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NSF PS 01-04 - April 26, 2001
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Peter West
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pwest@nsf.gov
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Statement by Dr. Karl Erb
Director, Office of Polar Programs
On the Successful Return of Dr. Ronald Shemenski to
Chile
We in the U.S. Antarctic Program are extremely gratified
to hear that the aircraft from the National Science
Foundation's Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station has
arrived safely in Punta Arenas, Chile. Having delivered
Dr. Betty Carlisle to serve as the physician at the
station, it has now brought Dr. Ronald Shemenski back
to Chile.
Dr. Shemenski can now obtain a level of medical care
that simply is unavailable at the South Pole. With
the arrival of a replacement physician, the 49 other
people who will be spending the winter there can now
be assured of continuing medical care in the coming
months.
For the U.S. research community to achieve the scientific
advances it so often does in the harsh conditions
of Antarctica, every individual in the U.S. Antarctic
Program is called on to contribute his talents to
the fullest. But no one person alone can insure that
success.
I commend the aircrew of Canada's Kenn Borek Air Ltd.,
who flew the Twin Otters to the Pole through some
of the most demanding conditions on earth, on their
skill and professionalism.
While they were alone at the controls, they were part
of a global team of professionals, including weather
forecasters, mechanics, logisticians and dozens of
other experts, each of whom contributed to this overall
success. Raytheon Polar Services Co., our prime contractor,
did an outstanding job of integrating the work of
these experts.
As is always true in Antarctica, a continent dedicated
to the peaceful coexistence of the scientific programs
of many nations, the United States did not stand alone
in this evacuation. I am extremely grateful to the
British Antarctic Survey (BAS) for the assistance
and hospitality it provided to the Twin Otter aircrews
at Rothera Research Station.
I am also grateful to the Chilean government and to
the people of Punta Arenas for their assistance in
the staging of the evacuation flights. Chile has long
served as the gateway to our station on the Antarctic
Peninsula. But on this historic occasion, it served
as a gateway to the South Pole.
NSF also thanks the U.S. Air Force and the U.S Department
of Interior, for helping to weigh the several options
for bringing Dr. Shemenski safely home. I would like
to again thank the pilots and aircrews of the 109th
Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard, and
their families, for standing ready to make the pole
flight, had they been needed. And, as in any operation
in Antarctica, where weather cannot be ignored, the
Space and Naval Warfare Systems (SPAWAR) Center in
Charleston, S.C., was instrumental in providing up-to-the
minute weather forecasting, that optimized the chances
for success.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR),
meteorologists at the University of Wisconsin, and
on the ground at McMurdo and South Pole station as
well as British meteorologists also helped accomplish
the difficult task of evaluating complex weather patterns
during a continental flight.
Finally, I offer my thanks and admiration to the entire
staff at the South Pole.
Throughout the time that Dr. Shemenski was ill and
then as he awaited transportation home, Mary Hogan
a registered nurse, ably assisted in diagnosing his
ailment and in supplementing the medical care available
at the Pole.
Dr. Carlisle, a highly respected and experienced veteran
of several seasons in Antarctica, most recently as
the physician at McMurdo Station, now joins the community.
Her decision to voluntarily replace Dr. Shemenski
exemplifies the best traditions of selflessness and
self-sacrifice that characterize the history of Antarctic
exploration.
See also: Related
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