buttgoblin_eater

Well, there are three types of weather, called Condition 1, 2, and 3. They roll in quickly and unexpectedly, but the station has about 650 people on it at any time, and is built on old volcanic ash, so it's relatively stable. Water wouldn't be a problem, we're surrounded by ice for miles and miles! As for food, there's about 2-3 years worth of food stored out in the ice for us to eat, just needs to be thawed. So, no.

Only similar situation was I used to suffer from panic attacks, and haven't had them in so long because I've learned to control them very well. I did have one at one time because it can get a little claustrophobic, but nobody ever knew, it was late at night and I was alone in my dormitory.

Yeah, it's cold! The summer (when I was there) was not as cold as you would expect, sometimes with the wind chill if would get above zero centigrade. At these times I would wear shorts, naturally.

Good start! So there's a board in the main strip (Called Highway 1) that people must traverse to go eat in the galley. On these boards there's offers of free classes, groups to join, ect. There's also always a counter of how many people are on station and what the male/female ratio is, just for kicks.

It always sat around 20-25% females. I was lucky, and found a lady about two months in. But most people, it gets kinda aggressive! Nothing hostile, but there are slim pickings, for sure. And then there's the mean age which seems to sit a bit high for my tastes.

So there's a specific treaty law established sometime in the 50's that forbids us from ever messing with any wildlife in any direct or indirect way. So, short answer, unfortunately no. I did get to have clean antarctic ice over nice scotch sometimes, though.

Depends on what you do, the wages are very variable. The difference is made though when you realize you don't have to pay for anything; not housing, not food, nothing. The only thing you have to pay for is alcohol (which is rationed) and cigarettes. You get paid twice a month, but you're not concerned about your pay because you don't really pay for anything...

If you quit, they just fly you out. It is the NSF we're talking about, and the government as an obligation contractually to make sure you get back to the states safely. So, short answer, no, if you quit they just take you home.

I'm currently 24, I graduated college at 22 and went down there about 6 months later, and subsequentially turned 23 down there. I was definitely one of the youngest on station, I think maybe the 6 or seventh youngest out of everyone. Most people are in their thirties, or older. But some of the most interesting people are down there, from all walks of life. I ate dinner with astronauts and physicists alike.

No, not really. I decided afterwards I didn't want to live in the states anymore so I moved to Australia and have lived there any since. McMurdo is explicitly American, so I couldn't really help anyone get a job.

It is! I have talked about it to so many people, and it really is a crazy unique experience. So many interesting things that happened down there.