Working in the Antarctic

When Halley VI first arrived in Antarctica it became the world's first relocatable research facility. Despite offering living accommodation and state-of-the-art laboratories, the huge construct can be moved around the continent with relative ease.

Halley VI has been forced to move due to a new crack in the Brunt Ice Shelf that has been growing in size just north of the facility. Although the base is in no immediate damage, they believe it could lead to further cracks and large icebergs breaking off from the sheet.

The Halley VI is in the Antarctic to provide information on a wide variety of topics such as space weather, ozone depletion, polar atmospheric chemistry and of course climate change. Famous for being the first research facility to detect holes in our ozone layer, the project is perfectly placed below the auroral zone to study the skies.

The large red container in the middle of the facility is used as a communal area for the research scientists. With 70 staff during the summer and just 16 over the winter, it allows those working in the remote location to socialize and take their mind off work from time to time.

Due to it's location the Halley VI facility is tasked with working through 24-hour darkness for 105 days of the year and is often cut off from the rest of the world. However that doesn't sound so bad when you have regular viewings of the spectacular Aurora Australis just above.

The research facility is made up of eight modules. Each of these modules is built upon hydraulic legs and specially designed skies. When moving the facility each module is capable of being towed individually, making it much easier to get across the continent.

Despite the glorious views and exciting research, the climate is often extremely dangerous for humans to live in. At Halley VI the winter months can often see temperatures drop below -20°C and even fall as far as -55°C as the nearby sea freezes over entirely.