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960120-N-1259S-002 The famous dome of Antarctica’s Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station shimmers in the summer sunlight on Jan. 20, 1996. The flags of 13 nations which have officially adopted the Antarctic Treaty fly at the South Pole and represent the unprecedented international cooperation among the world community on the continent. This year 27 carefully selected workers and scientists will “winter over” by spending six months in total darkness in and around the station, sometimes braving temperatures which can fall to minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit, not including wind chill. Between October and February, the remote site at “the ends of the Earth” is reached by LC-130 Hercules ski-equipped aircraft flown by specially trained U.S. Navy and Air National Guard flight crews. DoD photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class John K. Sokolowski, U.S. Navy.
