My first impression of the station is that it is actually quite big, a huge relief considering that I will be spending the next year here. The circular design is also interesting, and specific to Concordia amongst all other Antarctic stations. As I become aware of throughout the summer and winter campaigns, construction of new buildings is always ongoing as the station expands, and old buildings are tweaked and improved. This year the station gets the beginning of a general store, a new sauna as well as an extra dorm and a cozier living room at the summer camp. The one thing engineers look like they had to compromise on was the size of the windows…. Bright sunlight is now pouring into them 24 hours a day, but I already get the impression that they will feel very small indeed during the winter…. I am obviously also “lulled” by the fact that, at minus 30 to minus 40°C, and with the warm suits we have, it is possible to stay outside for hours without getting too cold. Unfortunately, our “playground” will be very much reduced once the temperatures start plummeting down…
The “bâtiment bruyant” holds the cafeteria and kitchens, the living room with an impressive range of French, Italian and even Russian books and comics, the food storages, a small gym, a video-room used for conferences, and the workshop and technical offices. The “bâtiment calme” or second tower houses the scientific labs, the station leader’s office, the radio room, which is also the IT technician’s “stronghold”, the sleeping rooms, toilets and showers, and the computer room. With so many people buzzing around, and metal walls that are less than ideal for noise reduction, “quiet tower” strikes me as a bit of wishful thinking though!
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Concordia/The_remotest_base_on_Earth
http://esamultimedia.esa.int/multimedia/publications/Concordia_Living_on_white_Mars/
75 Degrees South 