View source for McMurdo Station

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                    = McMurdo Station 
| official_name           =
| native_name             = 
| native_name_lang        = <!-- ISO 639-2 code e.g. "fr" for French. If more than one, use {{lang}} instead -->
| settlement_type         = [[Research stations in Antarctica|Antarctic base]]

| image_skyline           = McMurdo Station.jpg
| imagesize               = 300
| image_caption           = McMurdo Station from Observation Hill
| image_flag              =
| flag_size               = 110px
| flag_border             = no
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| pushpin_map             = Antarctica
| pushpin_map_alt         = Location of McMurdo Station in Antarctica
| pushpin_map_caption     = Location of McMurdo Station in [[Antarctica]]
| pushpin_mapsize         = 300
| pushpin_relief          = yes
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| coordinates             = {{coord|77.846323|S|166.668235|E|format=dms|region:AQ|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint           = 
| coordinates_footnotes   = 
| subdivision_type        = Country
| subdivision_name        = {{flagcountry|United States}}
| subdivision_type1       = [[Antarctica|Location in Antarctica]]
| subdivision_name1       = {{nowrap|[[Ross Island]], [[Ross Dependency]];}} claimed by [[New Zealand]].
| subdivision_type2       =
| subdivision_name2       = 
| subdivision_type3       = Administered by
| subdivision_name3       = [[United States Antarctic Program]] via the [[National Science Foundation]]

| established_title       = Established
| established_date        = {{start date|1956|02|16|df=y}}
| extinct_title           = Evacuated
| extinct_date            =

| named_for               = [[Archibald McMurdo]]
| founder                 = 
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| elevation_m             = 10
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| population_total        = {{bulleted list|Summer: 1,258|Winter: 250}}
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| timezone1               = [[Time in New Zealand|NZST]]
| utc_offset1             = +12
| timezone1_DST           = [[Time in New Zealand|NZDST]]
| utc_offset1_DST         = +13

| blank_name_sec1         = Type
| blank_info_sec1         = All year-round
| blank1_name_sec1        = Period
| blank1_info_sec1        = Annual
| blank2_name_sec1        = Status
| blank2_info_sec1        = Operational
| blank_name_sec2         = Facilities
| blank_info_sec2         = More than 85 buildings with facilities that include:<ref name=aasps>{{cite web |url=http://www.nsf.gov/geo/plr/support/mcmurdo.jsp |title=McMurdo Station|work=Giosciences: Polar Programs |publisher=[[National Science Foundation]] |date= |accessdate=11 July 2016}}</ref> {{small|{{bulleted list|A harbor|[[Williams Field|Landing strips]]|Helicopter pad|Repair facilities|Dormitories|Administrative buildings|Firehouse|Power plant|Water distillation plant|Wharf|Stores|Clubs|Warehouses|Crary Lab|Above-ground water, sewer, telephone, and power lines|[[Chapel of the Snows]] Interfaith Chapel|[[Albert P. Crary Science and Engineering Center]]  {{small|(aeronomy and astrophysics, biology and medicine, geology and geophysics, glaciology and glacial geology, and ocean and climate systems).}}}}}}

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| website                 = {{nowrap|{{url|https://www.nsf.gov/geo/plr/support/mcmurdo.jsp|www.nsf.gov}}}}
| footnotes               = 
}}

The '''McMurdo Station''' is a [[United States]] [[Antarctica|Antarctic]] [[research center]] on the south tip of [[Ross Island]], which is in the [[New Zealand]]-claimed [[Ross Dependency]] on the shore of [[McMurdo Sound]] in Antarctica. It is operated by the United States through the [[United States Antarctic Program]], a branch of the [[National Science Foundation]]. The station is the largest community in Antarctica, capable of supporting up to 1,258 residents,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1997/antpanel/4past.htm|title=4.0 Antarctica - Past and Present|website=www.nsf.gov}}</ref> and serves as one of three United States Antarctic science facilities. All personnel and cargo going to or coming from [[Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station]] first pass through McMurdo.

==History==
The station owes its designation to nearby [[McMurdo Sound]], named after Lieutenant [[Archibald McMurdo]] of {{HMS|Terror|1813|6}}, which first charted the area in 1841 under the command of British explorer [[James Clark Ross]]. British explorer [[Robert Falcon Scott]] first established a base close to this spot in 1902 and built [[Discovery Hut]], still standing adjacent to the harbour at [[Hut Point Peninsula|Hut Point]]. The [[volcanic rock]] of the site is the southernmost bare ground accessible by ship in the Antarctic. The United States officially opened its first station at McMurdo on February 16, 1956. Founders initially called the station ''Naval Air Facility McMurdo''. On November 28, 1957, Admiral [[George J. Dufek]] was present with a U.S. congressional delegation during a change of command ceremony.<ref name=heraldjournal112957>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tGksAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bMsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7323,4149121&dq=antarctic+base&hl=en|title=US Antarctic Base Has Busy Day|date=November 29, 1957|work=[[Spartanburg Herald-Journal]]|accessdate=7 July 2010}}</ref>

McMurdo became the center of scientific and logistical operation during the [[International Geophysical Year]],<ref name=heraldjournal112957/> an international scientific effort that lasted from July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. The [[Antarctic Treaty]], now signed by over forty-five governments, regulates intergovernmental relations with respect to Antarctica and governs the conduct of daily life at McMurdo for United States Antarctic Program (U.S.A.P.) participants. The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively called the ''[[Antarctic Treaty System]]'' (ATS), was opened for signature on December 1, 1959, and officially entered into force on June 23, 1961.

The first [[scientific diving]] protocols were established before 1960 and the first diving operations were documented in November 1961.<ref name=Pollock2007>{{cite journal |author=[[Neal W. Pollock|Pollock, Neal W]] |year=2007 |title=Scientific diving in Antarctica: history and current practice. |journal=Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine |volume=37 |pages=204–11 |url=http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/9721 |accessdate=8 June 2013}}</ref>

===Nuclear power 1962–1972===
[[File:Plaque Commemorating the PM-3A Nuclear Power Plant at McMurdo Station.jpg|thumb|left|Nuclear reactor commemorative plaque]]
[[File:Operation Deep Freeze 2007, McMurdo Station 070207-N-0469C-001.JPEG|thumb|left|The supply ship MV ''American Tern'' during cargo operations at McMurdo Station during Operation Deep Freeze 2007. The square building in the foreground is [[Discovery Hut]].]]
[[File:Mcmurdo118.jpg|thumb|McMurdo Station from above.]]
On March 3, 1962, operators activated a nuclear power plant at the station. The plant, like nearby Scott's Discovery Hut, was prefabricated in modules. Engineers designed the components to weigh no more than {{convert|30000|lb|kg}} each and to measure no more than {{convert|8|ft|8|in}} by {{convert|8|ft|8|in}} by {{convert|30|ft}}. A single core no larger than an oil [[Drum (container)|drum]] served as the heart of the [[nuclear reactor]]. These size and weight restrictions were intended to allow the reactor to be delivered in an [[LC-130]] Hercules aircraft. However, the components were actually delivered by ship.<ref name="antsun">{{Cite news|last=Rejcek|first=Peter |title=Powerful reminder: Plaque dedicated to former McMurdo nuclear plant marks significant moment in Antarctic history |newspaper=The Antarctic Sun |date=June 25, 2010 |url=http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=2175 |accessdate=June 16, 2012}}</ref> The reactor
generated 1.8 MW of electrical power<ref name="nzlistener">{{Cite news |last=Priestly |first=Rebecca |title=The wind turbines of Scott Base |newspaper=The New Zealand Listener |date=January 7, 2012 |url=http://www.listener.co.nz/current-affairs/science/the-wind-turbines-of-scott-base/ |accessdate=June 16, 2012}}</ref> and reportedly replaced the need for {{convert|1500|USgal|l}} of [[oil]] daily.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Clarke|first=Peter McFerrin |title=On the ice|year=1966|publisher=Burdette}}</ref> Engineers applied the reactor's power, for instance, in producing steam for the salt water distillation plant.  As a result of continuing safety issues (hairline cracks in the reactor and water leaks), the U.S. [[Navy Nuclear Power Program]] decommissioned the plant in 1972.  After the nuclear power station was no longer operational, conventional diesel generators were used.  There were a number of {{convert|500|kW}} diesel generators in a central powerhouse providing electric power.  A conventionally fueled water desalination plant provided fresh water.

===Contemporary functions===
[[File:McMurdo.jpg|thumb|left|McMurdo Station in November 2003.]]
Today, McMurdo Station is Antarctica's largest community and a functional, modern-day science station, which includes a [[harbor]], three airfields<ref name=llanos>{{cite web|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15834019/ |title=Reflections from time on 'the Ice' |accessdate=2008-01-11 |author=Miguel Llanos |date=2007-01-25 |publisher=[[MSNBC]]}}</ref> (two seasonal), a [[heliport]] and more than 100 buildings, including the [[Albert P. Crary Science and Engineering Center]]. The station is also home to the continent's two [[Automated teller machine|ATMs]], both provided by [[Wells Fargo Bank]]. The primary focus of the work done at McMurdo Station is [[science]], but most of the residents (approximately 1,000 in the summer and around 250 in the winter) are not scientists, but station personnel who are there to provide support for operations, logistics, information technology, construction, and maintenance.

Scientists and other personnel at McMurdo are participants in the USAP, which co-ordinates research and operational support in the region. [[Werner Herzog]]'s 2007 documentary ''[[Encounters at the End of the World]]'' reports on the life and culture of McMurdo Station from the point of view of residents. And Anthony Powell's 2013 documentary ''[[Antarctica: A Year on Ice]]'' provides time-lapse photography of Antarctica intertwined with personal accounts from residents of McMurdo Station and adjacent [[Scott Base]] over the course of a year.

An annual sealift by cargo ships as part of [[Operation Deep Freeze]] delivers 8 million U.S. gallons (6.6 million imperial gallons/42 million liters) of fuel and 11 million pounds (5 million kg) of supplies and equipment for McMurdo residents.<ref>''Modern Marvels: Sub-Zero''. The History Channel.</ref> The ships are operated by the U.S. [[Military Sealift Command]] but are manned by civilian mariners. Cargo may range from mail, construction materials, trucks, tractors, dry and frozen food, to scientific instruments. [[United States Coast Guard|U.S. Coast Guard]] [[icebreaker]]s break a ship channel through ice-clogged McMurdo Sound in order for supply ships to reach [[Winter Quarters Bay]] at McMurdo. Additional supplies and personnel are flown in to nearby [[Williams Field]] from [[Christchurch International Airport|Christchurch]], New Zealand.

Between 1962 and 1963, 28 [[Arcas (rocket)|Arcas sounding rockets]] were launched from McMurdo Station.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.astronautix.com/sites/mcmation.htm |title=McMurdo Station |publisher=Astronautix.com |date= |accessdate=2012-08-13}}</ref>

McMurdo Station is about two miles (3&nbsp;km) from [[Scott Base]], the New Zealand science station, and the entire island is within a sector claimed by New Zealand. Recently there has been criticism leveled at the base regarding its construction projects, particularly the [[McMurdo-South Pole highway|McMurdo-(Amundsen-Scott) South Pole highway]].<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/g2/story/0,3604,881101,00.html | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=No, not a ski resort – it's the south pole | first=Stephen | last=Moss | date=January 24, 2003 | accessdate=May 12, 2010}}</ref>

McMurdo has attempted to improve environmental management and waste removal over the past decade in order to adhere to the [[Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty]], which was signed October 4, 1991, and entered into force January 14, 1998. This agreement prevents development and provides for the protection of the Antarctic environment through five specific annexes on marine pollution, [[fauna]] and [[flora]], environmental impact assessments, waste management, and protected areas. It prohibits all activities relating to mineral resources except scientific. A new waste treatment facility, which greatly exceeds the requirements of the treaty,{{Citation needed|date=December 2013}} was built at McMurdo in 2003. Three [[Enercon]] E-33 (330&nbsp;kW each) [[wind turbine]]s were deployed in 2009 to power McMurdo and New Zealand's Scott Base, reducing diesel consumption by 11% or 463,000 litres per year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://antarcticanz.govt.nz/scott-base/sustainability |title=Ross Island Wind Energy |publisher=Antarcticanz.govt.nz |date= |accessdate=2015-09-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://windenergy.org.nz/nz-wind-farms/operating-wind-farms/ross-island |title=New Zealand Wind Energy Association |publisher=Windenergy.org.nz |date= |accessdate=2013-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131117201552/http://windenergy.org.nz/nz-wind-farms/operating-wind-farms/ross-island |archivedate=November 17, 2013 |deadurl=yes}}</ref> McMurdo (nicknamed "Mac-Town" by its residents) continues to operate as the hub for American activities on the Antarctic continent.

McMurdo Station briefly gained global notice when an anti-war protest was held on February 15, 2003. During the rally, about 50 scientists and station personnel gathered to protest the coming invasion of [[Iraq]] by the United States. McMurdo Station was the only Antarctic location to hold such a rally.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.punchdown.org/rvb/F15/|work=PunchDown|title=Protest photos|accessdate=29 August 2010}}</ref>

Scientific diving operations continue with 10,859 dives having been conducted under the ice from 1989 to 2006. A [[hyperbaric chamber]] is available for support of [[ice diving|polar diving]] operations.<ref name=Pollock2007/>
[[File:Cargo sled, McMurdo Station (cropped).JPEG|700px|center|thumb|A 10K-AT "All Terrain" [[Forklift truck|forklift]] moves a loaded cargo sled as part of [[Operation Deep Freeze]] resupply mission]]

==Climate==
With all months having an average temperature below freezing, McMurdo features a polar ice cap climate ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] '''EF'''). However, in the warmest months (December and January) the temperature may occasionally be above freezing. The place is protected from cold waves from the interior of [[Antarctica]] by the [[Transantarctic Mountains]], so temperatures below −40° are rare, compared to more exposed places like [[Neumayer-Station III|Neumayer Station]], which usually gets those temperatures a few times every year, often as early as May, and sometimes even as early as April, and very rarely above 0&nbsp;°C.  The highest temperature ever recorded at McMurdo was 10.5&nbsp;°C (50.9 Fahrenheit) on December 30, 2001.

{{Weather box
|location = McMurdo Station (extremes 1956–present)
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan record high C = 10.2
|Feb record high C = 5.9
|Mar record high C = −1.1
|Apr record high C = 0.0
|May record high C = −1.3
|Jun record high C = 3.3
|Jul record high C = −4.4
|Aug record high C = −2.0
|Sep record high C = −3.7
|Oct record high C = 4.5
|Nov record high C = 10.0
|Dec record high C = 10.8
|year record high C = 10.8
|Jan high C = −0.6
|Feb high C = −7.3
|Mar high C = −16.2
|Apr high C = −17.3
|May high C = −21.0
|Jun high C = −20.4
|Jul high C = −21.7
|Aug high C = −22.7
|Sep high C = −20.8
|Oct high C = −14.3
|Nov high C = −6.5
|Dec high C = −0.4
|year high C = −14.2
|Jan mean C = −2.8
|Feb mean C = −8.8
|Mar mean C = −17.3
|Apr mean C = −20.9
|May mean C = −23.3
|Jun mean C = −22.9
|Jul mean C = −25.8
|Aug mean C = −27.4
|Sep mean C = −25.7
|Oct mean C = −19.4
|Nov mean C = −9.7
|Dec mean C = -3.5
|year mean C = −17.3
|Jan low C = −4.6
|Feb low C = −11.4
|Mar low C = −21.3
|Apr low C = −23.4
|May low C = −26.5
|Jun low C = −26.8
|Jul low C = −28.4
|Aug low C = −29.5
|Sep low C = −27.5
|Oct low C = −19.8
|Nov low C = −10.9
|Dec low C = −4.4
|year low C = −19.7
|Jan record low C = −22.1
|Feb record low C = −25.0
|Mar record low C = −43.3
|Apr record low C = −41.9
|May record low C = −44.8
|Jun record low C = −43.9
|Jul record low C = −50.6
|Aug record low C = −49.4
|Sep record low C = −45.1
|Oct record low C = −40.0
|Nov record low C = −28.5
|Dec record low C = −18.0
|year record low C = −50.6
|Jan precipitation mm = 16
|Feb precipitation mm = 29
|Mar precipitation mm = 15
|Apr precipitation mm = 18
|May precipitation mm = 21
|Jun precipitation mm = 28
|Jul precipitation mm = 17
|Aug precipitation mm = 13
|Sep precipitation mm = 10
|Oct precipitation mm = 20
|Nov precipitation mm = 12
|Dec precipitation mm = 14
|year precipitation mm = 213
|Jan snow cm = 6.6
|Feb snow cm = 22.4
|Mar snow cm = 11.4
|Apr snow cm = 12.7
|May snow cm = 17.0
|Jun snow cm = 17.8
|Jul snow cm = 14.0
|Aug snow cm = 6.6
|Sep snow cm = 7.6
|Oct snow cm = 13.5
|Nov snow cm = 8.4
|Dec snow cm = 10.4
|year snow cm = 148.4
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 2.6
|Feb precipitation days = 4.7
|Mar precipitation days = 3.2
|Apr precipitation days = 4.5
|May precipitation days = 5.5
|Jun precipitation days = 5.7
|Jul precipitation days = 4.7
|Aug precipitation days = 4.1
|Sep precipitation days = 3.0
|Oct precipitation days = 3.2
|Nov precipitation days = 2.4
|Dec precipitation days = 2.5
|year precipitation days = 46.1
|Jan snow days = 12.8
|Feb snow days = 17.6
|Mar snow days = 17.8
|Apr snow days = 16.4
|May snow days = 16.2
|Jun snow days = 15.6
|Jul snow days = 15.3
|Aug snow days = 14.5
|Sep snow days = 13.3
|Oct snow days = 14.5
|Nov snow days = 13.5
|Dec snow days = 13.8
|year snow days = 181.3
|Jan humidity = 66.7
|Feb humidity = 65.2
|Mar humidity = 66.6
|Apr humidity = 66.6
|May humidity = 64.2
|Jun humidity = 62.4
|Jul humidity = 60.2
|Aug humidity = 63.4
|Sep humidity = 55.8
|Oct humidity = 61.4
|Nov humidity = 64.7
|Dec humidity = 67.0
|year humidity = 63.7
|source 1 = [[Deutscher Wetterdienst]] (average temperatures)<ref name = DWD>
{{cite web
| url = http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_896640_kt.pdf
| title = Klimatafel von McMurdo (USA) / Antarktis
| work = Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world
| publisher = Deutscher Wetterdienst
| language = German
| accessdate = April 6, 2017}}</ref>
|source 2 = NOAA (precipitation, snowy days, and humidity data 1961–1986),<ref name= NOAA>{{cite web
| url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/ANTARCTICA/AM/89664.TXT
| title = McMurdo Sound Climate Normals 1961–1990
| publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
| accessdate = February 19, 2014}}</ref> Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)<ref name = meteoclimat>
{{cite web 
| url = http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/index.php?page=stati&id=35
| title = Station McMurdo
| publisher = Meteo Climat 
| language = French 
| accessdate = April 6, 2017}}</ref>
|date=March 2012}}

==Communications==
For a time, McMurdo had Antarctica's only television station, AFAN-TV, running vintage programs provided by the military. The station's equipment was susceptible to "electronic burping" from the diesel generators that provide electricity in the outpost. The station was profiled in a 1974 article in ''[[TV Guide]]'' magazine. Now, McMurdo receives three channels of the US Military's [[American Forces Network]],{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}} the [[Australia Network]], and New Zealand news broadcasts.  Television broadcasts are received by satellite at [[Black Island (Ross Archipelago)|Black Island]], and transmitted {{convert|25|mi|km}} by digital microwave to McMurdo.  Also, for a time McMurdo also played host to one of the only two shortwave broadcast stations in Antarctica.  The station—AFAN McMurdo—transmitted with a power of 1 kilowatt on the shortwave frequency of 6,012 kHz and became a target for shortwave radio listening hobbyists around the world because of its rarity.  The station continued broadcasting on shortwave into the 1980s when it dropped shortwave while continuing FM transmission.<ref>https://books.google.com/books?id=Ux9fZj6izuEC&pg=PA213&lpg=PA213&dq=AFAN+McMurdo+6,012+khz&source=bl&ots=MPrUroUzKj&sig=we8HwaEt4iPd7aSvRy5rT3lt3Fs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiyntf3nPvWAhUlxoMKHSlGAykQ6AEINDAC#v=onepage&q=AFAN%20McMurdo%206%2C012%20khz&f=false https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq0bs0lXi8M</ref>

McMurdo Station receives both Internet and voice communications by satellite communications via the [[Optus (satellite)#Optus D1|Optus D1]] satellite and relayed to Sydney, Australia.<ref>“[http://www.optus.com.au/aboutoptus/About+Optus/Media+Centre/Media+Releases/2007/Optus+D1+satellite+to+provide+critical+link+to+Antarctica+and+to+help+monitor+our+changing+Earth Optus D1 satellite to provide critical link to Antarctica and to help monitor our changing Earth.] ” (September 20, 2007). Retrieved 2013-08-06</ref><ref>Wolejsza, C.; Whiteley, D.; Paciaroni, J. (2010). [http://csse.usc.edu/GSAW/gsaw2010/s5/wolejsza.pdf “McMurdo Communications Architecture for Polar Environmental Satellite Data Retrieval.”] Retrieved 2013-08-06</ref>  A satellite dish at [[Black Island (Ross Archipelago)|Black Island]] provides 20 Mbit/s Internet connectivity and voice communications.  Voice communications are tied into the [[United States Antarctic Program]] headquarters in [[Centennial, Colorado]], providing inbound and outbound calls to McMurdo from the US. Voice communications within station are conducted via VHF radio.

==Transportation==
[[Image:USNS Southern Cross at the ice pier in 1983.jpg|thumb|This 1983 image of the USNS ''Southern Cross'' at McMurdo Station shows cargo operations on a floating [[ice pier]]. Such piers have been in use since 1973.]]
[[File:Operation Deep Freeze 2006, MV American Tern, Krasin 200601.jpg|thumb|The {{MV|American Tern|T-AK-4729|6}} being led by the Russian [[icebreaker]] [[Krasin (1976 icebreaker)|''Krasin'']] to McMurdo Station during [[Operation Deep Freeze]] 2006. [[Mount Erebus]] is visible in the background.]]
[[File:Ivan the Terra Bus, in Antarctica -e.jpg|thumb|Ivan the Terra Bus.]]

===Air===
McMurdo is serviced seasonally by three airports:
* [[Phoenix Airfield]] ([[International Civil Aviation Organization airport code|ICAO]]: NZFX), a compacted snow runway which replaced [[Pegasus Field]] (NZPG) in 2017
* [[Ice Runway|Sea Ice Runway]] (ICAO: NZIR), an annual runway constructed on the sea ice nearest McMurdo Station
* [[Williams Field]] (ICAO: NZWD), a permanent snow runway

===Surface===
McMurdo has the world's most southerly harbor. A multitude of on- and off-road vehicles transport people and cargo around the station area, including Ivan the Terra Bus. There is a road from McMurdo to the South Pole, the [[South Pole Traverse]].

==Historic sites==
[[File:Richard Byrd's Bust.jpg|thumb|right|Byrd Historic Monument]]
'''Byrd Monument''': The Richard E. Byrd Historic Monument was erected at McMurdo in 1965. It comprises a [[bronze]] [[bust (sculpture)|bust]] on black [[marble]], {{convert|150|x|60|cm|ft|abbr=on|0}} square, on a wooden platform, bearing inscriptions describing the polar exploration achievements of [[Richard E. Byrd]]. It has been designated a [[Historic Sites and Monuments in Antarctica|Historic Site or Monument]] (HSM 54), following a proposal by the United States to the [[Antarctic Treaty System|Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting]].<ref name=atcm>{{cite web |url= http://www.ats.aq/documents/ATCM35/WW/atcm35_ww003_e.pdf|title= List of Historic Sites and Monuments approved by the ATCM (2012)|accessdate=2014-01-03 |work= |first= |last= |publisher=Antarctic Treaty Secretariat |year=2012}}</ref>

'''Nuclear Power Plant Plaque''': The [[bronze]] [[commemorative plaque|plaque]] is about {{convert|45|x|60|cm|0|abbr=on}} in size, and is secured to a large vertical rock halfway up the west side of [[Observation Hill (McMurdo Station)|Observation Hill]], at the former site of the PM-3A [[nuclear reactor|nuclear power reactor]] at McMurdo Station. The inscription details the achievements of Antarctica’s first nuclear power plant. It has been designated a [[Historic Sites and Monuments in Antarctica|Historic Site or Monument]] (HSM 85), following a proposal by the United States to the [[Antarctic Treaty System|Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting]].<ref name="atcm" />

==Points of interest==
'''Facilities worthy of note at the station include''':
* [[Albert P. Crary Science and Engineering Center]] (CSEC)
* [[Chapel of the Snows]] Interdenominational Chapel
* [[Observation Hill (McMurdo Station)|Observation Hill]]
* [[Discovery Hut]], built during Scott's 1901–1903 expedition
* [[Williams Field|Williams Field airport]]
* Memorial plaque to [[1946 Antarctica PBM Mariner crash|three airmen killed in 1946]] while surveying the territory
* Ross Island Disc Golf Course<ref>{{cite web|title=Ross Island DGC|url=http://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=2120|publisher=DGCourseReview|accessdate=3 September 2013}}</ref>

{{wide image|Mcmurdo oli 2013334.jpg|780px|Annotated view over the Station, also showing [[Scott Base]] and the [[McMurdo Ice Shelf]]}}

==See also==
{{colbegin||22em}}
* [[Research stations in Antarctica#List of research stations|List of Antarctic research stations]]
* [[Antarctic field camps|List of Antarctic field camps]]
*[[ANDRILL]]
*''[[The Antarctic Sun]]''
*[[List of Antarctic expeditions]]
*[[Marble Point]]
*[[Castle Rock (Antarctica)|Castle Rock]]
*[[Chapel of the Snows]]
*[[Erebus crystal]]
*[[McMurdo Sound]]
*[[Mount Erebus]]
*[[Palmer Station]]
*[[Scott Base]]
*[[Operation Deep Freeze]]
*[[Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station]]
*[[Ross Ice Shelf]]
*[[Williams Field]]
*[[First women to fly to Antarctica]]
{{colend}}

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*Clarke, Peter: ''On the Ice''. Rand McNally & Company, 1966
*"Facts About the United States Antarctic Research Program". Division of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation; July 1982.
*United States Antarctic Research Program Calendar 1983

==External links==
{{Commons category|McMurdo Station}}
* {{Cite gnis |type=antarid |id=19095 |name=McMurdo Station}}
* [https://www.nsf.gov/geo/plr/support/mcmurdo.jsp National Science Foundation page about McMurdo Station]
* [http://astro.uchicago.edu/cara/vtour/mcmurdo/ Virtual Tour – McMurdo Station Antarctica]
* [https://www.usatoday.com/news/science/cold-science/life-work/mcmurdo-station.htm Life and work at McMurdo Station] – from ''USA Today''
* [http://stratocat.com.ar/bases/41e.htm Information (including flight records) about NASA's balloon launches at Williams Field]
* [http://www.wunderground.com/weather-forecast/AA/McMurdo.html McMurdo Station weather data]
* [http://www.bigdeadplace.com Big Dead Place (life, culture, and satire of Antarctic residency)]
* [https://www.usap.gov/videoClipsAndMaps/mcmwebcam.cfm Usap McMurdo Station webcam]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080424075823/http://www.comnap.aq/facilities COMNAP Antarctic Facilities]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110220115654/https://www.comnap.aq/publications/maps/comnap_map_edition5_a0_2009-07-24.pdf/view COMNAP Antarctic Facilities Map]
* [http://www.gigapan.org/gigapans/43856/ High resolution GigaPan picture of McMurdo station]
* [http://www.booksforwallsproject.org/2010/05/antarcticas-library-and-walking-in.html Antarctica's Library at McMurdo Station]

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[[Category:McMurdo Station| ]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Antarctica]]
[[Category:Outposts of the Ross Dependency]]
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