An Experiential Perspective on Conducting Social and Behavioral Research at Antarctic Research Stations

Abstract

During the year that I spent at South Pole Station in Antarctica, I often felt that it was the closest Earthbound people could come to living on another planet. Our station’s wintering crew was a small, confined group of 18. We were isolated from outside contact, with the exception of radio, for nearly 9 months. Winter temperatures hovered at -80° to -90° F for weeks and often dropped below -100° F. Total darkness lasted nearly 5 months. Given these conditions, among the harshest known on Earth, it has been suggested that Antarctica’s small research stations might serve as an excellent operational analogue for human factor space research (Bluth, 1985). Indeed, during the 1960s, South Pole Station was used as the site for extensive social and behavioral research. A review of these studies found