Updated 5:45 p.m. ET: Plane lands at the pole
The U.S. government has launched a rescue mission to the South Pole after a worker at its Amundsen-Scott research station fell ill. The evacuation comes at the height of winter on the Antarctic continent — a time when there are usually no flights in or out of the pole.
A Twin Otter aircraft has landed at the pole after a 1,500-mile journey from the British Antarctic Survey's Rothera Station . The National Science Foundation says the crew will rest for some hours and then assess weather conditions before attempting the return journey. A second plane was stationed at Rothera as a backup.
The mission is considered risky. The South Pole is currently in a state of perpetual darkness, and as NPR's Nell Greenfieldboyce reports:
"Normally no flights go in or out from February to October because of the extreme weather, such as temperatures around -70 degrees Fahrenheit."
According to the National Weather Service, the current temperature at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is -70 degrees, with a wind chill of -101 degrees.
Forty-eight workers live at the pole over the winter, maintaining scientific instruments and making observations. Normally, they depend on supplies stockpiled during the summer months.
But the National Science Foundation , which runs the station, says the "medical situation" necessitates a flight because a worker there requires care at a hospital. It is not providing further details because of privacy concerns.
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