[Larry Lucido]

I’ll admit I’m stupid.

Why aren’t they doing this during the summer?

(I’m afraid I just asked the equivalent of “Why don’t we travel to the sun at night?”)

[KarlInOhio]

Why aren’t they doing this during the summer?

It is summer south of the equator until March 21.

[PJ-Comix]

Why aren’t they doing this during the summer?

Um...This is SUMMER in the Antarctic. Below the equator the seasons are the opposite of ours. So those incredibly low temps are still not as low as they will be months from now when it is our summer and their WINTER. That is why they have to leave by Tuesday. Each day down there it is becoming colder and COLDER.

[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.

[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.

[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

[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.

[MistrX]

Antarctica is currently nearing the end of summer.

[CrazyIvan]

“I’ll admit I’m stupid.

Why aren’t they doing this during the summer?

(I’m afraid I just asked the equivalent of “Why don’t we travel to the sun at night?”)”

Jeez! Because we couldn’t find it in the dark! You really
are stupid!

[gleeaikin]

The axis of rotation of the earth currently has the Northern Hemisphere tilted away from the sun. Therefore we have winter. The Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun. Therefore, Antarctica is having its summer.

[Squawk 8888]

It’s late summer down there right now.

[worst-case scenario]

It’s in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s Opposite Land. Water spirals the wrong way down the drain. Winter is Summer.

Did they cover this is Geography in your grade school? Maybe you’re not stupid, but simply ill-informed.

[WoofDog123]

it is late summer, they need to be leaving before autumn.

winter in antarctica is bizarre, 100++mph gales, temperatures something unbelievable like -50c before wind chill.