I deployed to South Pole ten times from 1997 to 2011, each time passing through McMurdo both southbound and northbound. Of course I knew about the reactor, and

I deployed to South Pole ten times from 1997 to 2011, each time passing through McMurdo both southbound and northbound. Of course I knew about the reactor, and walked around that area several times, but it is fascinating now to read a more detailed history. Especially fascinating is the notion that the reactor had to fit in an LC-130, in order to be used at the Pole. I definitely would have been less than excited to be at the Pole if that reactor had been the main power source. (Not sure how jazzed I would have been to be a passenger on said LC-130, either.) That being said, I wonder if some of the compact reactor designs being generated today[1] would actually wind up being a good fit for remote sites like the Pole. The current power plant runs on AN8 jet fuel and spews smoke/steam into the air 24/7. Clean power generation there is difficult because of lack of consistent wind and sun energy (pilot programs were in place at various times when I was there). Parenthetically, the Pole's Clean Air facility there has some of the cleanest air in the world (upwind of the power plant). Their continuous CO2 measurements, graphed prominently on one wall when I visited, were sobering indeed to contemplate. [1] e.g., https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27133196 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27133196 [2] https://cdiac.ess-dive.lbl.gov/trends/co2/graphics/South_Pole_CO2.jpg https://cdiac.ess-dive.lbl.gov/trends/co2/graphics/South_Pol...