ESA-sponsored medical doctor Vangelis Kaimakamis describes what it’s been like to spend winter at Concordia:
Credits: ESA–V. Kaimakamis
We are in the middle of August and the great news is that the Sun is back! At last, after a little more than 3 months of absence, the Sun made a magnificent comeback on the 10th of this month to our sheer pleasure! It was a very strong moment for everyone in the base as it constituted the beginning of the final stage of our winterover and also the return of the light that we had missed so much. On that day everyone went outside the base to take pictures of the moment and live the feeling of reunion with the source of all life on our planet! During the dark winter months in Concordia we realized that the sunlight is much more important than what we used to believe, not only for our body but also for our soul! In fact the change in our mood from the moment we saw it again was more than obvious: All the group members had big smiles on their faces, we all hugged each other and although the Sun was above the horizon for just one hour, we were excited for the rest of the day! Cheerful talks, positive feelings, a sense of satisfaction and relief from the minor problems and the routine of the last months, all blended with the realization that the biggest part of our adventure here is already over! Finally time seems to have passed more quickly than we had anticipated and although there are still 3 months of isolation ahead of us, we can’t help but feel a little more optimistic for the days to come…
Credits: ESA–V. Kaimakamis
Of course, living in the darkness was not all about depression and routine. On the contrary, it has been a period of mixed emotions and some quite memorable events: First of all, the night sky over the Concordia base during the previous months has been a wonderful spectacle with the majestic shape of our galaxy stretching from one part of the sky to the other and millions of stars shedding their light over our curious and hungry eyes. The absence of light pollution and the usually clear sky of Dome C made it possible for us to witness a night sky that very few people on this planet can see. The Southern Cross right above our heads constantly reminded us of our proximity to the South Pole and the various constellations played cheerfully with the shooting stars and the tracks of the satellites passing by… Of course the prevailing cold never let us stay outside for a long time to admire all these, as if Antarctica did not want us to ever get enough of it! And it just made us even more amazed and in love with this place when the nights revealed some really awesome auroras! Changing colors and shapes penetrating the dark skies, sometimes located at some point at the sky, sometimes stretching through the entire night dome, these games of light have always been a source of joy and unique feelings for us. They were also reminders that the Sun was somewhere out there sending its rays in a sweet caress over the Polar Regions to compensate for its absence during these cold months!
Credits: ESA–V. Kaimakamis
And speaking of cold, in the middle of July we had the lowest recorded temperature for this year when the thermometer of the base showed -80.6°C! And with the presence of some wind during those days the wind chill was as low as -100°C! We definitely experienced some freezing days here! Nevertheless, as long as we stayed inside the buildings, we were OK and life continued with the normal rhythms, including activities like research, common chores, playing games and talking to each other.
But apart from the routine activities, many other interesting events have taken place over these past few months. First of all, at the end of May we had a very interesting and inspiring teleconference with the German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst. Some years ago, during the European Astronaut Selection campaign, I reached the final stage of the 45 final selected people. It was then that I first met Alexander and underwent numerous medical exams with him! So it was a quite touching moment for me to be able to speak to him again, me being in a space analog conducting aerospace medicine research and he a real astronaut preparing to go to space in a year’s time! The rest of the group was also very excited to speak to him and we learned many things about real space missions of today. Alexander was excited too, as he had come to Antarctica as a scientist some years ago, so he was really able to understand our enthusiasm and motivation!
Credits: ESA–V. Kaimakamis
And the nice times peaked on 21 June, the official midwinter day! It is a tradition in all Antarctic bases to celebrate this day, which represents the middle point of the winterover experience. In fact, we spent a full week preparing for the occasion and organizing parties and other festivities in Concordia. All scientific experiments were halted for a few days and our energy was spent on making funny costumes and decorations for the theme parties held in that week. We had an international costume party, a fancy dress night, an ancient Greek-Roman party, to name just a few! Everybody had a very good time, we danced a lot, we laughed at the funny costumes the others had created and we also ate special meals prepared for the occasion. Overall, it was a period of relaxation and a release from the ordinary things, something we all needed back then…
So, either celebrating, or gazing at the sky, admiring the auroras or taking pictures while going for walks outside the base, we have managed to stay alert throughout the deep winter time and maintain our hopes for the summer to come. Nature seemed to hibernate and together with it we were also in a state of subconscious lowering of our activation and our morale, like small and insignificant polar organisms waiting for the new light! The light has finally come and our best thoughts about the rest of this life-changing experience are about to be put to the test. But one thing that will never change is our true appreciation for the Sun and its great effect on our very existence…
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