What is it - spend the winter at the polar station "Vostok" Bashny.Net

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What is it - spend the winter at the polar station "Vostok»

SERGEY Buschmann, a geophysicist, a member of the Russian Antarctic expedition to the station "Vostok" of 2009-2011, 34 years old:

"At the station" Vostok "man does not live - he is slowly dying. The station is known for three main properties: it is located in the South geomagnetic pole, at the pole of cold (in 1983 the temperature dropped to -89, 2 ° C), and under the ice dome on which the station is ancient Lake Vostok.

Usually, people lose up to 5-10 kilograms of weight for the first month in the "East." Oxygen in the air as much as at the height of 5 kilometers in the middle latitudes. Therefore, the first problem on arrival - reaction. I saw a man became ill a few minutes after arrival. If it had not been evacuated in time, the pulmonary edema after a few days would lead to death from hypoxia. I felt pretty good, but a quick walk and lift weights must be very careful: once there is shortness of breath, and dark eyes. Sharply rising from a chair, you can simply fall from dizziness. In addition, very tired because of the apnea - stopping breathing during sleep. To adapt to the mainland of Antarctica and start to sleep, it is necessary from a month to three.

In ordinary life around us is almost always there are some insects - mosquitoes, moths, midges. On the "East" nothing. Even microorganisms. But with me sometimes occurred hallucinations seemed close flew fly or a bee. The water at the station - from the surrounding snow. It has no salts and minerals, so the first time does not pass the constant feeling of thirst. As is known, scientists have long well drilled to Lake Vostok. In January 2011, at a depth of 3540 meters start another ice below the frozen - frozen water lake. It is clean and not bad taste - can safely be boiled and brewed tea. No unknown life forms, about which some scientists warn, in the case of I did not notice.

Aircrafts for "East" fly only from mid-December to early February - at other times you can not, they just can not land, runners froze to ice. Sometimes it comes motopohod with fuel from the station "Peace". At other times, no technique is not able to get there. If anything happens, no one to help.

The building is fully noticed and the station is under two meters of snow. Daylight inside does not happen. And you can go out through two ways - the main and reserve. The main output - a door, behind which the snow dug a 50-meter tunnel. Emergency exit is a short and steep stairs to the top of the snow cover over the building of the station. During the winter my work presuppose every day to the open air - it was necessary to rise to the surface through the emergency exit and walk about 400 meters to a small hut that housed the main instruments and sensors. Whenever first put on the robe - down jacket, warm pants, woolen gloves, fur mittens, boots, mask on the face. We had to zip it all thoroughly, refuel and then hang the lights, backpack with a thermos, tools and a laptop. Sometimes it was necessary to make such expeditions several times a day. But these days, and is faster.

Once the stationmaster announced at the general meeting, that we are moving in the fuel saving mode. The temperature inside the living spaces with + 15 ° C dropped to 10 ° C. It is interesting that the fuel economy was no use to anybody - after the end of the winter we've got the extra 10 tons of diesel fuel for generators. But by placing the station appeared vyholozheny. In the dining room half-meter formed stalactites of ice. In the dishwasher, which really saves electricity, water, energy and time, the ice has broken off all inner hoses.

In the room where I lived and where there is scientific equipment for the two coldest months - July and August - was about + 5 ° C. In these months, the main leisure time was limited to physical education. I hung in the room bar, got hold of the similarity of the bar, set the bike - and warmed.

The residential building has a saloon, where there is a pool table and a TV on the wall (although terrestrial television is not). After the temperature dropped to below zero there, long time no one to meddle. But once the stock has detected a fault game console. We repaired it, connect to the TV and in the wardroom again began to appear people - dressed in warm jackets and pants, hats and boots, they were going to play in the race and fisticuffs.

As with any other group, especially small - and we were at the station were 13 people - there were conflicts. First there were some minor affair. Some grew into a serious argument for months. Formed "circles", there was talk that Ivanov did Petrov and Petrov - a stupid coward - behaved not as a man and struck Ivanov. Then the conversation distorted reached Petrov, he decided not to be more than a coward, and at other times beat Ivanov.

Another type of conflict comes from the fact that the head of the station allocates approximate and supplied them prodovolst u I in excess of the alcohol. The most unpleasant thing - fights, insults - began with alcohol. Vodka is imported legally into the station and in decent quantities. During my winter has been delivered to 200 with something of bottles of 0, 75 liters. Sometimes binges did not stop for a week, and they participated in about a third of the composition of winter. All alcohol was consumed in less than six months before the end of May. In the remaining time the service was diluted alcohol and with the permission of the chief of station drove brew - yeast and sugar with the addition of peas.

During the winter, I volunteered to be a volunteer in the monthly hikes on snow training ground five kilometers north of the station. There together with a partner, we monthly measured the accumulation of snow at a specially driven into veshek for this. Until the polar night, everything was normal. But it is interesting, by the way, that at -58 ° C to the normal sound of exhaled air is mixed not strong hiss. If the talk at this temperature, many consonants are hissing - for example, instead of "whistle" turns "shvisht." The effect is due to the fact that the exhaled carbon dioxide at such a low temperature begins to crystallize.

And in July, the temperature dropped to a record low for the year: -82 ° C. This frost - it's a beast. Do you have time for a couple of minutes to cool down from the heat of the dwelling, and then the frost bites in the face, knees, in the fingers and toes, biting into the flesh to the very core of the bones. Do not save even the constant movement and the warmest clothes. Death at this temperature, even if you move all the time, comes in 6-8 hours. Without a protective mask - special stocking with holes for the eyes - it is impossible to breathe, as instantly turn white and freezes in his nose and lips. Through the mask is also not very successful - by breathing on it formed a crust of ice consisting of frozen carbon dioxide and water vapor to breathe through that very difficult. The most convenient way: the mask is worn, so that from the nose, and below it is not adjacent to the face. Air enters the bottom of the hole, is heated within the mask bit further into the lungs. As shown, the optimum temperature for shoes -82 ° C - ordinary boots. Better to sole boots was further hemmed another layer of felt. Plus, I put them in fur socks chuni.

And another interesting thing: at very low temperatures manifested smell, which soaked the entire continental Antarctica. Smell this hardly catch, and usually it does not pay attention - he is so weak and inconspicuous. But then, at -82 ° C, I felt it. For a while, trying to find a comparison, then surrendered. And then, when it went very cold, I suddenly realized that it was for the smell. I would call it "vanilla caramel."





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