An integrated, interdisciplinary study was completed to assess the feasibility of an oversnow route from McMurdo to the South Pole. Currently the only means of supplying the South Pole Station is by specialized aircraft. Air photo and satellite imagery were used extensively, along with ground-penetrating impulse radar (deployed from a helicopter) to make preliminary determinations of the suitability of glaciers in the Transantarctic Mountains for heavy tractor access from the Ross Ice Shelf to the polar plateau. These were followed by ground reconnaissance and data gathering. Modern traverse equipment was also developed and tested as part of this study. Tractor performance and terrain information were used to compare two potential traverse routes and to calculate delivered payload, fuel consumption, and travel time.
Aircraft are currently the only means of delivering large volumes of material to Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Cargo and fuel arrive in McMurdo, the main U. S. station in Antarctica, by conventional aircraft and ship. Supplies needed at the South Pole are moved with specialized ski-wheel Hercules (LC-130) aircraft, landing on a groomed natural snow surface. Alternatively, airdrop from C- 141 Starlifters is sometimes used. Either method is generally expensive (more than US$6 per kilogram from McMurdo) and limiting (size and weight). Six-hundred to 1000 hours of flight time by the limited LC-130 fleet is currently consumed in delivering fuel alone to South Pole during its 100-day season of flight accessibility. Reliance on air delivery of all cargo has a strong impact on research and other logistics needs, and on aircraft availability for search and rescue missions. Preliminary calculations suggest that an oversnow heavy traverse capability could provide considerable cost savings in the delivery of supplies to South Pole. Development of modem traverse technology could also make accessible new areas of the continent for scientific study.
