Expedition Dates Plans 2001-2002

Section II of the 2001-2002 season plan includes information concerning vessel and aircraft operations along with estimated dates of expeditions and other significant events.

Winfly Activities

Annual augmentation of the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) begins with austral winter flights (WINFLY), departing Christchurch, New Zealand, and arriving McMurdo Station, Antarctica, about 20 August 2001. The aircraft will carry scientists and support personnel to start early pre-summer projects, to augment maintenance personnel, and to prepare skiways and ice runways at McMurdo Station. This will involve 5 U.S. Air Force C-141B flights and will increase station population from the winter-over level of about 154 to a transition level of about 426.

Mainbody Activities

Austral summer activities will be initiated early October 2001 with wheeled aircraft operations between Christchurch, New Zealand and the sea-ice runways at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. This will involve approximately 18 C-141B flights and 7 C-17 flights of transport aircraft of the U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command (AMC), and 12 flights by C-130 transport aircraft of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The sea-ice runway operations will cease about early December 2001. Williams Field will open for the ski-equipped LC-130 aircrafts and at the same time approximately 4 days pass the Ice Runway closure, Pegasus Blue Ice Runway will be open for wheeled C-130 aircraft from Christchurch to McMurdo. From approximately mid-January to the end of the season 10 USAF C-141B and 3 RNZAF C-130 flights will finish out the airlift movement. The 109th ANG Airlift Wing will fly north from McMurdo to Christchurch on Saturdays and south from Christchurch to McMurdo on Sundays from 27 Oct through 10 February.

The 109th Air Wing of the Air National Guard in Schenectady, New York will provide five LC-130 aircraft and five crews for intra-continental flights from late October 2001 through mid-February 2002 when McMurdo Station closes.

Significant Dates

Other significant dates for the summer season include:

1.       02 October 2001         - McMurdo Station-Summer Operations Commence

2.       26 September 2001     - Palmer Station – Summer Operations Commence

3.       05 October 2001         - Marble Point opens

4.       22 October 2001         - South Pole Station – Summer Operations Commence

5.       26 October 2001         - Siple Dome Camp opens

6.       02 November 2001     - Onset D Camp opens

7.       01 November 2001     - Byrd Surface Camp opens

8.       12 October 2001        - Pieter J. Lenie Field Station ("Copacabana") opens

9.       13 November 2001      - Cape Shirreff Field Station opens

10.       15 November 2001    - TAM Camp opens

11.       21 November 2001     - Vostok opens

Ship Movements

M/V GREEN WAVE
The cargo ship, M/V GREEN WAVE, is scheduled to complete one trip to McMurdo this season. The ship will depart Port Hueneme, California, in late December 2001 after onloading cargo and transit directly to Port Lyttelton, New Zealand. The GREEN WAVE will again onload additional cargo and depart New Zealand for McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Cargo will be off-loaded between 03-10 February, after which the ship will depart McMurdo and proceed to Lyttelton, New Zealand to offload cargo destined for the States. It will depart on approximately 18 February for Port Hueneme, CA to off-load waste and recyclable materials from McMurdo Station, approximately 07 March 2002 arrival at Port Hueneme, CA..

R/V NATHANIEL B. PALMER

The R/V NATHANIEL B. PALMER will conduct 6 scientific research cruises, totaling an estimated 215 days at sea, during the 2001-2002 season. The vessel will provide support throughout the season for biological, chemical, physical oceanographic, and marine geology & geophysics investigations in the Weddell and Bellingshausen Seas, station work at Seymour Island and Livingston Island—Cape Shirreff Field Station put in, and station support at Palmer Station. Ports of call include: Punta Arenas and Talcahuano, Chile; Port Fourchon, Louisiana.

R/V LAURENCE M. GOULD

The R/V LAURENCE M. GOULD will conduct 6 scientific research cruises, totaling an estimated 188 days at sea, during the 2001-2002 season. The research supported will include at sea biological, chemical, and physical oceanographic research, station work at King George Island—Pieter J. Lenie Field Station (Copacabana) put in, and station support at Palmer Station. Ports of call include Talchauano and Punta Arenas, Chile.