Worker At U.S. Scientific Research Station Needed To Be Evacuated

A Twin Otter airplane landed Tuesday in one of the harshest environments and under some of the most difficult conditions on the planet ... the second day of winter at the South Pole.

The reason was humanitarian. A worker, who has not been identified, at the U.S. scientific research station at the pole needed to be evacuated for medical reasons.

The flight from Rothera, a British Antarctic Survey station on the Antarctic Peninsula, to the pole is about 1,500 miles and took nine hours, according to a report from Fox News. The crew reportedly was scheduled to rest at the pole for 10 hours before attempting the return flight.

The air temperature at the South Pole on Tuesday morning was minus 75 degrees, according to Weather Underground.

While the employee and his condition were not disclosed, the National Science Foundation, which operates the U.S. station at the pole, said he was an employee of Lockheed Martin, which provides logistical support to the station.

A second Twin Otter is positioned at Rothera in case there is a problem with the first airplane.

(Image from file Image credit: Spencer Klein, NSF)

FMI: www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/livingsouthpole/