Emperor Penguins

Two men crouch as a helicopter lands in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of southern Victoria Land.

About USAP Participants

The National Science Foundation manages the United States Antarctic Program and supports scientific research by overseeing a massive cooperative effort among researchers, the military, and civilian agencies.

Executive Program Management
Science Programs
Operational Support Organizations
Science Support Organizations
Interagency Collaborations

Executive Program Management

National Science Foundation, Office of Polar Programs
Funds and manages the United States Antarctic Program (USAP); supports scientific research and oversees the cooperative efforts of a civilian contractor, the military, and several federal agencies.

Office of Polar Programs
National Science Foundation
4201 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22230
http://www.nsf.gov/dir/index.jsp?org=OPP
Back to Top

Science Programs

Researchers
Conduct research in Antarctica and at U.S. universities, federal laboratories, and other similar U.S. organizations. For a recent list of researchers and field projects, go to http://www.usap.gov/researchersAndScienceProjects/.
Back to Top

Operational Support Organizations

Raytheon Polar Services Company (Support Personnel)
Provides a wide range of logistical and science support operations and is curator of the USAP web portal.

7400 South Tucson Way
Centennial, CO 80112
http://rpsc.raytheon.com
Back to Top

The Air National Guard (New York Air National Guard 109th Airlift Wing)
Provides ski-equipped C-130 (LC-130) air support between Antarctica and New Zealand and within Antarctica.

Commander
109th Air National Guard Airlift Wing
Stratton Air National Guard Base
Scotia, NY 12302-9752
Back to Top

The U.S. Air Force (USAF 62nd Airlift Wing, McChord AFB, Washington)
Provides airlift support between Christchurch, New Zealand, and McMurdo Station, Antarctica.

Commander
62 OG/OGV
1305 D. Street North East
McChord AFB, WA 98438
Back to Top

Joint Task Forces Support Forces Antarctica (Operation Deep Freeze)
Provides logistics and support for the U.S. Antarctic Program; oversees the activities of U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve Command, Navy, and Coast Guard personnel who participate in the USAP.

Commander
Joint Task Force Support Forces Antarctica
KHQ(P)/CC
25 E. Street, Suite C-111
Hickam AFB, HI 96853
Back to Top

The U.S. Coast Guard (PACAREA Icebreaker Operations, Cutter Polar Sea, and Cutter Polar Star)
Breaks a channel in the sea ice in McMurdo Sound before the arrival of the annual fuel and resupply ships; escorts resupply ships in and out of McMurdo Station; delivers fuel to Marble Point, northern Victoria Land; and provides science support as needed.

U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area
Coast Guard Island
Bldg 51-5
Alameda, CA 94705
Back to Top

Petroleum Helicopters, Inc.
Provides helicopter support within Antarctica.

Petroleum Helicopters, Inc.
Post Office Box 90808
Lafayette, LA 70509
Back to Top

Kenn Borek Air Ltd.
Provides Twin Otter aircraft support within Antarctica.

Kenn Borek Air Ltd.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Head Office
290 McTavish Road NE
Calgary, AB, Canada
T2E 7G5
Back to Top

The U.S. Navy (SPAWAR Systems Center Charleston/Code 66, Aviation Command and Control [C²] Division)
Provides weather forecasting, air traffic control, base operations and ground electronics maintenance services.

Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center, Charleston, SC
P.O. Box 190022
North Charleston, SC 29419-9022
Attn: Code 66B
Back to Top

Science Support Organizations

University Navstar Consortium (UNAVCO)
Provides support for permanent stations, surveying, mapping, and other applications of the Global Positioning System (GPS) to U.S. Antarctic Program investigators, and maintains a satellite facility with a full range of geodetic GPS equipment and support services at McMurdo Station during the austral summer research season.

UNAVCO
6350 Nautilus Drive
Boulder, CO 80301-5554
http://www.unavco.org/facility/project_support/polar/polar.html
Back to Top

Ice Coring and Drilling Services (ICDS), University of Wisconsin-Madison
Provides ice-coring and drilling support for NSF-sponsored research in both polar regions and at high altitudes, maintains and operates existing equipment, and develops new systems.

Ice Coring and Drilling Services
Space Science and Engineering Center
1225 W. Dayton Street
Madison, WI 53706
http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/icds/
Back to Top

Biospherical Instruments, Inc.
Operates a polar network of ultraviolet monitoring instruments in Antarctica and the Arctic. Provides data to researchers studying the effects of ozone depletion on terrestrial and marine biological systems.

Biospherical Instruments Inc.
5340 Riley Street
San Diego, CA 92110-2621
http://www.biospherical.com/NSF/
Back to Top

Interagency Collaborations

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

National Scientific Balloon Facility; Palestine, Texas
Provides services for launching, tracking, and recovering large unmanned, high-altitude research balloons.

Office of Space Science
Code SR
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Washington, D.C. 20546
Back to Top

McMurdo Ground Station (MGS)
Provides tracking and data-acquisition support and launch vehicle/payload tracking to polar-orbiting spacecraft from McMurdo Ground Station, a NASA-owned automated 10-meter tracking system.

Space Communications Program Ground Networks Project
Code 453
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland 20771-0001
Back to Top

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - Climate Monitoring and Diagnostic Laboratory)
Conducts research and continual surveillance on the depletion and expected recovery of the global stratospheric ozone layer and Antarctic ozone hole.

Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory
325 Broadway R/CMDL1
Boulder, Colorado 80305
http://www.cmdl.noaa.gov/
http://www.cmdl.noaa.gov/obop/spo/ (South Pole Observatory)
Back to Top

USGS (U.S. Geological Survey - U.S. Antarctic Resource Center)
Supports mapping (including field surveys), geodesy, year-round acquisition of geospatial data, and satellite image mapping. Maintains the Nation's collection of Antarctic maps, charts, satellite images, and photographs produced by the United States and other member nations of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and is the U.S. contribution to the SCAR Library system.

U.S. Antarctic Resource Center
U.S. Geological Survey
515 National Center
Reston, Virginia 20192
http://usarc.usgs.gov/
Back to Top