight-engineer pumping it into the tanks during flight. Period. End of story.
Or as we're taught DRABCD because if you need an acronym to remember to do the S then something is wrong with you :)
I know this is a bit late, but I will post this here in case anyone is looking through this later.
I got an email from Renee better explaining her position and her situation:
"Latest news: It appears the Kenn Borek Air Ltd DC-3 Baslers and Twin Otters are stuck in Chile, South America until the weather clears at the UK’s Rothera Base on the peninsula of Antarctica. Once the planes get there the pilots will rest and put skis on the planes then fly here (I think a 6 to 8 hour flight, maybe more). This goes to show and proves my point that Raytheon / NSF should have pre-positioned the planes ahead of time so that when a weather window opened they could come in to get me, instead of now being stuck in Chile.
"Perhaps you are unaware that there were different professional opinions between the consultant doctors at University of Texas Medical Branch and the National Science Foundation consultants regarding the need for a medical attendant and supplemental oxygen while flying from the South Pole to McMurdo Station on the coast of Antarctica then hop on a C-17 then fly to Christchurch, New Zealand for diagnostic testing to see what really happened / going on and determine if its safe for me to fly over the Pacific then across the US to John Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland.
"When I learned of the differing professional opinions I requested to have an independent opinion from John Hopkins. After battling with the Raytheon lawyers for more than a week to allow my doctor here to sign the paperwork to have an independent opinion I finally received the independent opinion from John Hopkins yesterday. They don’t think it was a stroke and think it could be a tumor or something else. They too mention I need to get MRI right away and should have been done within a couple of weeks when I had the so-called “stroke” or whatever. But here I wait which in 3 days time will be seven weeks because a decision was made within a matter of days (I have a memo) after the surmised stroke while brain swelling was still on going that they were not going to send a special mission (undoubtedly using the pretext that weather is to dangerous for the crew). Even worse they solely relied on their subcontract doctors from Texas (which we all know goes to the lowest bidder) on what they were saying. I’m not faulting the doctors by any means but it’s Raytheon and NSF not taking the initiative to seek other opinions which meant I was the one who had to speak up and demand an independent opinion – which of course said she needs to get out in quick haste, right away – not just leave her because somehow she appears to be stable.
"For the record I’ve always said I know the risks involved in flying a rescue mission and would not want the aircrew to risk their lives just for me. However, when precedent was set in April 2001 at minus 92F in the pitch black then again in September 2003, then I ask why aren’t they pre-positioning resources ahead of time such that when a weather window opens (which it has) then come in and fly me out.
"As far as the thinking that my situation is not life-threatening I say how do they really know it’s not? No one mentions that within days of my so-called stroke while brain swelling was still going on they made a decision not to even make an attempt to come in early but instead continue with the pre-planned schedule for flying to South Pole, which is mid-October.
"Raytheon has clear policies which says and I quote: “This category [Urgent] refers to cases that must be evacuated as soon as possible to save life, limb, or eyesight or prevent permanent disability” which “by definition, movement required as soon as possible with highest support level.” The doctors here have always said even to this day that I need to be evacuated as soon as possible. John Hopkins said the same yesterday. Obviously, to save life is life-threatening but certainly though eyesight or prevent permanent disability is perhap