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The Last Egg

brr.fyi

141–150 of 204 posts

Re: The Last Egg

#141

I'm surprised the greenhouse isn't larger and/or there isn't significant research there about growing under man-made conditions. I would think for example NASA might be able to use it as a research center while also benefitting the diets of the rest of the researchers there.

If the goal is to research growing in man made conditions then you don't really get anything out of the logistical difficulty of Antartica. The natural conditions are the whole point.

The research is not just "we can grow things", but what is required to do it successfully long term, with significant logistical challenges.

You would also bring value to the inhabitants of the base, so it's not just the gain in knowledge.

Re: The Last Egg

#142

And people think we're gonna colonize mars. We can't even colonize the south pole, a much more hospitable environment.

Well, there are a lot of international agreements to NOT develop Antarctica, and instead keep it as pristine as possible.

Re: The Last Egg

#145
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(creds: I was down to McMurdo as a researcher three times) I suspect this has to do with space and weight constraints, and probably a touch of old-school procurement practices. In the not-too-distant past, basically everything was flown to south pole station, so weight was at a premium. Powdered milk weights a lot less than UHT milk. Now they do a traverse to the pole with sleds and tractors, so weight is less of an…

Whoa I had no idea: "To reduce the cost and increase the efficiency and reliability of transporting fuel and materials to South Pole Station, USAP established an overland traverse route from McMurdo Station to the South Pole. The traverse route is approximately 1,030 miles long and took several years of route-finding to prove and to mitigate areas with crevassing. This route is traveled by the South Pole Traverse (SP…

My first thought was of the heavy swings used by Camp Century in the 1960s to haul construction materials and supplies to that project.

Except that MMS to AMS is seven times the distance.

And those SPoT tractor trains are averaging less than 3 kph / 2 mph for the round trip.

Re: The Last Egg

#146
post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Plastic litres jug milk sold in Ireland and the UK is what both commenters were comparing to the bland UHT milk. Generally everything is available in the USA, but there are some surprising cases where the default product is of noticeable lower quality than the default in Europe.

Yeah, I’d say that the default in the US is generally cheaper and lower quality than the default in France, at least (no experience with Ireland).

I would say that default dairy and meat quality is roughly the same in France and Ireland. France has an edge on bread and pastries, while fruit and veg depends on the season but because so much more has to be shipped into Ireland, France gets the edge there too.

Re: The Last Egg

#147
I remember reading that the range of nuclear subs isn't limited by air or water or power (obviously) but by the need to restock fresh food.

Re: The Last Egg

#149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, I personally would be interested to see the talk/learn more about those in tech who have gone to the pole.

There are several Polies here (and folks who've spent time in other cool places - Ross Island, Greenland, Atacama Desert come to mind) and at least some are in tech. My Pole experience is a bit dated, but happy to chat about it. Blog from that is https://weaknuclearforce.wordpress.com/ (also, I dig the single-page latex resume format!)

Hah thank you! LaTeX was the easiest way to avoid using a WYSIWYG editor

I'll check out that blog, thanks for linking!

Re: The Last Egg

#150
Does anyone know how to get a foot in the door for jobs in places like this? Not necessarily Antarctica, could be Greenland or other remote, harsh places. I am a regular software engineer from the EU, would be over the moon to pursue something like this
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