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Student Learning Objectives
Summary Please note: This program will attempt the first-ever live telecast from the South Pole. This opportunity has been made possible only by the hard work of nsf, nasa, and the "loan" of a satellite from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, noaa. "Firsts" are exciting but also somewhat risky! We cannot predict what technical or other logistical problems may result in late changes to program content! (The New Explorers, hosted by Bill Kurtis, joins MPT to present this special program and provide a live uplink site in Chicago. The New Explorers is a co- production of WTTW/Chicago and Kurtis Productions, Ltd.) Surviving at the Pole is about as good an analogy for living and working in space as can be found anywhere on Earth, hence the program's title: Spaceship South Pole. The Live from Antarctica video crew will have spent the holidays at America's Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Students, of course, know what the holiday is like at the North Pole, but this will be a revealing and realistic look at the other end of the planet! You'll see what the 150 or so scientists and support staff in residence get up to on December 24. We'll also show everyday life and work in some of the most extreme conditions anywhere on Earth. The National Science Foundation has begun a total redesign of the South Pole Station, to make it safer, more energy- efficient, and better equipped with telecommunications tools in order to upgrade support for science. We'll explain why the new living modules are raised high on stilts, and why all other buildings will be situated under ice. We'll also see plans, in which NASA is collaborating with NSF, to make the new station far more self-sufficient in food and water-including ideas for an edible park! The end of the Earth is also a good place to study the origin of the Universe, because Antarctica is one of the best astronomical sites on our planet. Scientists from CARA, the Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica, describe the new telescopes which have been assembled at the South Pole over the past few years, and show spectacular images from the impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy into Jupiter, for which the SPIREX (infrared) telescope had the most uninterrupted view of any observatory on Earth. (CARA is a member of the Live from Antarctica educational team, and has mounted many special files, of interest to teachers and students, on-line. Please browse and download these to provide additional information to background this program.) This program will also feature, live and on camera, the annual repositioning of the geographical South Pole, necessitated by the slippage of the ice sheet over the underlying surface. (See April Whitt's "Dairy" entry about last year's repositioning.) Seventeen-year-old Chicago student Elizabeth Felton, selected to participate in an NSF program that takes teachers and students to Antarctica, will help move the marker and have a chance to make appropriate "ceremonial" comments. Animation from the United States Geological Survey will describe how Earth's exact geographical South Pole is determined using Global Positioning Satellites, and also explain the other three South Poles. Locations in Antarctica
Locations in the U S
Featured Experts and Educators MARK HERELD heads the SPIREX (South Pole Infrared Explorer) investigation at the South Pole. The SPIREX telescope surveys light in near-infrared wavelengths, looking for galaxies and brown dwarf stars. Because the South Pole points towards a "hole" in the celestial background, SPIREX can see light from galaxies formed in the early universe. NOAA LT. KATE McNITT works for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationÕs Climate Monitoring and Diagnostic Lab. She measures halocarbons, carbon dioxide, and other substances that affect Earth's climate. She writes: "I'm an officer in the NOAA Corps, one of 400 men and women commissioned by the United States government to drive ships, fly airplanes, and serve as managers for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. I spent two years as a junior officer on the NOAA ship, Whiting. We used sonar equipment to make contour maps of the ocean floor. My favorite parts of that job were maneuvering the ship and scuba diving on shipwrecks. I have wintered once before at the South Pole and I'm really looking forward to a second year in this magic place." APRIL LLOYD, a third grade teacher from Charlottesville, Virginia, will spend two weeks at the South Pole. She writes: "I have taught third grade for the past six years. I am an avid user of technology and believe that reform in education must incorporate the inclusion of public schools in the Internet Information Super Highway. My goal is to create a classroom where students look forward to coming to school each day, where they like to learn and feel comfortable looking for answers to difficult questions. If children feel that they have the power to learn, with people available to help them, our future is bright." ELIZABETH FELTON: Go on-line for information about Elizabeth, her "Field Journal" describing her travels from Chicago's public schools to the South Pole and her dream of becoming an astronaut!
Activity 1: Working in a Freezer Engage Before scientists take equipment to the South Pole, they conduct tests simulating the conditions under which it will have to work. Nothing behaves quite the way it normally does under such extreme conditions, neither equipment nor people! It takes about 2-3 times as long to complete a task as it does under more normal circumstances. As your students go through this activity, have them think about their own minds' and bodies' responses to such conditions. Dry ice is very close to the temperature of the South Pole. Explore Build a CO2 Test Box Students will need a styrofoam cooler, cardboard box, ice chest, or any type of closed container in which they can place a piece of dry ice. Have them close the lid and let the "box" temperature stabilize. When the temperature is constant throughout the inside, we say it is in thermal equilibrium. Students will need to check the temperature using a thermometer. When the temperature stops decreasing, students can begin placing objects into the box to see how the cold affects their ability to work. Some objects they might try are ball bearings, electric circuits, material samples (rubber, cotton, wool), wet things, water at different temperatures in different containers (plastic, paper, metal). Students can invent their own experiments. Older students may want to design simple machines, electrical circuits, or motors and compete for the design that withstands the most cold. Expand Have students think about how the cold temperature affects the kind of work that scientists must do in their research.
Activity 2: Staking Out the Real South Pole Engage If you were to visit the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, one of the first things you would probably do is to have your picture taken next to the ceremonial South Pole. As you'll see in the videos, it is the one with the barber pole stripe and reflecting globe on the top. Surrounding it is a circle of flags of the nations who have signed the Antarctic Treaty. It is placed where it is because it's in a convenient location close to the station and within the aircraft "skiway" turnaround circle. But it is not the true geographic South Pole of the Earth. The real South Pole is a couple of hundred meters beyond the ceremonial pole in the direction opposite to the station dome. It is a stake with a brass plaque on top. Next to it is a sign that labels it as the Geographic South Pole. This one is the real thing. But if you look beyond it you see a long line of old pole stakes. In past years, each of these stakes used to be the Geographic South Pole. Each stake is about twelve feet long, but about two-thirds gets pounded into the ice. Due to blowing snow, only the most recent markers are visible. The reason the Geographic Pole needs to be restaked each year is not because the Earth's pole itself is moving, but rather because the 3-km-thick ice sheet is sliding across the continent 10 meters every year. The geographical marker on the pole moves about 9.2 meters per year along with the flowing ice. Explore If the first marker was staked in 1982, and one has been placed yearly since then:
Students can sketch or trace a model of the continent and mark the South Pole and their map to scale showing the numbers and positions of each year's South Pole marker. They should be able to check any mathematical calculations by their scale map in much the same way the GPS uses two methods to verify the actual pole location. In addition, after January 12, they will be able to find on-line Elizabeth's and April's descriptions of what it was like at the Pole. Explain There are actually four South Poles. Two, as we have seen, are at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, but one is not even on the Antarctic continent! The one that is out in the sea is the south magnetic pole of the Earth. This is the one that the tail of a compass needle points toward. The magnetic pole is determined by the magnetic fields that are generated deep in the Earth's core. These fields move about quite a bit and actually flip from south to north over long time scales. Thus, the south magnetic pole is rarely found near the real South Pole of the Earth. The fourth South Pole is the geomagnetic pole, which is found at the center of the aurora caused by the intervention of particles originating in the sun and the Earth's magnetic fields. At the South Pole, one is standing atop a nearly 3-km-thick icecap. Over a long time, ice slowly moves downhill. In this case, downhill is in the direction of the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf, some 1,200 km away. At this rate, in about 120,000 years the current South Pole Station will drop into the sea.
Activity 3: South Pole Station Gamma Objective To have students analyze and evaluate data and develop an appropriate model Engage The United States owns and operates the Amundsen-Scott Station at the South Pole. Named for the two explorers who led the first expeditions to the Pole, it is the most inaccessible, hostile place on Earth, yet an excellent place to conduct science. The current facility is really the second to be erected at the South Pole. The first was installed in the late 1950s, initially on the surface but snow drifted over it. Another problem was that, over time, the ice moved, making tunnels and rooms unsafe. It was abandoned in 1975. The current facility was also built on the surface. (It too is being buried by drifting snow!) At its centeris a geodesic dome (diameter = 160 ft.). Under the dome are several separate buildings. Radiating from the dome are storage and working "arches", large (width = 50 ft.), semi-circular pieces of corrugated aluminum. Outside are smaller, specialized buildings, even tents! Mission: Your mission is to begin the design of the third South Pole research station, named "Gamma" for the third letter of the Greek alphabet. You will use elevated building structures as well as "arches." You may also consider tunneling under the snow to connect the structures. The structures will need to house about 30 people over the winter and up to 130-140 people in austral summer. The construction will need to be carried out during the summer. Explore Phase 1: Planning the Station Divide your group into five teams. Distribute a copy of "Cold Facts About the South Pole" and unit fact sheets to each team. These teams will work together to design plans for the construction of one of five separate units of the base.
At the end of your brainstorming time, you should have produced the following:
If you are linked to our on-line resources, you will have the opportunity to send questions to our team of scientists and students working on this project. Phase 2: Building the Station Discussion Questions: What is the most important thing you would need to study to take your unit's design to the next stage? Working as an integrated team, design the overall structure. Your class might want this structure to be a 3-D scale model, blueprint, floor plan, schematic drawing, or picture. If you have access to a computer with graphics software, this could be designed on the screen. Each team should contribute an overall design. Environmental Issues
Fact Sheet 1: Transportation and Engineering Unit The TE unit is responsible for vehicular activity, construction, managing and operating fire-fighting equipment. Unit Facilities Include the following in your first draft:
Specific Constraints
Connection Questions
Don't Forget!
Fact Sheet 2: Habitat Support Unit The HS unit is necessary to the survival and operation of all buildings. One of its most important functions is generating energy for the stations. HS manages wastes, water, and storage of essential supplies. The unit is responsible for emergency backup energy systems and stockpiling supplies. It also separates, recycles, and prepares for shipment wastes that can't be left at the base. Unit Facilities Include the following in your first draft:
Specific Constraints
Connection Questions
Don't Forget!
Fact Sheet 3: Science and Technology Unit The ST unit conducts the basic science and technology research. It is the primary reason all the other units exist. Astronomical research exploits the clear, cold, and stable skies at the Pole. Atmospheric research concentrates on studying the cleanest air on Earth as well as keeping a watch on the ozone layer. Unit Facilities: Include the following in your first draft:
Specific Constraints
Connection Questions to get you started:
Don't Forget!
Fact Sheet 4: Control Center Unit The CC unit is the central nervous system of the base. It must monitor and manage all the information flowing within the station. It's responsible for all communications within the base as well as between the base and the outside world. Unit Facilities :Include the following in your first draft:
Specific Constraints
Connection Questions
Don't Forget!
Fact Sheet 5: Health and Recreation Unit The HR unit is where the station personnel will spend all of their time when not working. They will sleep, eat, and play here. This unit also contains the medical facilities where the doctor works and can perform simple medical procedures. Unit Facilities: Include the following facilities on your first-draft design:
Specific Constraints
Connection Questions
Don't Forget!
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station The United States' Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is named for the two explorers who led the first expeditions there from 1911-1912. Located in perhaps the most inaccessible and hostile environment on the earth, it is also an excellent place to conduct many types of scientific research. In many ways, it can be considered an analog to future bases on the Moon or Mars. From this vantage point atop the three-kilometer-thick polar ice sheet--the coldest, driest desert in the world--astronomers hope to achieve the clearest views possible of the most distant reaches of the observable universe from the surface of the earth. The key to achieving their goals is establishing a base of operations that will allow them to work and operate their telescopes through the six-month- polar winter, when observing conditions are best, and living conditions are worst! To that end, work has been proceeding for the past several years on a new complex of telescopes and supporting laboratories approximately one kilometer from the geodesic dome of the main South Pole base. It is called the "dark sector," reflecting the fact that the telescopes need to be isolated from the effects of light, heat, and electromagnetic interference resulting from the other activities required to support life in the harsh polar environment. Telescopes now being installed at the site will support research by the Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica (CARA) aimed at investigating the formation of structure in the universe. The CARA telescopes include SPIREX (the South Pole Infrared Explorer), COBRA (a Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy experiment), and AST/RO (an Antarctic Submillimeter Telescope and Remote Observatory). All of these telescopes make use of the special properties of the polar environment and climate to observe types of radiation that can't be seen by the human eye. Note: Additional activities on the characteristics of infrared light and its use in astronomy and in cryogenics can be found on-line.
Cold Facts About the South Pole Site Conditions
Logistics & Communications
Repositioning the Pole, 1993 December. 26, 1993 Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica Well, it's Boxing Day here at South Pole Station. It's also Sunday so the ASA staff has the day off, and weÕre fending for ourselves on the food front. The weather has been utterly beautiful. Yesterday was -25 F, windchill -60 F, but still not bad for short walks. Today there's some breeze, and it's amazing how much colder that makes it feel! At 2:00 this afternoon the official South Pole was placed in its carefully calculated spot. Cathleen McDermott and Dale Benson of the USGS (United States Geological Survey) brought the pole with them on the plane trip to the Pole. The geographical marker on the pole moves about 9.2 meters per year with the flowing ice. They used two methods to find the new spot. One is called the Shadow Tip method. If you stand where the pole is and look, you can see the straight line of poles stretching off toward the distance. The Shadow Tip method involves putting a tripod on top of the old marker and sticking an eight foot pole on the tripod. When the sun gets to azimuth 40 degrees west of north, it is lined up with the other markers, and the tip of the shadow of the eight foot pole marks where the new pole should go. Early Saturday morning they made the measurements. The other method used the Global Positioning System (GPS). A satellite network was used to determine X and Y lines and their intersection was 0 degrees (or 90 south). The GPS reading is a few inches off from the shadow- tip reading, so there is an official pole at the shadow tip and a little pipe at the GPS spot. The pole is about twelve feet long, but about two-thirds gets pounded into the ground (ice). There were about 30-35 people out in the blowing snow (the sky clouded over at about 10:30 this morning, the temperature was -9 F, wind chill -46 F: colder than yesterday!) Dale explained how the position of the pole was determined. He said that it has been 350 days since the last pole was placed (Jan. 8 of this year). Cathy put the pole on the spot and Dave Fischer got to take the first whack at pounding it in, with the special neon orange mallet. Then each of us got to take a turn pounding it in ...The pole has a decorative plaque on top, which was protected from our pounding by some bubble wrap and a small block of wood held on with rubber bands. After everyone had had their picture taken pounding on the pole, somebody finished pounding it in the rest of the way, and the protective wood was removed. The plaque has a little dome on it that looks like the station dome. When I have time, and the wind dies down, I will go look more carefully at the others. It was lots of fun, but the wind was so cold we went back in for hot chocolate right away. And the REAL POLE is set for another year. April Whitt (Editor's note: April Whitt, a high school educator, spent time at South Pole in the austral summer of 1993.)
Resources Books
Bender, Lionel. Telescopes. Rourke, 1991, 48 pp., illus,. gr. 5-8. Chaple, Glenn F. Exploring with a Telescope. Watts, 1988, 128 pp., gr. 7-up. Hackwell, John W. Desert of Ice: Life and Work in Antarctica. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1991. Our Changing Earth. National Geographic Society, 1993, 200 pp. Taylor, Barb. Bouncing and Bending Light. Franklin Watts, 1990, 32 pp. Taylor, Barb. Electricity and Magnets. Franklin Watts, 1990, 32 pp., gr. 5-8 Unlocking the Secrets of the Universe. National Geographic Society, 1993, 200 pp. Magazine Articles
"Antarctic astronomy," anonymous, Sky and Telescope, April 1994, p. 10. "Building a snow dome," by Cliff Jacobson, Boys Life, Dec. 1992, p. 66. "In Antarctica, scientists go with the floe," by Michael Stroh, Science News, Feb. 22, 1992, p. 115. "Reclaiming a lost Antarctic base," by Michael Parfit, National Geographic, March 1993, pp. 110-126. Filmstrips and Videos
Science on Ice: Research in Antarctica, produced by Cable News Network, available from Britannica, VHS video, 21 minutes. Light and the Electronic Spectrum, Coronet/MTI Learning Corporation, VHS video, 14 minutes, gr. 4-12. Electricity and Magnetism, Coronet/ MTI Learning Corporation, VHS video, 17 minutes, gr. 4-12. Global Forecasting, Coronet/MTI Learning Corporation, VHS video, 14 minutes, gr. 4-12 The Blue Planet, an IMAX Space Film about the Earth, 1990, VHS videotape, 40 minutes, for all grade levels. Apparatus
Project STAR Spectrometer, Harvard Center for Astrophys Project STAR, $19.95 (hands-on exploration of light with this spectrometer). Project STAR Telescope, available from The Astronomical Society of the Pacific, San Francisco, CA, $13.95.
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