World holds its breath for Russian scientists drilling in Antarctic (No Contact)

Daily Mail (UK) ^ | February 4, 2012 | Rob Cooper and Thomas Durante

[BlazingArizona]

“Why aren’t they doing this during the summer?”

They WERE doing it during the summer. It’s now early fall, not far from the autumnal equinox, which is the point where the sun goes down for good at that latitude. When the sun sets, all activity in the Antarctic stops until Sept. 21.

[jmacusa]

Hey ‘creek’’ is it me or does this dude have some head of hair or what? Man, how does he do it?

[PIF]

Vostok station holds the record for the lowest ever temperature recorded at the surface of the Earth (−89.2°C). http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/about_antarctica/geography/weather/temperatures.php So 66Cis not out of line.

[null and void]

Man, how does he do it?

ALIENS!

[cripplecreek]

ALIENS!

It's obvious.

[righttackle44]

Well, Cameron ‘s probably looking for another wife . . .

[Misterioso]

But then....how does “winter proper” start on Tuesday?

There are no more proper winters, Larry.

[3boysdad]

You did. It's summer down there and now it is ending. I have a work colleague that is currently on a sabbatical down there working at McMurdo Station running the mobile equipment shop. He originally wanted to go for a “winter” tour but they made him wait for “summer” first. He can't wait to get back to his real job and family here in Wyoming and “leaves the ice” next Thursday. He has sent me some really cool pictures of the South Pole during his tour.

[Misterioso]

So, you’re one of them scientists?

[BobL]

“Oy! Prayers up. Cold sucks.”

I can’t think of a better bunch to handle super-cold temperatures. But even so, I certainly wish them the best. Sooner, rather than later, we’re going to have to team up with them to deal with China and the bearded ones. After reading the books that I have, I have a BOATLOAD of respect for what they’ve had to deal with, and a BOATLOAD of respect for the level of sacrifice they’ve put themselves through, just to try to keep their children from getting minced up.

[Jim Noble]

[BobL]

“Conversation, OTOH, can be difficult. You have to pick the words up, carry them inside your cabin, and thaw them on the stove before you can hear them. “

LOL. They dealt with something like that on the Flintstones once. Fred screamed into a box...they drove into the woods, opened the box, and then the yell rang out.

In any case, I know what you’re getting at. If people understand and are prepared for super-cold conditions, they can survive, as the people in your north do every year.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

The scientific community is holding its breath for a team of Russian scientists that has been out of contact with colleagues in the U.S for six days, as they drill into a lake buried beneath the Antarctic ice for 20 million years.

Sounds like a sentence out of an H.P. Lovecraft story.

[Beowulf9]

“C’mon people, let’s be rational. They’ve obviously found the entrance to hollow earth and are relaxing in a tropical paradise.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0sb159J4O0

[cripplecreek]

Ancient Aryans?

[Kickass Conservative]

>“Why don’t we travel to the sun at night?”)<

Because it will be so dark we might fly right past it?

You got me, I stumped... LOL

[Orange1998]

"I just turned up the heater thinking about it."

Your funny!!! Got a chuckle from me.

[Calvin Locke]

The creepiest thing is that the outside world will have to wait until LATE this year...

OTOH, the outside world may have to wait ~5300 years à la Oetzi.

(Should something have gone horribly wrong.)

[Kellis91789]

It is February, which *IS* high summer in the Antarctic. Winter in the northern hemisphere is summer in the southern hemisphere, right ?

I don’t understand why this article implies winter is closing in.

[stellaluna]

Hopefully their communications system is just broken. I really hope they arent’ in a room drinking vodka and looking at eeach other waiting to see who turns into an alien.