New South Pole Webcam Part Of 50th Commemoration

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has launched a new webcam from the South Pole as part of observing the 50th anniversary of the first airplane to land there.

From the U. S. Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, astronomers use sophisticated telescopes to peer into the depths of space and create images of the universe in its infancy. Scientists use of one of the world's most sensitive seismic stations to record rumbles through the Earth's crust produced by earthquakes. And they can use samples of the Earth's purest air as a baseline to study atmospheric chemistry.

Fifty years ago, on Oct. 31, 1956, a tiny U.S. plane made that science possible when it landed on the ice sheet at the southern end of the world, 9,300 feet above sea level.

The commemoration will coincide with a newly launched webcam that will allow the worldwide public to see what conditions confront scientists at the bottom of the world. Available through a Web special report on the NSF site at: http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/livingsouthpole/index.jsp, the webcam displays a live image of the research station as well as local weather data and other information.

On Oct. 31, 1956, at 8:34 p.m. local time, the first aircraft ever to touch down at the South Pole skied to a halt atop the Antarctic ice sheet at 90 degrees South latitude. The U.S. Navy R4D, piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Conrad "Gus" Shinn, had been christened Que Sera Sera, the title of a popular tune that won that year's Academy Award for Best Song.