Flat Stanley!

So sorry for taking so long to get Mr. Stanley in shape, I had to laminate him to be sure he would stand up to the winds out here at Black Island!

Here is Flat Stanley leaving McMurdo Station (the main camp for the United States Antarctic Program) on his way to Black Island.

As we flew in the helicopter towards Black Island we crossed the sea ice close to Black Island.

The two large domes are covers to protect the satellite dishes from snow and wind!

Here we are inside the helicopter!

The helicopter leaves...

The satellite dishes are about 35 feet tall! This is how all 1100 people working at the camp can call home, write emails, and send pictures of Flat Stanley to you!

Here is Mr. Stanley with some of the telecommunications equipment that makes all this happen!

The satellite dishes are located on Black Island because the only visible satellites from close to McMurdo are to the North and Mt Erebus is a very tall volcano that blocks McMurdo from being able to send data to the satellites. The picture below is looking South from Black Island.

Here are the two satellite antenna domes.

Below is a picture of Mr. Stanley with one of the wind turbines that helps power the satellite dishes!