Graeme Hart in the Antarctic

The ACB at Halley in December 1993

This is the ACB during the summer. Each leg has a cage bolted around the top. Two people would stand in each cage and operate a jack, to raise the platform up to 2m each summer to keep it clear of the surface. The cages were taken down at the end of the summer.

The Ice & Climate Building (ICB) at Halley

This is the ICB in the summer...it is the most beautiful building on the Brunt ice shelf. Or, at least, it certainly was at the time.

The ICB in the cold

This is the ICB ...and here it is during the winter, after a few good blows and low temperatures.

The Halley Met balloon shed with a baloon being launched

Met Ballooon Shed

This is a Met Man launching a weather balloon. If you look closely you'll see that he's wearing shorts! It was a warm sunny day, for a change.

Raising the flag

This was just a really warm sunny day shortly before the ship arrived in December 1995. Someone had just piled up a big pile of snow around the melt tank and someone else had a flag on a pole ready for the deep field trips in the summer season. Obviously, this was inspired by the flag raising at Iwo Jima. The same occasion was used to get the rather naff picture of me that I have placed in the top border. My mum likes it though.

The Space Sciences Building (SSB)

This is one of the very few photos I have of the SSB, which I actually took because of the clouds above it. Consequently, you can't really see it I'm afraid. It's not as pretty as the ICB anyway.

The summer accomodation building at Halley

The Summer Accommodation Building (SAB)

This could be the future of bases at Halley. It's summer accommodation in the form of a big red metal box on skis. Apparently it was the biggest sledge in the Antarctic at the time it was built in the 94/95 summer season. Over the winter it ends up in a wind scoop, and in the summer it's simply winched out of the hole and onto a mound to start again. No complicated leg extensions, no labourious jacking up of platforms. This took over as our emergency accommodation which was a bit of a releif since it had beds, toilets and a kitchen, unlike the SSB.

the summer accomodation building being towed by D4 bull dozers

Moving the SAB

All you need to drag this 60 ton beast is a couple of big holes, a D4 in each, some cable and a couple of pulleys. This was the first time they had tried to raise the building (I'm not sure if they were sure they could do it) and it went remarkably smoothly. A credit to the designers.

D4 bulldozer filling the fresh water melt tank at Halley

Filling the melt tank the easy way

Here you can see a lucky person filling the melt tank with a D4. This was much quicker than with a shovel.

Filling the fresh water melt tank at Halley in a storm

Filling the melt tank the hard way

We needed water in all weathers - this is what it was like in a blow (note the absence of the D4)

Around the Base