PRI's The World:
The U.S. Amundsen-Scott research station at the South Pole. (Photo: Credit Freija Descamps)
PRI's The World:
Winter at the Amundsen U.S. Scott research station. (Photo: Credit Freija Descamps)
PRI's The World:
The setting Antarctic sun casts a long shadow of the Ice Cube lab, which is an observatory that detects ghostly subatomic particles traveling through the universe called neutrinos. The lab is about half a mile from the research station. (Photo: Credit F
PRI's The World:
With the onset of winter, the last plane leaves Antarctica. The crew of scientists overwintering at the South Pole this season waves goodbye. The next plane will arrive in October, 2011. (Photo: Credit Freija Descamps)
PRI's The World:
The sun is setting slowly over the South Pole. (Photo: Credit Freija Descamps)
PRI's The World:
Sunset (Photo: Credit Freija Descamps)
PRI's The World:
The sun sets over the South Pole. Note the mysterious green mark above it. The continent will remain dark for the coming six months. (Photo: Credit Freija Descamps)
PRI's The World:
Inside the research station. (Photo: Credit Freija Descamps)
PRI's The World:
Laundry room. Water is so precious here, that researchers can only shower twice a week, and do laundry once a week. (Photo: Credit Freija Descamps)
PRI's The World:
This is where all the fuel is stored inside the station. (Photo: Credit Freija Descamps)
PRI's The World:
Generators that power the equipment at the station. Excess heat from these generators is used to melt ice for the scientists’ use and to heat the water, and the station. (Photo: Credit Freija Descamps)
PRI's The World:
This is “the most beautiful emergency exit in the world,” according to Freija Descamps, a physicist who is overwintering at the station this year. (Photo: Credit Freija Descamps)
PRI's The World:
And this is how the researchers at the South Pole get around. (Photo: Credit Freija Descamps)
PRI's The World:
The flagline is meant to help scientists who are overwintering at the South Pole find their way back to the station in the dark. (Photo: Credit Freija Descamps)